The Hallmark of Christ’s Family

The hallmark of Christ’s family is a union of hearts, where those who hear and obey God’s word unite in divine communion.

Then his mother 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.”

Luke 8:19-21

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Who is Jesus?

In a world divided by race, tribe, language, and nation, how do we find the peace and unity longed for by the human heart? Jesus Christ, the Eternal Logos, became man in a Jewish family, yet he summons all peoples to himself. As a divine hypostasis, he transcends all particular traits and classifications. When the early Church Fathers contemplated Jesus’ identity as the only-begotten Son of God, they traced his origin to God the Father, affirming that Christ is “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father” (Nicene Creed). The Greek philosophical term they used for person, “hypostasis,” denotes the unique identity or “who” of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The union of the three divine hypostases in one divine nature makes them “consubstantial” (sharing one divine essence).

Thus, Jesus’ divine identity (his hypostasis) pre-exists the human nature he assumed, including his particular soul-body composite with its historical conditions, height, weight, color, nationality, gender, etc. In his interaction with the crowds calling him to his mother and brothers, he declared that his true family “are those who hear the word of God and act on it.”

Union of Hearts: The Hallmark of Christ’s Family

Lest Jesus be mistaken for a mere human teacher, he defined his family according to a union of hearts. Nationalities, tribes, and bloodlines avail nothing in the kingdom of heaven. His “mother and brothers” hear and obey God, among whom Mary is first. With her “Fiat!” she gave flesh to God’s Son, becoming the mother of his heavenly family. Through Christ’s saving Cross and the grace of the Holy Spirit, the human family shall be deified and enter into the communion of the Blessed Trinity.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

Matthew 7:21

Traditional Chinese Translation

《基督家庭的標誌》
凡忠誠遵行上帝旨意的人
 都屬於耶穌的家庭。

Related post:

The True Family of Jesus