Married couples have been called to exercise effective communication in their family and business activities if they are to experience longevity in marriage with anniversaries in future. This call was made by Rev. Fr. Augustine Tumusiime, Rector of St. Paul’s Seminary Rushoroza on Sunday, December 29, 2024 while preaching during the 3rd Mass on the feast of Holy Family at Christ the King Parish Kabale. Fr. Tumushime told married couples to avoid divisionism, become truthful to their partners and above all have effective communication between them. “Let them know your whereabouts if you are not at home when your expected to be at home. The devil uses division to separate married people through deceiving them to always tell lies to their partners. Make sure this is not heard of among you,” Fr. Tumushime said.
Marriage is the legal union of a man and a woman after exchange their free will and consent and the Sacrament of Holy matrimony is blessed by God through families. “We should pray for the gift of Love from God that doesn’t expire because if you build your families without the presence of God in them then your doing nothing,” said Fr. Tumushime Augustine.
Fr. Tumushime further implored the couples to always stop complaining but rather pray through the intercession of the Holy Family of Nazareth so that any challenge encountered may be overcome. Complaining and judging one another will not solve conflicts in homes but rather coming on the round table and share about the challenge encountered will ultimately solve them. Just like Joseph accompanied Mother Mary to go and look for Jesus having known that he was missing, fathers too should take responsibility to know the affairs of the family especially about children. He said that there are some people who nowadays say that well behaved children belong to the father and that those who misbehave belongs to the mother; thereby cautioning that such allegations should stop with immediate effect in families where they exist because they are not only baseless but also create division in the family.
Joseph and Mother Mary were cooperating in their family and even when the child Jesus got lost from Jerusalem, they went together to look for him, only to find him in the Temple listening to the people and asking various questions to them. These people wondered about the level of wisdom Jesus Christ had. On this, Fr. Tumushime said that parents should also start teaching our children activities related to faith at a tender age so that they grow cherishing the faith of their parents.
If your child got lost today where could you trace him from? Jesus was found in the temple. So, parents, learn to take your children to good places, if they get lost you will always trace them from places you often take them to – Fr. Tumushime Augustine.
Fr. Tumushime also used the opportunity to admonish children who are not well behaved to cultivate good behavior especially during adolescence or teenage. He said that children who misbehave and do not listen to their parents and elders bring curses on themselves and are showing disrespect to God. Well behaved children benefit a lot from parents and other elders and also get blessings from them, but when parents suffer because of the disobedience of their children, it means they are calling a curse on themselves, because parents are second to God.
He also implored parents to always follow their children at school and know what they doing at school, not only stopping at paying school fees. Parents and teachers should collaborate in order to bring out the best in the children. In case of wrong doing, children should be admonished so that they can learn and above there should be a good working and coordinated relationship between children and parents.