Are these all the sons you have?

 AMDG

I, your other brother, a younger son, pleased to do good work in the field, and yet dreaming about the work in my father’s house. To you, my brothers and sisters, who are also hearing the call to sacrifice in the city of Bethlehem. Do you go? Who do you bring with you?

1 Samuel 16

The number 7 represents wholeness. Completeness. Perfection. David was Jesse’s eighth son. Extra. When the great prophet Samuel arrived in Bethlehem and Jesse and his sons were called to purify themselves and attend the sacrifice, David was left out. But David was chosen. Samuel would look upon the seven handsome sons of Jesse and ask, “are these all the sons you have?”

Among the sons of my tribe, we have many faithful and one who is a bona fide priest. But we have others who are kept away by some of the church’s most stiff-necked teachings. And we have me. Among the sons of our country, we have many, many sons who are missing from the sacrifice. I think of outcast groups such as gay men (whom Pope Benedict XVI repeatedly stated could not be priests), unwelcome groups such as Black men in the US (this article sticks with me), those in financial debt, and women.

When Jesse came to the sacrifice, he presented the sons he thought he was supposed to. He regarded his seven sons as fit. Even the prophet Samuel looked upon Jesse’s sons and thought that surely the one whom the Lord had sent him to anoint was standing before him. However, Samuel listened and was obedient to the Holy Spirit, who revealed David.

My eyes have been opened over time, both through hard experience and through listening. Being excluded myself from religious life caused me to see the large groups of people standing in the same shadows. Moving to a relatively southern city exposed me to the deep, aching wounds of racism which are much more apparent here than in my young, northern hometown. Listening to and participating in the conversations which were opened following the murder of George Floyd have furthered my understanding of the ways in which I exclude Black and other minoritized groups.

The church, too, is coming around. Recently, laypeople – including women – have been incorporated into the voting body of the synod (which, in all transparency, will vote to approve a document, not on any actions which may be taken by the church). Last year the pope also made plain that lay men and women, not just bishops, may lead the dicasteries (ministries) of the Vatican. Many arms of the church have faithfully worked amongst the marginalized for millennia, and now the executive arm is addressing that she has left many worthy minds, and entire populations, out of positions of power.

Listening to the Holy Spirit can be uncomfortable. Imagine how Samuel felt when the Lord said “no, not that one” for all seven sons! Yet we are a people filled with, animated by, and subject to the Holy Spirit! So although she navigates with the weight of 2000 years of accumulated history, wisdom, and tradition, the church still has the humility and grace to do things like accept heliocentrism, denounce the doctrine of discovery, and revisit a synodal culture. To change.

I still hear the question echoing from the lips of the prophet Samuel: “Are these all the sons you have?” As I pray for the church, lifting up those fighting for inclusion as well as those who stand in its way, I am reminded that I stand on both sides of the story. To recognize myself in David is easy; all I have to do is carry my cross and dwell in the assurance that I am not forgotten by the Lord. To recognize myself in the bystanders and even in Jesse, on the other hand, causes me agitation. I ask myself, when have I left out those who aren’t like me? Whom I don’t like? About whom I know one bad thing? Who are just plain hard to reach?

Without the Holy Spirit, I could reflect all night and never remember the eighth sons. I, we, must not only strive, but also pray and lean on the Lord. For the Holy Spirit is surely as alive in our time as in Samuel’s, if only we are listening, humble, and obedient. Oh spirit of God, source of my hope!

Pray for the church, friends. Pray for all her sons and daughters. Pray for vocations. And let’s pray for social justice in our communities. I pray for you.

Veni, sancte spiritus.

Peace,

Your Other Brother

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