Word to the Wise
Monday, June 25, 2007 - Twelfth Monday in Ordinary Time
[Genesis 12:1-9 and Matthew 7:1-5]The Lord said to Abram: "Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk and from your father's house to a land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the communities of the earth shall find blessing in you."
With these words begins the towering saga of Abraham and those who come after him. It would be difficult to exaggerate the importance of this biblical figure. Our own liturgy refers to the "sacrifice of Abraham, our father in faith." In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, "Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad." (8:56) Christianity, Judaism and Islam all claim Abraham as a spiritual ancestor. (Note: "Abram" and "Abraham" are the same name. The change of name appears to be the result of a different tradition picking up on the story line later on in Chap 17!) The story of Abraham introduces us to powerful faith, to promise (covenant) and to blessing. Abraham responded in faith to God's call. God enters into a covenant with Abraham and blesses him with descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and the grains of sand on the seashore! The story of Abraham also introduces us to the fact that the great patriarch's were anything BUT perfect persons. Yet God chooses Abraham to be a special friend! It is this covenant and friendship which shapes the meaning of the first five books of the Bible and shapes the Jewish belief in themselves as the Chosen People. For us Christians, he is the example of the true man of faith in God above all and remains faithful to God in all things. Read his story in Genesis 12-17, and think about what it means to be faithful! AMEN
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