Homily for August 18, 2018
_“Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven. And he laid his hands on them and went away.” *(Matthew 19:14-15)*_
Once upon a time, a parent asked a priest, “when is the right time to start teaching my child about God?” In response, the priest asked, “How old is your child?” And the child’s father said, “He is just two years old.” The priest said, “You are two years late.”
Dear friends in Christ, one very common mistake we often make as parents is to assume children are too young to know or understand the things of God and by so doing, we indirectly hinder them from coming to Jesus.
It is such an irony that we do not think twice before playing the latest secular music for a child on his/her first birthday but when it comes to prayer, the child is completely left out. Some children never get to know the meaning of prayer or develop a relationship with God even after learning all the alphabets.
Jesus was not happy with the disciples because they were trying to prevent children from coming to him. A few days ago, we read of how Jesus said: “See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 18:10.
As a nation, the greatest injury we suffered was the forceful take-over of schools from the Christian missionaries. When learning became devoid of the God-aspect, we produced a generation of persons whose religiousity could not go beyond the skin, a generation of church/mosque-goers who draw a demarcation between the dictates of God and their everyday choices.
In our first reading, God explains to the prophet Ezekiel that He shall not judge a person based on his/her parents’ righteousness rather everyone shall answer for his or her own deeds. This implies that no matter how good we are, our goodness will not benefit our children if they themselves are not good. We must, therefore, make every effort to bring our children up to know God, to love God and serve God.
If the only reason why your child remembers to pray or read the Bible is that you told him so, then know that you have not done a good job. This is because such shallow spirituality is done only to please you. The moment that child steps out of the house, he or she quickly drops any religious attachment.
Let us pray: Lord Jesus, may I be a bridge connecting my children with you. Amen
*Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Saturday of the 19th Week in Ordinary Time: Bible Study: Ezekiel 18:1-32, Psalm 51:12-19, Matthew 19:13-15).*
Fr. Abu.
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