Belonging to God; Related to Christ

Saturday,  27th week in ordinary time

October 13, 2018: Gal 3: 22-29; Lk 11: 27-28

'We are Christians for the past four generations'; 'I belong to such and such a  Church or denomination'; 'oh! I am born again' or I am born thrice!!!... nothing of this will make us acceptable or blessed in the eyes of God. Whether Jew or Gentile, male or female, slave or free...it does not matter, says St. Paul in the first reading today. What matters is, that we clothe ourselves in Christ, that we become one in Christ, that WE BELONG TO CHRIST (cf. Gal 3:29).

Belonging to God or being related to God is a faith experience.  I do not call you servants but friends,  declared Jesus.  Remain in my love,  he said. I shall be your God and you shall be my people,  was the mind of God when God made the covenant with people.  Being related to God is a need, a longing,  and a recognition that gives me my identity.

But this does not come by default.  Merely because I am baptised I don't belong to Christ or I don't become a child of God.  Paul says, I need to clothe myself with Christ.  My mentality has  to change and be transformed.  That is what Jesus means when he says it is more important to hear the words of the Lord and put them to practice than to go around saying I am a Christian.

Belonging to Christ would mean three things according to the readings today: having faith in God (inspite of anything that happens or does not happen, like Abraham); hearing the Word attentively (like St. Paul); and observing the directions given by the Lord (like our blessed mother).

Belonging to God is being related to Christ and being related to Christ is becoming like him!