February 17, 2002

What does your family name say about you? Do you look like any of your relatives? Today's readings show two sides of our family tree – the family of Adam and Eve and the family of Christ. Which "SIDE" of the family will we most resemble this Lent?

Family names generally tell people who our parents are and sometimes explain why we look the way we do. They can also express who our ancestors were and what they did or where they lived. But, family names express something about ourselves. In our families, we are knitted together by shared events, memories and values and also by a spirit that shapes each of us into a "SANCHEZ" or a "ROSSINI" or a "MARKEWICZ". And, none of us wants to disgrace our family name.

Today's readings speak of the family of Adam, meaning human, and also the family of Christ. We belong to both. As the human family, we resemble Adam and Eve. We are given the divine breath within us and God's word to guide us, yet we are tempted not to trust God, not to listen to God's word, and not to follow God's wishes. On the other hand, as the Christian family, we also resemble Christ. We are enveloped in the gifts our first parents could not accept. We swim together in the water of God's life-giving spirit. We dine together in the bread of God's guiding word. Though we are tempted as Christ was, we find the courage to trust confidently in God's power and mercy, listen to God's word and to follow God's will for us, as Christ did in the desert and throughout his life.

What will you do for LENT? Will you resemble the "Adams" side or the Christian side of the family? Will you give up the spirit of suspicion, fear or willfulness? Will you put on Christ that trusts in God, and hears and obeys God's word? Will you live up to the name of a Christian?

SO THE QUESTION: CAN YOU MAKE A LENTEN RESOLUTION AND ASK GOD TO HELP YOU KEEP IT?

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