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Theology of Adoption – Advent Week 1

November 30, 2019

During previous seasons of Advent, we have discussed being open and welcoming to one another as we prepare our hearts and minds for fully participating in Mass.  We have discussed the themes of the weeks (hope, light, joy, faith) of advent in an effort to prepare our hearts and minds, for the miracle in which we are about to partake during Mass. This year, let us direct our preparation to our identity as Catholics.  As we prepare our hearts and minds, we can more fully be aware of the language of love in which God speaks to us, body – mind – and soul. We can more fully hear the language of love, throughout the liturgy, in prayers and readings, that unite us as family. It is about relationship; our relationship to Jesus and our relationship to one another.  Who are we? Who is God for us? Who has created us? What are we created to do? When are we ready? How shall we live?

Genesis 1:27 –  “God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”  

We were created in the image of God, the great I AM.  God is our heavenly Father. Through our baptism, we were made heir to God’s heavenly kingdom.  We were joined to Christ’s mission. We were marked with oil and anointed by the Holy Spirit to be Priest, Prophet, and King.  We are His adopted sons and daughters. Straighten your crowns, my brothers and sisters. Read that to say that we have been permanently inserted within His lineage.  We were made for greatness, by the Almighty. We were anointed for ministry, to bring others to the family of Christ. Together, we are called to know, to love and to serve God; to become the Body of Christ.

From our inception, it is He who knows every fiber of our being; from the hairs on our head to our most intimate thoughts.  From our birth, we are set out on a spiritual journey to find our way back to Him. By our creation, we were chosen. In our baptism, we are made heirs.  With our anointing, we are called. Through every prayer, we are loved. With every breath, we are beckoned to follow. In every difficulty, we are embraced.  By His blood, we are united in communion. Renewed in gifts of courage and strength, through faith, we are asked to lead people to the source of love and light.  We gratefully come together to give thanks, to celebrate our adoption as God’s sons and daughters, and to walk with one another; as in relationship with God, we become family.  As God’s children, united in Him, let us pray for one another.