Which children are we?

 Reflection on Today’s Readings, the Feast of Mary Mother of Africa, April 30th, 2022
Texts: Acts 1:12-14; Psalm Luke 1:46-55; John 2:1-11
Today we celebrate Mary Mother of Africa; we are reminded once again that she is our mother and our guide. We are under her patronage. Making her our mother is a decision from us to be her children. Of course the decision is not to be disobedient children but obedient ones. I could remember last year I asked the question: “Where is our mother?” In the face of the crisis we face in our nation and other African nations, where is our mother? The conclusion was that we should all live by faith. This year the question is this: “Which children are we?” To our mother Mary, which kind of children are we? Can we say we have been obedient children? Perhaps, our mother Mary has been battling with disobedient children we have been for so many years. With our ways of life, we can imagine how much pains we might have inflicted on her, how much sorrows we might have caused her. Have we not turned her to a mother of sorrow? With us, is she a happy mother? Have we not made her regret having been our mother? Many questions are there to ask. Is there any question arising in your mind? If there is any, you can add it.
I do not ask those questions to make us feel we are bad children and bad enough to be abandoned, but it is to make us fall on our knees and pray fervently with her, as the apostles and other disciples did at the moment of fear, disappointment, crisis and dilemma in today’s first reading. It is said, “All these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brethren.” The questions are also asked to tell us that it is time we change our ways of life; let us repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, it is within our reach. Having Mary on our side, kingdom of God is within. With Mary, we will experience heaven here on earth if we can change our ways of life. Let us truly make her part and parcel of our life. Let us truly make her our mother. Let us be known as her children by our ways of life. Let her be known as the mother of good and obedient children. We should not make her a good tree that bears bad fruits.  
We are called, today, to incline our ears to her words: “Do whatever he tells you.” That is the solution to the problems we might have been battling with. Our problem is that we do not do what her Son commands us. The solution to the problem of the couple at wedding at Canna was that the servants should do whatever Jesus would tell them. We read in the gospel reading thus: “When the wine failed, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘ They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘O woman, what is that to you or to me? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ ... Jesus said to them, “fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. .. When the steward of the feast tasted the water now become wine, .. the steward of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, ‘Every man serves the good wine first; and when men have drunk freely, then the poor wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.’” Mary obtained for the couple the best of all wine from her Son.  
The wine is symbol of happiness.  Mary simply tells us what to do to have true happiness: it is to do whatever her Son tells us. What does her Son tells us to do? To love God with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our might and to love one another as He loves us. If we do this, banditry will be no more, robbery will be no more, terrorism will be no more, corruption and bribery will be no more, bad governance will be no more, insecurity will be no more, you can add to the list of things that will be no more. We will experience peace and happiness if we love God and love one another as Christ loves us.  
We are also called, today, to embrace her virtues. Let us emulate her virtues of faith, love and hope. Let us try to be like her, pure and chaste, blameless and holy, just and faithful. She is true to God, to humanity and to herself. Let us remember that she patiently participated in the passion of her Son. Let us emulate her patience and endurance in suffering; let us emulate her perseverance. Let us emulate her goodness towards humanity. Let us be thankful to God for all His blessings and favours upon us, as Mary did in today’s psalm. Indeed our soul magnifies the Lord and our spirit rejoices in God our Saviour who has given us His mother to be our mother. Henceforth we shall be called blessed for having the mother of God as our mother by which the Son of God becomes our brother, an African brother. It is the fulfilment of His promise and manifestation of His mercy. May God be praised for ever and ever. Amen.
Lord, as we honour the glorious memory of the Virgin Mary, Mother of Africa, we ask that by the help of her prayers we too may come to share the fullness of your grace and live in harmony and peace as one family.
Fr. Andrew Olowomuke