The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today encourage contemplation of the promise of God to be with us in our journey to truth, beauty, and goodness.
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| Covenant journey |
The reading from the Book of Genesis is an account of the Covenant.
* [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 Sarah 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.”1
Psalm 105 proclaims God is faithful to the promise of land to the ancestors.
* [Psalm 105] A hymn to God who promised the land of Canaan to the holy people, cf. Ps 78; 106; 136. Israel is invited to praise and seek the presence of God (Ps 105:1–6), who is faithful to the promise of land to the ancestors (Ps 105:7–11). In every phase of the national story—the ancestors in the land of Canaan (Ps 105:12–15), Joseph in Egypt (Ps 105:16–22), Israel in Egypt (Ps 105:23–38), Israel in the desert on the way to Canaan (Ps 105:39–45)—God remained faithful, reiterating the promise of the land to successive servants.2
In the Gospel of John, Jesus continues a discourse on His relationship with Abraham.
* [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.3
Julie Kalkowski quotes Monsignor John J. Michonne.
“…Jesus represented the final covenant God made with humankind….The mark of the new covenant was Jesus Christ and his new way of living….God designed that a divinely chosen people be distinguished from all others by the kind of love Jesus generously displayed.”
Julie recognizes the contrast to a world where the human misery index is soaring and many of us are paralyzed by what Pope Francis calls the “Globalization of Indifference”. Since we didn’t cause it and certainly cannot fix it, we either do nothing or look the other way.
Could this be our moment? The time to renew God’s final covenant? Can we move away from war and violence? Can we create societies where all people have the opportunity to thrive? Often, I am called a dreamer, but right now we have some unexpected opportunities and I am hoping we will use this time to come together and work to create God’s kingdom in our communities and the world. As followers of Jesus we know there is a better way. Following Jesus’ example will take lots of prayer and courage, but isn’t that what Lent is about?4
Don Schwager quotes “Christ died that you might live,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"For you Christ allowed Himself to be crucified, to teach you humility. He was alive, and you were dead. He died that you might live. God vanquished death so that death might not overcome human beings." (excerpt from Sermon on John 2,4;14,13)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Genesis 17:3-9 comments like Abraham and Sarah, we can struggle to trust in God’s promises. Difficulties and delays can cause us to wonder if God has forgotten us. We may even try to take matters into our own hands. And yet, God does not withdraw his covenant. Just as he remained faithful to Abraham and Sarah and just as he remained faithful to the Israelites despite the many times they turned from him, so too will he remain faithful to us.
On the cross, Jesus forged a new covenant with us; he has promised to save us from sin and death and to be with us always. These are solid promises that we can rely on, no matter what else is going on in our lives.
God’s covenant is forever. It was his initiative, and he has pledged to uphold it. As he promised to Abraham, he will always maintain his covenant with us (Genesis 17:7). Let’s give thanks to the Lord for his faithfulness. Let’s continue to trust in his word and strive to remain faithful to him. Let’s believe in our hearts that he is our God and that he will always keep his word to us.
“Thank you, Lord, that your faithfulness lasts forever!”6
Friar Jude Winkler discusses how all nations including pagans receive blessing by Abraham. In the Hebrew Testament, God, named Emet, is truthfulness and fidelity. Friar Jude reminds us the proclamation of Jesus as God is much more direct in John’s Gospel than in the Synoptic Gospels.
Rabbi Julian Sinclair comments that "Emet" means "truth."
We live in a time when truth is not held in high regard in our public life. The political culture of spin and plausible deniability contrives to make the truth retrospectively malleable. Post-modern critical theory questions the idea of truth altogether.
The Torah teaches that, making all allowances for human weakness and subjectivity, there is truth and we should strive to reach it.7
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that to be in control of one’s destiny, job, or finances is nearly an unquestionable moral value in Western society. The popular phrase “take control of your life” even sounds mature and spiritual. It is the fundamental message of nearly every self-help book. On a practical level, it is true, but not on the big level. Our bodies, our souls, and especially our failures teach us this as we get older. We are clearly not in control, as this pandemic is now teaching the whole planet. It is amazing that we need to assert the obvious.
In my life I have found the mystic teachings of St. Thérèse of Lisieux (1873-1897) helpful for living into this truth. She was a master teacher who was never afraid of presenting humiliating evidence about herself. She called this her “little way.” As she so brilliantly put it, “If you are willing to bear serenely the trial of being displeasing to yourself, you will be for [Jesus] a pleasant place of shelter.” [2] What gives religion such a bad name is that most religious people are eager to be pleasing to themselves, and want to be a part of a “big way.”
Being willing to be “displeasing to ourselves,” or to allow our autonomous ego’s needs to take a back seat to the larger field of love, is part of what it means to not be in willful control.8
Our Covenant relationship with God invites us to contemplate truths that include surrender of our control to God for fullness of life.
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