Family Memory

One of the facts of adulthood that we all grapple with is that none of us get to decide who our parents were. For some of us this is a huge blessing, and for others it casts a pall and can determine whole chapters. In some sense, liberation from our families is what we all want, but then again none of us wants to be alienated or estranged. What is in the 'gap' between these possible experiences? Jesus and the crowd in this week's gospel are negotiating the family memory, looking to see how they can be determined by the God of the Exodus but not defined by the experience of their ancestors. It's a high-level and tense conversation, and the result is by no means obvious at the outset. Hint for the ending: love.