Luke 8:19-21 Dynasties

Luke 8:19-21 Dynasties

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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.”

Thus spoke the Lord.  In one glorious swipe, he effectively dismissed the idea of creating any sort of dynasty, or empire, or royalty or priesthood among his blood relatives.  The Lord would not be succeeded by a blood relative.  Neither would any family member receive any type of inheritance other than the cross.

We have a lot to learn from this and much to appreciate from it.

Although there are very few kings and queens today, there are still certain dynasties that appear to be created not by vocation but by circulation; that is, by procreation.

Political Dynasties.  Take for example politicians.  I sense that most politicians are born to be politicians, not by any sort of spiritual calling, but by a “close” calling (or association) to a family member.  Why were so many from the Kennedy family elected to office?  Did they all have a miraculous calling from above to serve, or did they all have some sort of genetic disorder that made them twice as likely to be politically inclined?  Was it expected of them to serve or were their constituents voting that Camelot would survive?  Maybe it was all of the above.  But given the results, I doubt that most of the brood ever had a vocation to service. 

Now I could go on and on and discuss the Bush family dynasty; the Clinton family dynasty; the Pelosi family dynasty, etc...but I won't.  I hope I have made my point.  

What exactly did the American Revolution replace the “Royal Family” with?  Maybe with nothing.  Maybe it just nixed the “Royal”.

Pastoral Dynasties.  We cannot avoid this.  It is so obvious and unfortunate.  So many famous “Pastors” who were called by God allowed their children, who were not called by God, to fill their robes.  The Rev. Dr. Robert Schuller, founder of Crystal Cathedral Ministries, worked and sacrificed his entire life to build his Christian ministry headquarters out in Orange County, California only to see it collapse at the helm of his daughter, Pastor Sheila Schuller Coleman. 

Oral Roberts, the anti-Catholic preacher and minister, worked hard and fearfully at building his University out in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  I say “fearfully” since he was reportedly threatened by God with death if he did not raise enough cash to get the University financially stable.  Well, Oral did it and survived only to see his son turn it into a house of illegal financial activity that nearly burn it into the ground.  Now I wonder why God would have killed Oral and not his son if he wanted to see the school flourish?  I guess God’s ways are not our ways.

Thank God for celibacy.  Thank God that most priests discovered their vocation not in following their father’s footsteps, but in following the enormous footsteps of The Father.  Thank God there was no empire, or ministry or dynasty to inherit but rather a simple mission church or parish community that was not of their choosing.  Thank God disciples are still “sent”…and put through the ringer.  We need that.  We need more of that!  We need to make sure that we are in ministry for all the right reasons.

Christian Dynasty.  Is there a Christian dynasty to inherit?  There is.  And it is a family affair.  But it is not based on race, gender, nationality or even blood relations.  It is based on faith; faith-in-action.  Who are my brothers and sisters?  Those who hear the word of God and act on it. 

You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people set apart, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  (1Peter2:9) 

This is an important statement because it is coming from the first Holy Father, St. Peter.  We are all equal.  We are all peasants and we are all kings.  And yet we are all distinct – given specific tasks to carry out in the mystical Body of Christ.  What distinguishes us from each other is the vocation we have received from the Lord.  Now the vocations may be different, but the mission remains the same:  Witness to the world the wonderful things that God has done.

Declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light!