Family Life

It is a story from Liberia, West Africa. One day a boy came crying to the Missionary Parish Priest’s presbytery early in the morning. He said sobbing that he slept in the forest previous night. He ran away from his house for fear of punishment. Previous day evening his father asked one of the soldiers who passed by, to beat his two children 50 lashes each (punishment to children in rural Liberia consists of at least 25 lashes even today.). The priest took the boy to the parents and found what the boy told was true. The father wanted to punish the children for their mistakes. Since his beatings were not very “strong” he asked a soldier who was passing that way, to help him execute the punishment. With the advice of the priest, the parent then on changed the method of punishment to his children.

Every child is a child of God, who creates them in His image and likeness. God chooses the parents for a child to be born so as to bring him/her up according to His will. Like Jesus, the Son of God was brought up by Joseph and Mary, every child is to be brought up by his/hr parents. A child is born with a special mission so that God’s plan for humanity may be fulfilled.

The parents have the right to punish the children only if they truly love the child. If one does not love his child, he has no right to punish him/her.