Our Covenant as disciples

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today remind us of terms like Covenant, Logos, and Incarnation that describe our relationship with God.

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In the Book of Genesis, the Covenant of God with Abraham is initiated.

* [17:1–27] The Priestly source gathers the major motifs of the story so far and sets them firmly within a covenant context; the word “covenant” occurs thirteen times. There are links to the covenant with Noah (v. 1 = 6:9; v. 7 = 9:9; v. 11 = 9:12–17). In this chapter, vv. 1–8 promise progeny and land; vv. 9–14 are instructions about circumcision; vv. 15–21 repeat the promise of a son to Sa(n.d.). John, chapter 8 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved March 22, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/john/8:21rah and distinguish this promise from that to Hagar; vv. 22–27 describe Abraham’s carrying out the commands. The Almighty: traditional rendering of Hebrew El Shaddai, which is P’s favorite designation of God in the period of the ancestors. Its etymology is uncertain, but its root meaning is probably “God, the One of the Mountains.”

In the Gospel from John, Jesus alarms the Jewish authorities by declaring to be the Logos (Genesis Chapter 1; John Chapter 1 ).

* [8:58] Came to be, I AM: the Greek word used for “came to be” is the one used of all creation in the prologue, while the word used for “am” is the one reserved for the Logos.

Tom Purcell comments that the covenant has shifted from not just keeping the Abrahamic and Mosaic laws, and the ten commandments, but also living life as Jesus modeled it for us.

As with the Jews living in bondage, wandering in the desert or quarreling with themselves and their neighbors, we many times fail to achieve that harmony.  But God didn’t give up on Abraham and his descendants, and God doesn’t give up on us.

Connecting to the Word made Flesh, Don Schwager asks if we believe the words of Jesus and obey them with all our heart, mind, and strength?

Jesus answered, "before Abraham was, I am." Jesus claims to be timeless and there is only one in the universe who is timeless, namely God. Scripture tells us that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). Jesus was not just a man who came, lived, died, and then rose again. He is the immortal timeless One, who always was and always will be.

Friar Jude Winkler notes how little of the Covenant promise of progeny and land Abraham actually experienced yet he continued to trust God. “I AM” in the Gospel of John proclaims Divinity Glory in the outpouring of Love on the Cross.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, connects with the relationship of Abraham with God as he introduces Sister of Saint Joseph and Professor Mary Beth Ingham who knows John Duns Scotus inside and out. The incarnation is still going on in our lives. And our vocation is to join God’s dynamic, incarnate energy in the world and to be that presence wherever we find ourselves.

You’re just yourself. Live with it. Here I am. I’m just me and all I can do is be me. That’s the only thing I can do, and I can do it better than anybody else. If I don’t do it, nobody will do it. So often we spend our lives trying to be other people. Yet God says, “I made you, and I like the you I’ve made, so just do your best and be yourself, and I’ll be there to help you.” It’s not something we have to do alone, but something we grow into.

Our relationship with God is present to us as we journey and become agents of Love.

References



(n.d.). Genesis, chapter 17 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved March 22, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/Genesis/17:3

(n.d.). John, chapter 8 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved March 22, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/john/8:21 

(n.d.). Creighton University's Online Ministries. Retrieved March 22, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/online.html

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 22, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/ 

(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved March 22, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/

(2018, March 5). The Gospel Call to Christian Unity | Word On Fire. Retrieved March 22, 2018, from https://www.wordonfire.org/resources/blog/the-gospel-call-to-christian-unity/5720/