Pride of place

Do you know your cultural lineage? Can you trace your ancestors? Do you know their stories and how these stories enrich the person you are?

Lent is all about discovering our spiritual heritage, or re-discovering it anew. This is a story rich in tradition and deeply rooted. Since the beginning, the message has always been the same. It's based on an agreement made between God and us. For his part, he agrees to take us as his own and to invest us with all the riches of his patrimony. What greater gift could he bestow than to count us among his chosen loved ones? With this heritage, we have truly been given a reason to celebrate and a blessing to be thankful for.

I can picture God sharing this good news with us from the heights of Mount Tabor, but I can equally see Jesus chatting with his diciples about how this special adoption sets us apart. It would have been like a father having the talk with his children, giving them some serious advise about living life and living it well. Jesus instructed his disciples, telling them that they can't be content to measure up to others who are in places of authority; they must instead live by a higher standard.

We have equally been challenged by Jesus to live to this higher level of commitment. Ours is the task of loving without meausre, of living justly and doing our part to promote justice for those who can't do it for themselves, of walking humbly with others and with our God (cf Mi 6:4).