Before Abraham

The Gospel of John in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today sets the scene of Jesus declaration which was completely unacceptable to the religious authorities of His time and remains an enormous obstacle to be overcome by faith, even today. Jesus proclaims "before Abraham was, I AM" (John 8:58).  The passage from the Book of Genesis presents the Covenant between God and the person of faith, Abraham. The faith developed in Abraham through his relationship with God empowered him to trust God beyond the limits of his human understanding. The Divine is inviting Abraham to transcend the restrictions of time and place in relationship with God. The fulfillment of the Promise to Abraham might not make sense to us. Why should God desire the people who number as the stars to be in relationship with Him? The essence of Love is relationship. This Divine Love exists in the eternal,  from the beginning, relationship of the Trinity. Jesus reveals His Nature as God with the name " I AM". The desire of God for people to experience existence with Christ within is the mission which brings Jesus to the Cross, which according to Friar Jude Winkler, is the glory of God expressed by the Evangelist John. We need to pause and dwell in this Promise and convert our resistance to the implications of it to thanksgiving and praise for Life as Transcendent being.