We signed the papers, and it was official. As we walked outside to the surprise of rain and a champagne toast on the sidewalk, Peter and I were now civilly married (a courtesy of German law that calls for a separate ceremony from our sacramental wedding).
One of the implications of this simple, thirty-minute act that took place in a Berlin courthouse was that I now had a right to Peter’s inheritance. What belonged to Peter, passed down to him by his father, was now mine as well.
As beloved sons and daughters of God, we, too, have an inheritance. What belongs to Christ—that which was given to Him by His Father—now belongs to us. The most relevant gift is the love that has been eternally given and received between the Father and the Son: the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit was promised to us by Christ when we were reminded that we would never be orphaned (John 14:18), that we would never be alone (John 14:16), and that we would be abundantly cared for and remembered (Luke 12:7). To know what belongs to us is to know our identity as sons and daughters of the very best Father; one we could not have dreamt up. This inheritance became ours on the day of our Baptism as Peter’s became mine on the day of our civil marriage.
Whether we were tiny babies or grown up big kids on that glorious day of our Baptism, our memory of what happened (or the lack of it) does not affect God’s memory of us.
We have not escaped His notice.
The Lord sees us, even those parts of us that we are ashamed of: the secrets we wish could stay hidden and the dark places we pray would not see the light of day. Yet, for these moments especially, the Holy Spirit was gifted to us. He is the ever-present memory of all of the Father’s goodness and intentions revealed to us in Christ.
May we remember often our inheritance, sisters, and live from our identity that we may exist “for the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:12).
We have not escaped His notice. // Rocio PerezClick to tweet
Let us pray the Come, Holy Spirit prayer together as a community today.
Rocio Hermes is a Dominican-born, US-raised, part-time nanny who is excited about building community, writing poetry, and sharing the message of the Theology of the Body. She holds a Master’s degree in Theology and lives in Berlin with her husband, where they are secretly the best cake-baking team in town. She is a contributing author to Blessed Conversations: Dwell. You can read more from her here and think about life with her here.
Rocío Hermes es una niñera a tiempo parcial, nacida en la República Dominicana y criada en los Estados Unidos, a quien le entusiasma construir comunidad, escribir poesía y compartir el mensaje de la Teología del Cuerpo. Tiene un máster en Teología y vive en Berlín con su marido, donde juntos forman el mejor equipo de pasteleros de la ciudad. Es autora colaboradora de Blessed Conversations: Dwell.
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