SHOW SINCERE LOVE, AND DO NOT MAKE A PROMISE OUT OF EMOTION

 Friday, February 3, 2023

BLAISE, BISHOP AND MARTYR & ST. ANSGAR (Opt. Mem)

First Reading. Hebrews, 13: 1-8

Psalm. 27: 1, 3, 5, 8-9 (R. I a)

Gospel. Mark 6: 14-29

TOPIC FOR REFLECTION 

SHOW SINCERE LOVE, AND DO NOT MAKE A PROMISE OUT OF EMOTION 

The author of the letter to the Hebrews  advices thus: 

*** Show true love
***Be compassionate and sympathetic
*** Value your marriage and respect your partner 
*** Love of money destroys, don't destroy yourself. 
*** Be satisfied with what you have 
*** Have confidence in God, He never fails. 
**" Imitate the faith of the saints
*** Jesus is the same always. 
*** A true love for God in your neighbors will not lead you into sin like herod who was filled with lust, hence he began to be afraid of Jesus because of the atrocity he committed out of emotion in today's Gospel. 

Hmmm... 
Emotion! Emotion!! Emotion!!!
The word "emotion" has destroyed many people in life. 
It takes a mature person to master his or her emotions. To master an emotion is not easy 

Our response to situations determines how we handle issues. One thing we should know is that those who are highly emotional respond to situations even before thinking of their consequences. 
Meanwhile, those who are not highly emotional do not respond to situations as it comes, they think before they act.
Similarly, those who are highly emotional may have the following traits such as anger, quick or hot temper, talking much, less reserve, easily move to tears, free-minded, etc.

However, those who are not highly emotional may not be quick or hot temper, talk less, reserved, not easily moved to tears, may not be free-minded, etc.
More so, the above-listed types of emotions would respond differently to situations when in the following states of mind.

***Anger: A highly emotional person may react more negatively, and talk without thinking. While a less emotional person may not react negatively, talk less, and think before talking or acting
***Happiness: A highly emotional person has no hidden room for his emotion when he or she is happy. Such are the people that may make promises without thinking of their consequences. Meanwhile, a less emotional person may control and comport him or herself in times of happiness, such people think of the pros and cons before making promises.

In our Gospel today and with the little understanding of the above explanation on emotion, one could understand Herod who was emotionally carried away and told the small girl to ask for whatever she wanted. He never thought his promise would push him to a tight corner and he made a series of promises in the presence of many guests, and he had to fulfill them. 

My dearest friends, the lesson for us all is that we should try to think deep before we make promises to anybody, even to God.
Any promises made out of emotion is less fulfilled. 

Therefore, when in anger, we should watch our tongue.
When in a joyful mood, let us avoid making promises. This is more reason detectives and people in general, try to use what one loves most, that which gives one happiness, they put it before someone, and get all the information they want, while that information will be used against one. They make someone make a commitment in a happy mood, but once the happy mood goes off, one begins to battle with fulfilling it.

Another lesson we could also learn from today's Gospel is that
1. We should not be like Herodian who developed hatred for John because she was told the truth. Her hatred for truth made her nurse grudges and later committed murder
2. We should not be like Herod, who though loves the truth, but because of his lustful pleasure to his brother's wife, made him deny the truth which he knows, and went ahead to commit murder; all to satisfy his lustful wife.

This is one of the reasons he became very much afraid when he heard about Jesus, thinking it was John who came back.

In summary, please 🙏, let us not allow our emotions to lead us to make promises we cannot keep, let us not be carried away lustfully or to deny the truth, rather let us show compassionate love to one another. 

Finally, may God help us so that our emotions may not lead us from one sin to another.

Let love flows compassionately. 

Peace ✌️ be with you.

Rev. Fr. Segun Oladeji, CRS.


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