CHRISTMAS, A TIME FOR FAMILY. (Homily for December 27TH 2015, Feast of the Holy Family).


Bible Study: 1st Samuel 1, 20 to 28. 1st John 3, 1 to 2 and 21 to 24. Luke 2, 41 to 52.


At the heart of the Christmas celebration is the fact that God, through the incarnation of his Son Jesus Christ has come to be part of the human family thereby sanctifying the institution of the family and showing us how we should live. From the very beginning of creation, it was the will of God that man should live as family and not as isolated lonely individuals. No one can function to his or her fullest capacity without a family and so, an attack on the family is an attack on humanity itself. If we stop seeing ourselves as family, meant for each other, even as a church, then we are bound to face a lot of crises. More still, the fact that God himself has been born and raised in a human family shows that the success of any family depends largely on how well they place God as the centre of their lives.

Take a look at the picture of the Holy Family. Do you notice that Jesus Christ is at the middle of Mary and Joseph? What does this say to you? That for any family to survive, God must be at the middle. Take God away and the family falls apart. To be holy as a family is to set apart from other families, to be holy is to be different, to be holy is to be unique and God alone makes a family different. So, if we want our families to be holy, if all we want is to hear good things about our family, then we must put God at the very centre of our family.

Sing: “My life time…. My family….

In our Gospel passage this morning, we read about how Joseph and Mary “forgot” to take Jesus with them when they were on their way home. They had to go through the hurdle of making a three days temple back to the temple to look for him. At times, as families, we do not remember to bring Jesus with us. We try to move on with our lives without the rhythm of daily prayers, we assume that things are fine and that money answereth all things such that we can afford to simply come home to sleep and rush back to work again since work provides us all the money we need for survival. Joseph and Mary had not gotten home yet when they noticed Jesus was missing, they refused to enter their house till they were re-united with Jesus. The question for us today is: “Is Jesus missing from my family?” or put it this way “How often do we talk to Jesus, listen to him, play with him, worship him and allow him guide us as a family?” A family that does not pray together cannot stay together. If truly Jesus is missing from your home, then no need going home. Home is supposed to be a place of peace but when a home lacks Jesus, the Prince of Peace, then that home become a place of restlessness, endless trouble and scatter scatter.

Sing: “When Jesus is in the family…
  
In our first reading, we read the story of Hannah who was childless and suffered ridicule as a result. The fact that we do not have children should not make us panic, depressed or angry at our spouses instead it should make us humble and draw us closer to God as the giver of children. It was with tears that Hannah came to the temple to pray for a child, she did not go about visiting native doctors, spiritualists or demonic forces, she came straight to God and opened her heart to him in prayer. During this season of Christmas, we saw how God made a virgin become instantly pregnant, we also saw how a couple of over 80 years gave birth to a child. What does this tell you? That it is not what you possess in your body that produces children. It is God who gives children. As parents, we must learn to accept ourselves as care-takers rather than owners of our children. A child is a responsibility God entrusts in your hands and that is why he would ask for an account of how you raised your children on the day of judgement.

The Bible says: “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he grows, he will never depart from it.” As a holy Family, you must not leave the training of your children for school teachers alone, you must learn to apply discipline where necessary and let love by your ultimate motivation. Failure to correct a child when he or she errs will amount to leading that child astray. On the other hand, Children must learn to respect and honour their parents. As we saw in the Gospel passage, when Joseph and Mary eventually found Jesus, they took him home and “he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them.” If God himself was obedient as a child, then who are you to be stubborn towards your parents?

Remember the fourth commandment which states: “Honour your father and mother so that your days would be long.” The book of Sirach further clarifies this command when it states: Those who honour their father atone for sins, and those who respect their mother are like those who lay up treasure. Those who honour their father will have joy in their own children, and when they pray they will be heard. Those who respect their father will have long life, and those who honour their mother obey the Lord; they will serve their parents as their masters. Honour your father by word and deed, that his blessing may come upon you. For a father's blessing strengthens the houses of the children, but a mother's curse uproots their foundations… My child, help your father in his old age, and do not grieve him as long as he lives; even if his mind fails, be patient with him; because you have all your faculties do not despise him. For kindness to a father will not be forgotten, and will be credited to you against your sins; in the day of your distress it will be remembered in your favour; like frost in fair weather, your sins will melt away. Whoever forsakes a father is like a blasphemer, and whoever angers a mother is cursed by the Lord. My child, perform your tasks with humility; then you will be loved by those whom God accepts. Sirach 3, 3 to 17. 

As much as children are encouraged to respect their parents, wives and husbands should also respect each other. On the day of your marriage, you said certain words that created a permanent bond between the both of you. You are no longer two separate individuals but one person. The success of any marriage depends on how well couples remain conscious that they are no longer two individuals but one person. So I ask? “Can you quarrel with yourself? Can you deliberately do things to annoy yourself? Can you decide to insult yourself or use words against yourself? Your spouse is not somebody away from you. He or she is part of you. So whatever good you desire for yourself, give it to your spouse. Since you cannot offend yourself, then don’t offend your spouse. If you like the best things in life for yourself, then let your spouse enjoy them as well because when your spouse is happy, then and then only can you be happy but if he or she is not happy, then you cannot possibly be happy.

Be sensitive to the needs of your spouse, make efforts to understand and study each other. When couples try to find happiness away from their spouse, it always leads to further pain, regret and sorrow. If at any point in time, you are not happy, then try making your spouse happy and you will surprised at the way your own happiness will return. This is a secret and it works all the time, it works because from the day of your marriage, you became one person. Talking rudely to your spouse is like hitting your own head on the wall, raising your voice or keeping malice with your spouse is like pouring hot oil on your body. Being unfaithful to your spouse is like trying to take a gift from the devil himself, you will never be happy or satisfied.

St. Paul said it all in Ephesians 5, 28 to 33: “… husbands should love their wives as they do their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hates his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, because we are members of his body. "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." … Each of you, however, should love his wife as himself, and a wife should respect her husband.

Above all as our second reading tells us today, as a church, we should see ourselves as one big family. There should be no tribal, racial or ethnic division among us. We are all children of God. We are not Nigerians, we are not Biafrians, we are not Edos, we are not Afemais, we are not yorubas, what then are we? We are Christians!

Let us Pray:
Lord Jesus, make my family holy as your own family is holy. Amen.


God bless you. Good Morning. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. Happy Sunday.

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