Word to the Wise
Tuesday, June 27, 2023 - Tuesday in the 12th Week in Ordinary Time
[Gen 13:2, 5-18 and Matt 7:6, 12-14]After Lot had left, the Lord said to Abram: "Look about you, and from where you are, gaze to the north and south, east and west; all the land that you see I will give to you and your descendants forever. I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth; if any one could count the dust of the earth, your descendants too might be counted." [Genesis]
While the gospel scriptures for the past week or so have taken us through the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel According to Matthew, the first scriptures have moved to the great saga of the call of Abraham and the origins of the "Chosen People." Three great religious traditions trace their origins to Abraham: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The multiple conflicts in the MIddle East have their roots in the question of God's gift of a land to Abraham, the extent of that land and who may occupy it. Christianity untied itself from those disputes, retaining only a love and respect for the immediate territory where Jesus lived, ministered, died and rose.
The spiritual and theological significance of Abraham for Christians finds its roots in Abraham's faith [Romans 4:1-3] and obedience to God's command and the covenant that God made with him. He left his familiar and prosperous location and went to an unknown (to him) destination, relying on God's promise.
Those of us who have moved often in response to and reliance on what we believe to be God's providence know well the uncertainty and worries that are part of that experience. It has certainly been part of my own life and is occurring now as I pack to move across Texas to Lufkin in East Texas to become chaplain to my Dominican sisters at the Monastery of the Infant Jesus. At least this is not an unknown land or people. My hometown in Louisiana is 2 hours east of Lufkin, and the sisters and I are well acquainted. Friends of mine who were "military brats" also have known the experience of frequent moves. We can all find some inspiration in Abraham's simple faith and trust. AMEN