Wednesday 1st February 2023. Read Hebrews 12:4-7,11-15, Ps. 103:1-2,13-14,17-18, Mark 6:1-6
“The Lord disciplines those whom he loves and chastises every child whom he accepts. Endure trials for the sake of discipline. God is treating you as children; for what child is there whom a parent does not discipline?” (Hebrews 12:6-7)
As children of God, the book of Hebrews today tells us that God disciplines, that is, chastises us, not out of hatred but just because he wants us to learn. The saying goes thus: “Never regret a day in your life: good days give happiness; bad days give experience and worst days give lessons.” Truth be told, we learn more from our painful moments than our happy ones. Every sad event is a blessing in disguise.
The story is told of a man who while travelling with his son, visited a very poor couple whose lives were entirely dependent on the only cow they had. The cow was their source of milk, their means of transportation and their tractor on the farm. Despite their poverty, they were quite content with their lives. While the man was leaving, he told his son to lead the cow to a steep hill and allowed the cow to fall. The son protested “what will happen to this poor couple?” The man said: “Just do it.”
Many years passed and this boy was now a grown-up man. It was time for him to get married and he accompanied his fiancé to her parent’s home. Upon getting there, he recognized her parents were that poor couple whom he killed their only cow but to his utter amazement, they had become the wealthiest family in that village. He could not contain himself so he confessed his crime of years ago and said that he wanted to know how the couple managed to survive afterwards.
With a huge smile on his face, the girl’s father got up from his seat and hugged the boy thanking him profusely for what he did many years ago. According to him, the death of their only cow was very painful at first but it forced him and his wife to look beyond that cow. The man also added that when they found the cow at the bottom of the hill the next morning, they wanted to cut the meat for sale only to realize that the cow had been very sick all along. If they had continued drinking its milk, they would have died themselves.
Indeed, we cannot but agree with St. Paul that all things actually work for good for those who love God. (Romans 8:28). Never get angry with God for allowing painful things to happen to you. Like the boy who did not understand why his father told him to kill the couple’s only cow, there are so many things we do not understand about God. We just have to trust Him.
Jesus experienced something painful among his own people when he went there to preach. They looked down on him. In fact, they took offence at Jesus because they felt he was claiming to be something other than the ordinary carpenter they knew him as. Jesus did not get angry with them, he did not curse them, instead, He simply said: “A prophet is not without honour except in his own country and in his own house.”
To this day, those who believe that Jesus is only a human being continue to quote this passage as a justification for the fact that Jesus had biological brothers and sisters. Anyone who truly believes Jesus is God would know that for God, nothing is impossible. If God could take flesh in Mary’s womb without the intervention of a man, do we say God wasn’t also capable of giving Mary the grace of preserving her virginity even after the birth of Jesus?
Let us pray: Heavenly Father, help
me look beyond my pains that I may see your hand in them. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Wednesday of week 4 in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: Hebrews 12:4-7,11-15, Ps. 103:1-2,13-14,17-18, Mark 6:1-6).
@Rev. Fr. Evaristus Abu
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