Perhaps, you, or a family member, have discovered your ethnic heritage through DNA testing. Perhaps, you know someone who found lost siblings or cousins. The number of people who have tested their DNA now includes more than 12 million individuals. Therese enjoys these test results as a way to explore the physical inheritance that binds her family together, right down to the level of each tiny human cell. And perhaps, we can also take the reality of DNA a step further, by exploring the idea of spiritual DNA. Here are a few ways to do so:
of Shared DNA
- Find saints from your ethnic background, or your family countries of origin. For example, if you are Italian, find out about St. Frances Cabrini (1850-1917), St. John Bosco (1815-1888), or Blessed Elena Guerra (1835-1914) whose spiritual identity was enmeshed with a call to follow the Spirit. She even wrote letters to Pope Leo XIII, urging intense, world-wide devotion to the Holy Spirit.
- Explore a saint with dominant family traits or talents. Examples of strong-willed, persevering saints include: St. Joan of Arc (France, 1412-1431) or Blessed Solanus Casey (USA, 1870-1957). Or if you come from a long line of good listeners, consider St. John Vianney (France, 1786-1859), or St. Edith Stein (Germany, 1891-1942), who said, “The anguish in our neighbor’s soul must [compel] us… because God is love.”
- Pray as a child of God, made in our Creator’s image, from the color of your eyes to the hidden nerve cells in your spine. Picture God carefully laying out and blessing strands of your particular DNA, even before your mother knew you were alive. “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Psalm 139:14
- Thank God for your unique blend of 24,000 genes. You were conceived for a unique purpose. And yet you share some of the same genes with many others in our human family. Pray, “God, I offer you every one of my genes and chromosomes. I praise you that Jesus, my brother, sanctified all of human DNA. Let every microscopic part of me be quickened by your Holy Spirit, so that I might glorify you always. Amen.”
For an example of a more immediate family spiritual DNA story.https://www.johnandthereseboucher.com/77-2