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| “Christ Carrying the Cross” by El Greco, 1580s |
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Genesis
17:3-9
When Abram prostrated
himself, God spoke to him:
"My covenant with you is
this:
you are to become the father
of a host of nations.
No longer shall you be called
Abram;
your name shall be Abraham,
for I am making you the
father of a host of nations.
I will render you exceedingly
fertile;
I will make nations of you;
kings shall stem from you.
I will maintain my covenant
with you
and your descendants after
you
throughout the ages as an
everlasting pact,
to be your God and the God of
your descendants after you.
I will give to you
and to your descendants after
you
the land in which you are now
staying,
the whole land of Canaan, as
a permanent possession;
and I will be their
God."
God also said to Abraham:
"On your part, you and
your descendants after you
must keep my covenant
throughout the ages."
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Commentary on Gn
17:3-9
In ancient
tradition, God changes the name of Abram to Abraham and takes dominion over
him. He establishes his covenant and, in
return for faithful worship from Abraham and his descendants, God promises to
make Abraham’s line interminable and the land he lives in a permanent
possession. It is interesting to note that this action takes place after the
birth of Ishmael to Hagar and before the birth of Isaac to Sarai, his wife.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm
105:4-5, 6-7, 8-9
R. (8a) The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
Recall the wondrous deeds
that he has wrought,
his portents, and the
judgments he has uttered.
R. The Lord remembers his
covenant for ever.
You descendants of Abraham,
his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen
ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his
judgments prevail.
R. The Lord remembers his
covenant for ever.
He remembers forever his
covenant
which he made binding for a
thousand generations –
Which he entered into with
Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R. The Lord remembers his
covenant for ever.
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Commentary on Ps
105:4-5, 6-7, 8-9
This section of
Psalm 105, a song of thanksgiving, recalls God’s covenant with Abraham, the
promise of the Land of Canaan and calls for continued faithfulness.
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Gospel: John
8:51-59
Jesus said to the Jews:
"Amen, amen, I say to
you,
whoever keeps my word will
never see death."
So the Jews said to him,
"Now we are sure that
you are possessed.
Abraham died, as did the
prophets, yet you say,
'Whoever keeps my word will
never taste death.'
Are you greater than our
father Abraham, who died?
Or the prophets, who died?
Who do you make yourself out
to be?"
Jesus answered, "If I
glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing;
but it is my Father who
glorifies me,
of whom you say, 'He is our
God.'
You do not know him, but I
know him.
And if I should say that I do
not know him,
I would be like you a liar.
But I do know him and I keep
his word.
Abraham your father rejoiced
to see my day;
he saw it and was glad."
So the Jews said to him,
"You are not yet fifty
years old and you have seen Abraham?"
Jesus said to them,
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
before Abraham came to be, I
AM."
So they picked up stones to
throw at him;
but Jesus hid and went out of
the temple area.
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Commentary on Jn
8:51-59
St. John’s Gospel
continues Jesus’ dialogue with the Jews in the Temple area. He again alludes to the resurrection of the
faithful (“…whoever keeps my word will never see death.”) but these Jews either do not understand
or do not believe in the resurrection.
They challenge Jesus, asking if he places himself above Abraham and the
prophets who died.
In response, the
Lord reiterates his relationship to the Father and in doing so makes clear that
Abraham would have recognized his status because He (Jesus) is eternal (“…before
Abraham came to be, I Am.” ) He uses the title God ascribes to himself and that reserved to
the Logos – the word made flesh.
Not understanding
the truth of Jesus’ words, the Jews “picked up stones” to punish him for
blasphemy but Jesus left the temple area.
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Reflection:
God speaks to us from two
different parts of sacred scripture saying almost the same thing. From Genesis we hear God saying to Abraham “…you and your descendants after you must keep my covenant
throughout the ages" and then in
St. John’s Gospel, Jesus says “…whoever keeps my word
will never see death." God was
telling Abraham that for all the blessings being promised to him and his descendants;
the land, the bounty, and the fertility – continuing his linage indefinitely,
he and his descendants needed to keep their part of promise. They were to follow God’s Law, worshiping Him
only. In Abraham’s covenant all of the
stipulations of Mosaic Law had not been spelled out. It was much simpler but apparently much more
difficult to understand.
Fast forward now a thousand
years or more. God’s people have failed
time and again. They have been given the
Law of Moses to clarify what God had spoken to Abraham. The Lord God had sent great Prophets, Elijah,
Isaiah, Jeremiah and all the others to try to encourage the people to have
faith. They (the prophets) promised that
God would send his deliverer; an anointed one to lead them to the peace and joy
of God’s kingdom. God tried so many
times to help them understand the heart of the law and his will through the
prophets.
Into this time when the
people again have failed and been subjugated, this time by the great Roman
Empire, comes a humble carpenter from Galilee.
He comes to the very source of power in all of Israel and Judea, to
Jerusalem where all the faithful Hebrews are called in pilgrimage. He comes just as preparations are under way
for the great feast of Passover which celebrates God’s saving power when Moses
led the children of Israel out of bondage.
This upstart holy man comes
to the temple and says something remarkable.
He claims God as his Father. He
claims a shared identity, naming himself with God’s only name “I Am”. And he says the same thing God said to
Abraham but even broadened the promise of salvation; as if in clarification of
the Covenant of Abraham. He says “…whoever keeps my word will never see death." Like almost all of the descendants of Abraham
before them, they took offense and did not understand; would not trust, could
not believe.
And since that time, now two
thousand years past, after saint upon saint has come before us, valorously
showing us what the words mean, we still find it difficult to grasp, to believe
in our hearts and to act upon those words.
Is it because it is not clear?
What does it mean to “keep Jesus’ word”?
What was that word? He made it
clear in his public life. He lived “his
word” in his example and in his preaching.
It can be summed up in one word – Love!
But he applied it like no one before him and no one since. He applied it to everyone but first of all to
God. Love God and love one another. This is his word. And since we have come to understand that Jesus
is God, we must love him above all else as well.
Alas, our imperfect grasp of
his word still bars us from the perfect peace and grace he promises all his
faithful. Our Lenten fast drives us
toward a deeper understanding and a deeper application of his word in our
lives. We pray that we will finally live
it as he intended and find life as he promised.
Pax
[2]
The picture today is “Christ Carrying the Cross” by El Greco, 1580s
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the
Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and
is for private use only.
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