CARRIERS OF GOOD
- Olufunmilayo Adekusibe
- 12 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Today’s Readings:
1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
Psalm 139:7-12
Matthew 23:27-32
“The evil that men do, live after them.” I believe that evil is not the only thing that outlives us. Our good deeds shall also outlive us and be carried on by our children and their children. Jesus calls the Pharisees and scribes, “The sons of those who murdered the prophets” (Matthew 23:32). The interesting thing is that those who carry the seed of evil will always oppose the carriers of good. Evil people are oblivious to their wrongdoing and express shock at how others spite them. It all goes back to upbringing. Most people begin to distinguish right from wrong early on in life, depending on what was acceptable or offensive in the home. This basic code is then improved upon through interaction with the larger community, peer groups, religious environment and most recently social media.
Saint Monica, whose feast we celebrate today, is best known as the mother of Saint Augustine, one of the great saints and thinkers of the Church. She is the patron saint of mothers, married women and alcoholics. She was born in North Africa in the 4th century and married a pagan man named Patricius, who could be hot-tempered and was not always faithful. Monica’s deep faith and gentle perseverance gradually influenced her husband, and he was baptised before his death. She was also a devoted mother, though her relationship with her eldest son, Augustine, was marked by years of worry. Augustine was brilliant but restless, and for a long time, he lived far from God. Monica never gave up on him, following him across countries and continents, weeping and praying constantly for his conversion. Her prayers were finally answered in a remarkable way when Augustine was baptised by Saint Ambrose in Milan. Shortly afterwards, Monica told her son that her life’s purpose was fulfilled: she had seen him return to God.
Monica is remembered as a model of patience, faith, and persistent prayer, especially for loved ones who seem far from God. We all know people that we love but who are far from God. Her story reminds us that no prayer offered in love is ever a waste, and that God’s timing, though sometimes slow in our eyes, is always perfect.
As we celebrate Saint Monica, let us consider some ways that parents (especially mothers) can help shape their children’s moral life:
Train yourself to know what is right and wrong, guided by the Ten Commandments.
Teach your children early on what is acceptable behaviour and what is not.
Your children should identify wrongdoing with pain (through occasional spanking) from as early on in life as possible.
Teach your children to speak the truth always and communicate effectively. It will build people’s confidence in them.
Teach your children to help out with household chores. This will help them build confidence in their abilities.
Help your children overcome their struggles. Whatever you excuse in them now, you will have to endure for the rest of your life.
Children learn more from what they see than what they hear. If you read, pray, avoid gossip and work hard, your children will do the same. Teach them more by your examples than by your words.
Celebrate your children’s wins and reprimand them for their failures in equal measure.
Listen to your children express their full range of emotions, from joy to sadness. Let them know that you will listen to understand.
God will help you raise your children to see that their greatest gifts are the ones which no one sees but which they will experience by interacting with them—this is their character and value system.
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! You are welcome to the body of Christ. Prayerfully seek out a living church and meet the resident reverend, pastor, or priest.
Prayer:
Eternal Father, bless our parents with the wisdom and strength to raise God-fearing and responsible children.
Bless our young people with the disposition to learn and pattern their lives after good examples, following in the footsteps of Christ, who is Lord forevermore. Amen.
May God grant you the wisdom to discern and choose good always and shun evil.
May you find strength, through the Holy Spirit, to put to death whatever is vile and unacceptable, so that Your generations shall abound in peace and prosperity unto eternal life. Amen.
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