Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea; The Holy Apostle Andronicus and those with him; Blessed Hieromartyr Ivan Ziatyk.
Acts 20:16-18, 28-36; John 17:1-13.
Read Acts 20:16-18, 28-36
Family stories are central to our lives. They give us understanding of where we’ve come from, help us envision our future, and foster purpose and identity. We gain insight from stories that explain complicated family history. They become a reference point against which we consider our present actions. On the Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicea, we hear in our epistle reading an apostolic family story that was formative for the Council Fathers and, through them, us.
Nothing makes us more vulnerable than being parents. Our heart is running around in our children, and we are limited in what we can do to protect it, most of all from our child’s God-given free will. In his final address to the elders of the church in Ephesus, Paul speaks as a spiritual parent to other spiritual parents. He warns of dangers – “take heed…be alert.” He is both authoritative – “admonish” – and caring – “with tears.” He does the best thing any parent can do – prayerfully “commend (them) to God and the word of his grace.”
We are the beneficiaries of this spiritual heritage. Today we are given the opportunity to consider anew how we may participate in living out this spiritual inheritance and pass it along to the next generation. The extent to which Paul points (especially in the omitted verses 19-27) to his own lived experience as a reference point for his instruction is instructive for us. Each generation can benefit from the example of the previous one. Our story becomes part of the family story. Even the painful parts, commended to God and the word of his grace, can become part of a rich spiritual heritage.