We all seem to be desperately searching for roots. From the fussy private pastime of Ancestry.com, to the loud public toppling of statues and debunking of old pedigrees of valor, we thirst for a history that will justify our passions. Frantic as this archaeology of desire’s genesis may be, it is fruitless. The past is mostly lost. We are here.
Still, the past is not completely lost. Indeed, it is fully held by God. “The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God,” and this in spite of the fact that their “destruction” seems “utter” (Wisd. 3:1, 3).Our “times” are held in his fingers (Ps. 31:16). To find our roots we must delve into God’s strange grasp. His divine hand is defined in terms of scriptural Israel, the “root” of all nations and identities. We so often look in the wrong places to find out who we are. The politically rootless of today should just read the Bible.
