Today’s Readings:
Jeremiah 3:14-17
Jeremiah 31:10-13
Matthew 13:18-23
"The one who received the seed in rich soil hears the word and understands it and yields a harvest and produces a hundredfold." (Matthew 13:23)
I went to the market with my mom one day while I was still a teen. Before my dad had the confidence to send me to purchase supplies for our chemist store, I would go with my mom. I don’t think I ever went to the market with my dad. My mom introduced me to this interesting “pilgrimage” of shopping and the art of friendly bargaining. She showed me the places where we got our cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and garden eggs (my family’s favoured snack).
On this fateful day, we had finished shopping and right in the middle of the market, someone started yelling, “A fara, a fara!!” (“They have come, they have started” in Hausa). And the whole place descended into pandemonium. You must know that Kaduna is a very volatile city and any alarm can signal killing and looting in the name of religion and ethnic rivalry. People were running. I remember my mom, in her agility, as the Speedy Gonzales that she was (Google “Speedy” if you don’t know him), she dragged me by the collar and whisked me away. I had some goods balanced on my head but my feet were barely touching the ground as we ran to safety. I had crashed into a jeweller’s show glass but who was to say? Next thing you know, we were on a bus and on our way home.
We didn’t know how fast the news had travelled until we were within sight of our home when I saw my dad in the distance looking, trying to see if we were coming. Mobile phones weren’t popular so no one could call. That incident of Mom saving me from a potential fracas taught me something about how God wants us to stay close to Him so that even when we are surrounded by danger, He is dragging us away from a troubled situation. I think parents have a role in helping to communicate God’s love and presence to their children. This is because we take God’s gift of understanding for granted. Understanding teaches us that God reveals Himself to us through our different experiences. Father Jordan Aumann calls understanding “permanent intuition”. It is like an antenna that tells you that your experiences are ways God reveals Himself to you.
A lot of people lack understanding. Prophet Hosea was correct, “My people perish for lack of understanding (4:6). People do things that could be potentially harmful and are oblivious to what they are getting into. Joachim and Anne (Jesus’ grandparents) knew what they had signed up for and handed to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the spiritual wealth of holy fear and submission to God. When the angel Gabriel revealed God’s plan to her, the natural response was, “I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). A person who lacks understanding, experiences confusion about identity and sexuality, poor relationships, lack of purpose and focus, lack of depth, and jaundiced character, leading to poor decisions—there is a disconnect in their relationship with self, God and the world. What do you expect when such persons enter into marriage?
JUDE-MARY OWOH
To surrender your life to Christ, say this prayer aloud. “Father, I acknowledge my sin against You. I repent and ask for forgiveness, in the name of Jesus. I surrender to the Lordship of Jesus. By the power of Your Holy Spirit, take control of my heart and lead me in Your path of righteousness. Thank you, Lord.”
If you said the prayer, Congratulations! Prayerfully look for a living church and report to the resident reverend, pastor or priest.
Prayer:
Lord, give me understanding, in Jesus’ name.
Lord, help me to understand that I am made for more than this passing world, in Jesus’ name.
Lord, may my encounters and experiences draw me closer to You, in Jesus’ name.
Lord, reveal the mission You have for me, in Jesus’ name.
Lord, pour Your love and grace into my heart, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Lord, grant me understanding, to see Your hand in everything, seek You at all times and find You always, especially in my time of desperate need, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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