He goes to underscore the need for parental protection in the family, saying, “Joseph was admonished not to abandon his wife and he complied. Joseph and Mary gave the baby Jesus their all, even protecting him from Herod, the aggressive king.”
The Nigerian Catholic Bishop also reflects on the humble background surrounding the Birth of Jesus and says, “God could have seized the palace of King Herod to have His Son born there but he chose a lowly manger.’
“He was born among mere animals in humble appreciation of lowly nature. In that way all who are privileged and highly placed must learn humility; so must we all learn to value the ordinary things of nature because they speak to us of God the creator of all (Matt.20:26-28),” he explains.
In his Christmas 2022 Message, Bishop Badejo who has been at the helm of Oyo Diocese since November 2009 also says that taking better care of children in the family attracts God’s spiritual grace.
“It is through the baby Jesus that God graces us every spiritual grace, in the heavenly places,” he says, and adds, “Children matter so much to God as Jesus himself said.”
Bishop Badejo goes on to say that the Christmas Season should teach the people of God to welcome strangers including the homeless, adding that if the owner of the manger had not welcomed St. Joseph and his family, then the incarnation story would have been different.
“Continue to love each other like brothers, and remember always to welcome strangers, for by doing this, some people have entertained angels without knowing it,” the Local Ordinary of Oyo Diocese who doubles as the President of the Pan African Episcopal Committee for Social Communications (CEPACS) says.
He further appeals for the spirit of giving during the Christmas season according to one’s abilities.
“Christmas teaches us that in gratitude to God everybody must give what they can afford. The owner of the inn gave the manger, the shepherds gave their time, the angels gave their song and praise and the three kings each gave what he could, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Give it up to someone else,” he says.
The Catholic Bishop who started his Episcopal Ministry in October 2007 as Coadjutor Bishop of Oyo Diocese further says that there is need to embrace the Christmas language that will inspire Nigerians into becoming “agents of praise, peace, and reconciliation”.
