From Sin to Sonship

“Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed.” 1 John 3:2

The feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph is a good time for us to reflect not only on this most unique family in all human history but also on how each one of us fit in as part of this blessed family.  

In 1 John 3:2, we hear that “we are God’s children now, what we shall be has not yet been revealed.  We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”  Romans chapter 8 further emphasizes and clarifies our family ties to God by saying that we are adopted children of God through which we cry Abba, Father.  It says that the Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God and joint heirs with Christ and that if we are willing to suffer with him, we will also be glorified with him.  But how is this possible?  How can we become adopted children of God and enter into his Holy Family?

We do it the way Jesus told us to: through Baptism.  This is recorded in many places in the scriptures and most powerfully by Jesus himself in the Gospels.  In the Gospel of Matthew, the last thing Jesus tells the Apostles before he ascended into heaven is, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” Mark's Gospel goes even further, giving details about the importance of Baptism saying, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.  Whoever believes and is baptized will saved whoever does not believe will be condemned.”   In John 3:5, Jesus confirms this message, saying, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit."  Acknowledging that God wants to draw all people to himself in Mark 10:14, Jesus says, “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”

The Church teaches that since the earliest times, Baptism has been administered to children, for it is a grace and a gift of God that is not based on any human merit or action.  Baptism is not about doing something, or even proclaiming belief in Jesus.   Baptism is about receiving a gift of grace that God wants more than anything for all people to have because it unites us to him for eternity as family.  Baptism is the beginning of our life of love and faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The Catechism says that Baptism makes us members of the Body of Christ, the Church, and we become adopted sons and daughters of the Father, a brother or sister to Christ, and a temple of the Holy Spirit.  Baptism seals the Christian with an indelible spiritual mark of belonging to Christ.  No sin can erase this mark, even if our sins prevent Baptism from bearing the fruits of salvation.  Given only once as stated in Romans 8:29, Baptism cannot be repeated and there’s no need to; through Baptism God has permanently claimed us as his own and will never reject us. 

Before I go into more detail about the Holy Family, I want to mention something that may be close to your heart, or you may be unsure of.  The question is, what if a child (or even an adult) through no fault of their own should pass away without being baptized?  If Baptism is required for us to become a child of God and thus for eternal salvation, what happens to them?  Many of you may have been told that an unbaptized child who dies would go to limbo, a place that is not in heaven with God but is a place of complete natural happiness.  You need to know that limbo is not an official doctrine or teaching of the Church.  The term "limbo" has often been used over the years as a simplified way to answer a difficult question.  It's difficult because neither Sacred Scripture nor Sacred Tradition provide clarity on this.  That being the case, since there is no way to know for sure, the Church has no official teaching on limbo.  In the Catechism, the Church does tell us that “With respect to children who have died without Baptism we should trust in God’s mercy and pray for their salvation.”  As Christians, there is one thing we do know 100% for sure about God, and that is that God is Love and that those who have died unbaptized are in His loving care.  

God wants all of us to be with him in heaven one day.  The model of the perfection we are called to live is the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, & Joseph.  But the standard of holiness to which Jesus, God incarnate, lived is not something we could possibly attain.  We are not God and never will be.

Also, in the fallen world in which we live, the sinless life of the Blessed Mother, our Mother in the order of Grace, is impossible for us to fully live out as well.  She was uniquely chosen out of all the women in human history to bring the son of God into the world as her son.  Think about it, since Jesus was conceived in Mary’s womb by the power of the Holy Spirit, and not by man, 100% of his human DNA came from Mary.  This alone should help us understand how special she was to God and that her fiat, her yes to cooperate with God’s will for her life was the catalyst that brought God the Son into the world, changing it forever and replacing the disobedient and self-centered attitude of Eve with an attitude in which Mary freely chose God’s will as the most important thing in her life and her son Jesus as the most important person in her life. 

For us, perhaps the person we can relate to the most is Jesus’ foster father St. Joseph.  Unlike Jesus and his Blessed Mother who both lived completely sinless lives.  St. Joseph, whom God chose to care for, teach, and protect his son here on earth, was not perfect.  He was not God like Jesus was, and he was not born immaculately like the Blessed Mother.  He was, however, a person who chose to be faithful and obedient to God in spite of his own doubts and the temptations and dangers of the world he lived in.  This is something that we can all do as well.  This is the opportunity God gives us every day of our life.  I’m sure St. Joseph made mistakes in his life, but he did as God commanded and never failed to care for and protect the Holy Family.  It’s unfortunate that the scriptures don’t tell us more about St. Joseph, but if you want to learn more about this man who after Jesus and the Blessed Mother was the most holy person ever to live, there is a book called Consecration to St. Joseph by Fr. Donald Calloway that will blow you away. 

When Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth, and while still in his mother’s womb, for the first time, Jesus showed a glimpse of his divinity.  When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, John the Baptist leaped for joy in her womb and Elizabeth cried out, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”

At twelve years old, Jesus showed a spark of his divinity once again, this time to the teachers of the faith.  Here Jesus, as a young boy, showed his wisdom as the son of God to those elders who were considered wise in his time.  The Gospel says that “Jesus was sitting in the midst of the teachers listening to them and asking questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and answers.”

Then, after three days of searching, his parents found him there and said, “Son, why have you done this to us?”  Jesus answered, “Why were you looking for me?  Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”  
His parents didn’t understand what he meant but, in his humility, Jesus went to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, especially in a small community such as ours, we tend to be very proud of the family we grew up in and of our family name.  Family is important to us, and it should be.  But our earthly family should never be more important or take precedence over the fact that we are members of the one family of God.  God our Father cares for us and protects us as his children, God the Son, Jesus, is our brother, Lord, and Savior, and God the Holy Spirit is the one who moves our hearts and binds us to both the Father and the Son.  

My friends, in this life, the relationship we develop with these three distinct persons in one God are the family members we must place as the most important persons in our life.  We are more than just friends of God.  We are more than believers in God.  We are more than worshipers of the triune God.  We are his family, and if we truly believe this, we should live it! 

Amen