By Olivia Obijiaku
Hopes have been restored to mothers especially the forgotten and afflicted. The Parish Priest of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish Fegge Onitsha, Rev Fr Sampson Ogbuebuna who led the congregation to pray for distressed mothers in the parish on Mothering Sunday, 14th April 2024, also reminded progenitors of who they are before God and of the need to comport themselves accordingly.
Prompting all mothers at the Mass to stand up, the priest soothed the suffering, nudging them all to celebrate themselves because the love and power of God is manifest in their lives.“Today, God is locating you and celebrating you.” He assured them. “The love of God is evident in your lives. God is manifesting His love in you.
The power of God is made manifest in your lives as mothers. But many of you mothers here do not know that you are mothers. Some of you do not talk like mothers. The Lord wants you to know who you are. Celebrate yourself.
Know that God knows that you are beautiful. His glory is in you. He is telling you not to count yourself out. Whenever we see you, we see God’s love in action.We are not only praying for those of you standing here, we are also praying for those who are forgotten.
Many mothers are living in the shadow of darkness – the forgotten mothers among us; those their names have been written off; those who have no one praying for them; those who are in the shackles of sickness; those who have nothing to celebrate in their lives, because their eyes are filled with tears; today, the Almighty God is celebrating these mothers.
His glory is in you and God is manifesting His power in you on this day. God is manifesting His miracle in you. God is locating you to change your situation. So, believe in who you are. We are praying that your motherhood will be renewed as we celebrate you today. You will look up to God and nowhere else.”He prayed that the preached Word of God may locate and encounter them; attack their challenges and whatever is attacking them; and that it may renew their motherhood; re-strengthen; irrigate, and strength them to continue to talk to Him as they discharge the roles of their motherhood.
Leaning on the theme: ‘Repentance and turning to God’ to elaborate on the day’s homily, the clergyman catechized that the Resurrection of Jesus demands authentic repentance from the faithful.
He lamented that some people repent without moving towards God but towards the world, referencing Mary Magdalene as one who moved towards God after her repentance and Judas Iscariot, one of the apostles who turned to the world and was living his life like men and women of the world rather than follow Jesus, the reason why he betrayed Jesus.
Fr Ogbuebuna noted that they still live like unbelievers just as there is disorder everywhere because their repentance has a big question mark. He then charged them to follow Jesus by exhibiting their repentance in words, dressing, thoughts, and character.
