(Before sharing my reflections this morning I want to thank you for your prayers and supports for me during this present ideal. When John Cirabassi told me that so many were asking about me, I was touched. I didn’t realize this “virtual family’ is as close as it is. Your prayers are making a difference. Thanks also to Mark Gates for the ongoing encouragement he as been as well as John.)
It seems to me that the young people of our time are in a desperate identity quest. Some tie themselves to Marxist revolutionary groups that seek to overthrow established governments. Others try to define themselves in terms of status, money, or popularity. Some even believe that if they change their gender, they will find deep down who they really are, as though true identity rests on being male or female. Others give up their quests and conclude that there is no real answer to what they are searching for and are swallowed up by despair.
Some, thankfully, find the one true answer to their question when they encounter the living person of Jesus Christ.
This issue comes up today in our brief gospel reading (Luke 8:19-21).
“The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him but were unable to join him because of the crowd. He was told, ‘Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, and they wish to see you.’ He said to them in reply, ‘My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.”
We all tend to tie our identity to family membership. Being part of a particular family with its history and traditions as well as its idiosyncrasies tends to make us who we are. We take on certain roles in our families, and hopefully take pride in bearing our family’s surname.
Is family membership the source of true identity? If it were then the most privileged people on earth were the mother, brothers, and sisters of Jesus—those who grew up the same house with him.
Jesus tells the crowd today that there is a deeper and truer identity that goes beyond family connections. When a person turns their lives over to Jesus and follows him, they become incorporated into God’s own family on earth. Not only does a person become a disciple, they also become intimately connected with Jesus at the level of mother or brothers. Jesus’ true family is God’s family. His true brothers and sisters are those who cast their lot with him.
We know when the identity crisis began. Adam and Eve were anchored in their true identity as children of God. Confusion set in when the serpent told them there was a higher level of identity available to them; there was something greater than being God’s children. If they rejected God, they could become equal to him. When they fell for this lie, they gave up who they were and bought into the false identity proposed by Satan. Human history has been the quest to rediscover our true identity.
Jesus knew who he was. He was God’s beloved Son and his purpose on earth was to obey the Father’s voice. Only those who united themselves to him could share in Jesus’ own identity and purpose. Others, even his own family members, who chose a different path would remain in darkness.
What a blessing we have as Christians. We don’t have to meander all over the world to find out who we are. Being baptized into the truth, we are adopted as children of the living God—true brothers and sisters of Jesus. The serpent is still out there putting us to the test—suggesting that there is something better out there than being obedient children of the Father and followers of Jesus Christ. If we don’t stay anchored in Jesus, we become vulnerable to following the twisted paths suggested by the Evil One
All of us have heard the Word of God spoken many times at Church. This, however, is not enough. The second part of Jesus’ message is that we “act” on it. We pray for the wisdom and strength to line up our daily choices with the truth of God’s Word. In doing this we grow deeper into who we truly are.
