Know Your Family

For many of us the very name we use is a testament to our family history. I was named after my grandfather and my son is named after my father. Our last names tell the world what family we belong to when we meet strangers. Everything we do, our family is a part of it, good or bad.

Brethren, Abraham had two sons, one by a slave and one by a free woman. But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, the son of the free woman through promise. Now this is an allegory: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. For it is written, “Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and shout, you who are not in travail; for the children of the desolate one are many more than the children of her that is married.”

Galatians 4.22-27

Today’s reading is in honor of the Synaxis of Joachim and Anna, the parents of the Virgin Mary. Since yesterday was the Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos, today we honor her parents. Her family was faithful to God, even in the face of Saint Anna’s barren state.

Today’s reading also reminds us of our spiritual family. As Christians we are descendants of “the son of the free woman through promise.” When we read the stories of the righteous men and women in Old Testament, we are reading about our family.

We should know about their lives as much as we know about our physical parents and grandparents. At the very least, our lives should honor their sacrifice and devotion to God as our ancestors. Our family lineage doesn’t end with the Old Testament. It includes the New Testament too.

The lives of the first saints of the Church are the lives of our family history. We speak about the bravery of our ancestors in modern wars. Do we speak of the bravery of our ancestor saints? Take time today and learn about a saint from our family history. Share the story with a friend.

If you don’t know where to begin, you can begin with Joachim and Anna, since the Church honors them today. There are saints honored every day in the Church. We know more about some than others.

If you include reading just brief accounts of their lives you will be inspired to share their hero stories of faith with your friends. With the help of technology, we have many saint stories available with the swipe of our finger across our screen. Find an app you like and use it.

When a saint story ‘hits home’ you can learn more through reputable Orthodox Christian websites. You can also pray to the saint whose story inspired you. You can build a relationship with that saint. Remember! The saints are your family. You should know your family.