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| “Abraham's Journey to Canaan” by Pieter Pietersz. Lastman, 1614 |
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.
The psalmist recalls that God’s covenant extends to all the generations
that follow “…for a thousand generations”.
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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 point in history, 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, 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
[1]
ALTRE
[2]
The picture today is “Abraham's Journey to Canaan” by Pieter Pietersz. Lastman,
1614
[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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