The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. We have perhaps become so accustomed to hearing the language “children of God” that its shock value has worn off. Think of going to a wedding or a funeral. Most of those attending are not part of your regular contacts. But they are family and as such they have a connection that needs to be honored on those occasions. You can chose your friends but your family is a given. St. Paul’s reminder that we are all children of God alerts us to those kinds of connection throughout our lives. Since Jesus is our elder brother there isn’t anyone out there who isn’t brother or sister to us. As such they have claim on us. We can’t divide the world up into “us vs. them” because there is only “us,” only children of God. The current crisis over immigration in this country challenges us to think clearly about our connection with those who are new to our shores. They are not merely strangers but individuals who are part of the family of God and as such have a claim on our love and compassion.
