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.
No comments:
Post a Comment