The Feast of Holy Family Year C. By Tobe Eze

The Feast of Holy Family Year C.

First Reading

Ecclesiasticus 3:3-7, 14-17

Second Reading

Colossians 3:12-21

Gospel

Luke 2:41-52

THEME: OUR MODEL.

There is a family in my place that before now, people have never noticed that they have ever quarreled. Our parish priest then was preparing some families who have already started their family life without wedding. Both young men and women and old men and women for mass wedding during Easter. One day, he asked them, how will you like to build your family? One of the old women stood up and said. Achoro mu ka ezinulo mu diri ka nke John Eze. When she was asked why, she said, they have never quarreled. After the wedding and everything concerning it. One day the old woman was going around in the evening, she come beside John Eze’s house and she was hearing some noise. When she approached to know what was happening, she heard the voice of John’s wife barking at the husband. She was scandalized. As she went closer, she heard the voice of John telling the wife, please we can settle this at night. People may be hearing us now and the wife accepted. The woman shouted in our local dialect. “Nya bu ne onye lile akwo ne azu ne ike nye yeru oye” (Onye nile akwo n’ azu, ike ya yere oye. Everyone being carried at the back, his/her bottom is open). This means that everyone has his/her own problem but it is now the way you carry it around. Continue Reading...........

We may have wonderful families around us that we are to imitate in order to build our own families but they have their limitations but the only family that has no limitation and that should be our perfect model is the family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. This is the only family that is perfect that we will imitate and find no fault in them. What made them to achieve that?

In the first reading, we are told to honour our parents so that blessings will follow us. The only commandment with a promise and going to the gospel, we can see Jesus playing that role when he went back with his parents to Nazareth. He lived under their authority with respect and obedience. The first reading concentrated on the duties of children to the parents.

The second reading came in with duties of wives and husbands to each other and to their children. Wives, respect your husbands, husbands, love your wives as Christ loves his church and parents, never drive your children to resentment or you will make them feel frustrated.

We may be trying in some of these ways of carrying our families along but sometimes troubles come in. yes, it is part of man. The solution is in our Mother Mary, she pondered all in her heart. The answer Jesus gave them, they did not understand but she did not insist that Jesus should make it an atomic proposition or statement rather she pondered them in her heart and latter in her life, she understood all of them. Joseph, a just man, when noticed that his wife was even pregnant without him performing the duty still did not want to disgrace her.

Lessons from them. Children, learn to live under the authority of your parents in obedience and love. Fathers, do not always try to show the woman that she is under you and disrespect her anyhow. Love her as Christ loves his church. Mothers, respect your husbands in any situation, she is your husband and two of you are one already. Men, learn to handle your wives just like Joseph handled Mary when he noticed that she was already pregnant. Do not disgrace your wife for she is already part of you. Women, do not always talk or ask too many questions in what you do not understand in your family, ponder them in your hearts and when the time comes, you will understand them. Every problem cannot be solved with too many questions. Let us today learn from the perfect family in Nazareth, the Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. THANKS AND HAPPY HOLY FAMILY SUNDAY.