in the dark night, Sokol’s voice asked me to stop and pause; then as he invited us to be a part of his family, I thought…
an across the street neighbour, Sokol’s father and mother had the virus in 2020. His mother survived; the husband, Sokol’s father didn’t. It has been a year since the father passed. Every weekend this Albanian family goes to Woodlawn Cemetery. They go together. This is how they practice remembering. Now, a year past, they are planning a memorial dinner for family at a hotel in White Plains. A full overflowing dinner, with the whole family. Chicago, New York and Albania. All in. And they want Priscilla and I to attend. It is a week and bit from today, tonight, 17 May. Sokol waited by my porch till 9 pm to ask.
We will gather if I ‘would please come’ on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.
the Greek word associated with this time of remembrance, this type of memorial is, ‘anamnesis’ – a definition,
Anamnesis is a Greek word that means “a calling to mind,” from the roots ana-, “back,” and mimneskesthai, “to recall” or “to cause to remember.” Definitions of anamnesis. the ability to recall past occurrences. synonyms: recollection, remembrance. type of: memory, retention, retentiveness, retentivity.
but, the Greek word Sokol and his family is asking me to sit with them, is, I believe, the word ‘Kainos’ and it comes from the ancient Greek, meaning of ‘new’ or ‘fresh.’ They want to keep the father ‘fresh’, alive, and not shrouded in grave clothes. They want me to be ‘fresh’ and alive with them to speak, hear, see and feel. They desire not silences, but songs; not an ending or a closure, but a newness, a beginning.
I, abandoned by my own family, over and over again. Shrouded in their silences and inactions through the last 50 years of my life, now I am adopted by the most unlikely, by aliens and strangers. Abandoned, once, twice, again, again – yet…
I am not, not forgotten. remembered and looked for, waited for on a May night. adopted, not abandoned.
adopted by an Albanian Muslim family. loved. Love.
As Jesus teaches and touches hearts and minds, teachers of the law, high brow teachers from Jerusalem, have come to judge Jesus. And what is their judgement this specific day?
He is crazy; Jesus is so out his mind, his family must be called for to take ‘charge’ or hold over him. This is their defining states view; and all hear it. Including Jesus. And he answers. Jesus answers with questions. And he answers these, his own questions himself,
‘Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat.21 When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.””.
22 And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”
So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. 27 In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house.’
Jesus’ logic, and his owning their statement on his being from Satan to o their logical thought out end, leads to a ‘truly.’ A true summary of the eternal judgement facing each of these Jerusalem law professors/judges,
28 Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”
30 He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”
Jesus defines forgiveness’ scope here: everything is forgotten, forgiven. Everything. But…but those who speak impurely against the Spirit, their words and selfs confess them as eternally guilty. Unforgivable, unforgiven.
And then, Jesus’ earthly physical family appears,
31 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”
33 “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.
34 Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”
His question to those sitting around him,
“Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.
Jesus again, forcefully and specifically, is bringing forth deepen teachings here: we can’t blaspheme against the Spirit God and from eternal family is those who can say to the Spirit God, thy will, not mine be done.
Jesus’ questions bring deep and new teachings. They will change and enrich hearts and minds forever. Listening, we join with Jesus, with him forever.
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