How do you define family?
In the Old Testament, the people of Israel defined family in terms of the larger community. When, in 1 Samuel, Hannah takes her son to the temple to dedicate him to the Lord, she is not abandoning him, but deepening their relationship with God, the source of their identity. Her act is a gesture of recognition that Samuel is a gift to her from God that she dedicates back to God. For Hannah and for Samuel, Psalm 84’s refrain, Blessed are they who dwell in your house, takes on new meaning with Samuel’s dedication. The psalmist yearns to be in the presence of the Lord, and is able to find his way to God in his heart, celebrating the relationship that is at the core of his very identity as well.
In Luke’s Gospel, time spent in the temple does not merely allow Jesus proximity to God, but gives him the opportunity to identify God as his Father: Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house? he asks his parents, who have returned to Jerusalem in a panic, looking for the son they fear has been lost. Jesus knows who he is; his identity in God, as God, is secure.
Thus, in the New Testament, what constitutes family is related not to bloodlines, but to faith. 1 John reminds us that we are baptized into Jesus’ death and resurrection and are therefore God’s children now. Our relationship with the Lord as children who inherit our identity is inspired by and brought about through the Lord’s love for us, lived out in our love for one another. Through Christ, the notion of family is broader than we might otherwise define it, and certainly broader than the limitations we normally place upon it. Only in the context of community do we find our true identity. Ultimately, we are called to one universal family in which everyone should belong, and know and live in Jesus Christ – as we prepare for our eventual home, a home that is perfect in love, and that is love, perfectly revealed.
This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com
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