Holy lives

Matthew 1:1-17, 3:1-6

     Fell free to Google Mary ( Molly ) Brant, a Mohawk woman who was baptized and raised in the Anglican tradition. Fascinating woman. It dovetailed into today's passage about the lineage of Jesus, his genealogy. I myself can trace the lineage of one side of my family to the year 1400 in England. It is nice to know one's roots. What's more important however is who we are and how we act now.

     As we know, our family is everyone. We are not isolated islands. With the advent of ancestry.com and '23 and me', we are finding out more factual data on where we come from and that we have more in common sometimes than we ever realized.  There is always overlap and interplay among people. 

     One of the things I absolutely love about my Episcopal / Anglican faith is the highlighting of holy people along with the daily office readings. These are all saints even though they might not pass official muster in the Roman church. They are holy people one and all, people of our past ( even recent past ), people of faith and guides to how to live a life of faith. It is important to know that no matter our lineage it is our own actions of faith and love that are terribly important. These holy people did not necessarily do anything so great as to respond to a call and live a life of faith. They witnessed by their lives and we need to know that it made a difference and it still makes a difference. It makes all the difference in the world. No matter what our circumstances in life, our heritage, our position in society or lack thereof, our wealth, our health, our poverty or maladies, we are called to live our faith vibrantly in whatever our situation is, in whatever times we live. These holy people as well as the 'official' saints are people who did just that. They are our examples, our rooting sections and our true lineage.

     When we discover our roots and look back, be sure to know the basis of our faith and the holy lives that are all around us.