Establish our Families in permanent Harmony and Peace

By Valerian Kkonde

PEARL NEWS SERVICE

On December 30, 2011 I accidentally celebrated the day of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. The Catholic Church’s liturgical Calendar that marks the day on every Sunday that follows Christmas day was what I had in mind.

Yet this time round, the Sunday that immediately follows Christmas is the first of January, 2012. This day is a Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. It is also the World Peace Day as declared by Pope Paul VI in 1968. That is how the Holy Family day was marked on the last Friday of the year- December 30.

In his homily, Msgr. Gerald Kalumba, the Parish priest of Christ the King Church in the heart of the capital Kampala, urged Catholics to imitate the family which is in bond of love and charity.

“The family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph is a family of love, hope and cooperation. And that is what we should all aspire to have as the model for our respective families.”

Msgr. Kalumba used the family of Abraham, Isaac and Sarah to bring out the role and position of God in our families in comparison with the Holy Family. He preached that in Genesis 12, Abraham is invited by God to leave his native home for a new one, and is promised a countless generation like the stars in the sky.

But in Genesis 15, Monsignor went on, Abraham complains to God that the promise made to him is nowhere to its fulfillment, and that he was going to be succeeded by a son of one of his relatives.

God told Abraham that his promise stands.

“Many families are faced with challenges but not necessarily like Abraham’s. These challenges include failure to relate well, failure to have enough finances to support the family, lack of shelter and failure to relate well with close relatives.

“Some relatives are assisting while others are a wedge in the family. But Abraham went back to the God who had made the promise. And God did intervene. This should help our families not to lose confidence in God. These challenges should be a time to grow in understanding each other and assist one another to grow in all aspects.”

About the Holy Family, Monsignor Gerald Kalumba said that Joseph was taken aback when he found out that Mary was pregnant. But that he had to listen to God to understand what was going on.

“When Joseph listened, the child was born and brought it up together with Mary. In their midst was God Himself who accepted the human intervention and supported them until the time came for His Passion which was the purpose of His coming.”

Monsignor Kalumba urged that the Holy Family should be the model of our families and help us to be hopeful and not to lose family comfort, hope and dignity that gives everybody a purpose and meaning in life.

“Through the intercession of Mary and Joseph, God should establish our families in permanent harmony and peace,” he prayed.