Homily
for December 31, 2017.
“And the
child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favour of God was
upon him.” Luke 2:40.
Our
celebration of this feast draws our attention to the fact that Jesus wasn’t simply
born a child, he was born into a human family. As far as human life is concerned,
the family plays an indispensable role so much so that from the very beginning of
human life on earth, God himself observed that it is not good for man to be
alone.
That is to
say, we humans are relational creatures; we were not built to live by
ourselves; there is something in us that constantly longs for the company of
others. We realize our full potentials only within the context of a family
structure; we cannot do without the family.
God himself
in whose image and likeness we are made is Family. In one God, there are three
persons; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Again in bringing his only Son, Jesus to
the world, God had the option of dropping Jesus to us straight from the skies,
God could have made Jesus suddenly appear in our midst without a father or
mother, without a family but God went out of his way to ensure that Jesus was
born into a human family.
Even when
Joseph having heard that Mary was pregnant and was planning to divorce her
quietly, God sent an Angel to him to instruct him to proceed with the marriage.
Mary would have raised Jesus as a single Mother, after all, Joseph did not even
contribute in the process (conjugal union) but God insisted that Jesus must
have a father and mother and grow up within the circle of a human family. In this
way, God shows us his own respect for the indispensable role of the family.
The fact
that Jesus was raised in a family not only points to his true humanity, it also
highlights the fact that when a family functions properly, it becomes a
breeding ground for the best of the best. Except if we agree that Jesus was not
truly human, we cannot remove the fact that Joseph and Mary trained him, taught
him, spanked him at times; yes, they must have disciplined Jesus; they actually
moulded him for solid thirty years quietly before Jesus came out publicly to
begin his ministry.
We may
want to ask ourselves today: How strong is my family? Is it still a breeding
ground for the best of the best? Am I still committed as a parent or a child to
showing good example? Or have I given up on my family?
Our Gospel
passage today tells us of how Jesus was dedicated in the temple with a pair of
turtledoves and two young pigeons and how Simeon and Anna prophesied about the
child. It rounds off by saying that Mary and Joseph took the child home to
Nazareth and “the child grew and became strong; filled with wisdom…” This was
another way of telling us that Mary and Joseph took Jesus home to feed him, to
train him, to teach him and nurture him. It must have been challenging for them
because Jesus matured in age just like every other child yet Mary and Joseph took
him as their own child.
Dear
friends, maintaining a family is not easy; living with people under the same
roof (people you have come to know their weaknesses and limitations), requires
a lot of sacrifices. Do not be deceived, there is no perfect family out there.
There is no family that does not have its own unique challenge(s) or its own
set of problems.
At times,
we get into the thinking that it is better for us to just quit the family and
live entirely on our own but the truth is that no matter how bad the family may
be, it remains the best place for our human survival. There is no place like
home – there is no place like family. If God himself preferred the human
family, who are we to try to push the family aside?
Like I have
just noted, there is no family without its unique challenges and difficulties. In
our first reading this morning, we see that Abraham’s Family was childless. Childlessness
is a big issue in families (especially for us Africans). But you see, Abraham
took his challenge to God directly, he did not go consulting native doctors,
and he continued to love his wife Sarah; Abraham was faithful to God and he
believed that God would keep his promise of granting him a child even at old
age.
I encourage
young couples who are yet to have children; continue to love each other. Let not
your childlessness become a source of marital discord; do not envy your mates
who are married with kids – they too have their own challenges that you are not
aware of. Continue trusting in God, practice kindness and hospitality to
everyone. And when you pray, remember Abraham and Sarah, Elkannah and Hannah,
Zechariah and Elizabeth, Blessed Virgin Mary, remind yourself that you are
praying to a God for whom nothing is impossible. Children are not products of
human efforts; they are gifts from God. And to in-laws, uncles and aunties, do
not make life difficult for couples because of childlessness. God alone knows
why he delays children at times.
Finally,
our second reading tells us that Abraham always obedient to God, he willingly left
his father’s house when God asked him to, he was willing to sacrifice his only
son Isaac trusting that God had the power to give him more children thereby
passing the test. How obedient am I to God? As a family, do we listen to God’s
voice daily so as to walk in his light? Do we still observe family times in our
homes or are we living like strangers under the same roof? Have we allowed our phones
divide us such that everyone is now living in his or her own world?
Let us
Pray: Lord Jesus, renew my family in your grace and power. Amen.
Happy
Sunday. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless
you. (Feast of the Holy Family. Year B. Bible Study: Genesis 15:1-6.21:1-3,
Hebrew 11:8-19 and Luke 2:22-40).
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