SATURDAY AUGUST 17, 2024
SATURDAY OF THE NINETEENTH WEEK OF THE ORDINARY TIME B
Ezekiel 18:1-10.13.30-32
Matthew 19:14-15
FOSTERING THE PLACE OF CHILDREN IN OUR FAMILIES AND THE CHURCH.
In today’s gospel, Jesus stopped the disciples from treating children with scorn and negligence. For theJewish women have the practice of bringing their children to reigning Rabbi to lay hands on them and pray for them. But at this point the disciples tried stopping them when children were presented to Jesus.
The reaction of Jesus to this repulsive attitude of the Disciples shows us the great importance of children in the ministry of Jesus and the invaluable place of Children as ascribed to them by Jesus.
In deed, children are the future of tomorrow. They must be appreciate and offered their place in the scheme of the world and our Church. Jesus recognizes this point and sets the children as examples to be emulated. Children’s innocence, simplicity, disposition to forgiveness, purity of heart and intention and above all Children’s dependence, trust and reliance on their parents as their God and the faith they have in their parents to protect them, supply their needs and promote their wellbeing at all times is instructive and must be emulated.
So the value of Children in the family is not merely to grace our table or to be counted as our heirs to our inheritance but more importantly, they teach us life lessons by their behaviour and character that we must accept and imbibe.
Children in the family and our church communities must be given special attention and recognition at all times. That is why we have special day every month for infant baptism. And parents are encouraged to take up their responsibilities of training their children in the ways of Christ. And during infant baptism, parents equally promise to bring up their children in the ways of God, and teach them good morals, how to keep God’s commandments and respect God’s ordinances.
Also, the church created, sustains this effort of parents as she runs an association for the Children in the Church which is called the “Holy Childhood Association”. This organ of the Children’s association helps to foster and train our children with what they need for growth as the future of our Church. This Holy Childhood association is expected to be created and domiciled in all parishes, mass centres and quasi parishes because the association actually takes care of children ministry and is a great source of strength for them.
The church is expected to finance and sponsor their activities as needed. They need to be sponsored in all their programs and taken care of. Their program each year culminates with the children’s celebration in December where the bishop celebrates for them annually in order to promote attention and recognition to children’s ministry in the Church.
On a more larger scale, creating children ministry in the parish communities also means making their masses exclusive, holding catechism classes for them and teaching them through their association where they engage in all forms of activities among them that will foster spiritual, intellectual, moral, physical and psychological formation of our children in the Church.
We must never neglect them or abandon them but they must be our first point of call since they are weak and feeble and need our special care. The children we build up today will be the future of the church tomorrow.
Heavenly Father, we beg you bless our children in our families. Grant that they may grow to full maturity in faith and moral. May they be blessings to parents, family and the church. Keep them away from all forms of evil and corruption of the world and grant them good health, wisdom and gradual growth in grace through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Keep me in your prayers as I mark my 28th year as a priest today. Kindly Pray for me for good health, wisdom and greater love of God and humanity. Thank you for all the support in this journey of life.
Fr Norbert Uchuno
