The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate how the response of the people to Jesus' proclamation of His relationship to God impacts our practice of trust in the Divine in our life today.
The reading from the Book of Genesis presents the Covenant making Abraham the ancestor of a multitude of nations.
* [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.” (Genesis, CHAPTER 17 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 105 praises God’s Faithfulness to Israel.
* [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. (Psalms, PSALM 105 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of John is the dialogue about Jesus and Abraham.
* [8:31–59] Jesus’ origin (“before Abraham”) and destiny are developed; the truth will free them from sin (Jn 8:34) and death (Jn 8:51).
* [8:31] Those Jews who believed in him: a rough editorial suture, since in Jn 8:37 they are described as trying to kill Jesus.
* [8:33] Have never been enslaved to anyone: since, historically, the Jews were enslaved almost continuously, this verse is probably Johannine irony, about slavery to sin.
* [8:35] A slave…a son: an allusion to Ishmael and Isaac (Gn 16; 21), or to the release of a slave after six years (Ex 21:2; Dt 15:12).
* [8:38] The Father: i.e., God. It is also possible, however, to understand the second part of the verse as a sarcastic reference to descent of the Jews from the devil (Jn 8:44), “You do what you have heard from [your] father.”
* [8:39] The works of Abraham: Abraham believed; cf. Rom 4:11–17; Jas 2:21–23.
* [8:48] Samaritan: therefore interested in magical powers; cf. Acts 7:14–24.
* [8:53] Are you greater than our father Abraham?: cf. Jn 4:12.
* [8:56] He saw it: this seems a reference to the birth of Isaac (Gn 17:7; 21:6), the beginning of the fulfillment of promises about Abraham’s seed.
* [8:57] The evidence of the third-century Bodmer Papyrus P75 and the first hand of Codex Sinaiticus indicates that the text originally read: “How can Abraham have seen you?”
* [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. (John, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB, n.d.)
Mike Cherney realizes how often real change takes place only when people in certain leadership positions move on. In the factions of religion, society, and even science, insight and data too seldom drive decisions and actions.
Dear Lord,
How often have I discovered the gift of being brought outside my own comfort zone?
Grant me the grace to hear without bias, to listen with compassion,
to free myself from any disordered attachment to things or to outcomes,
to open my heart with a willingness for You to call me and lead me,
and to live a life of humble service to my fellow occupants of this planet. (Cherney, 2024)
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) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on John 8:51-59 comments that trusting in what is unseen is what faith is all about. It’s believing in Jesus’ power when the “evidence” of our senses seems to tell us otherwise. It’s trusting in his love and grace when our situation seems beyond his reach. It’s knowing we can rely on him, no matter what our circumstances are.
You can experience the same assurance as you exercise your faith. When you pray today, don’t focus only on your problems—focus on the problem solver as well! Expand the way you think about Jesus. Proclaim that he is God and can do all things. “Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought” (Psalm 105:5), and trust that he can do “far more than all [you] ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20). Then, in faith, tell him that you believe he is who he says he is.
“Jesus, I believe that you are the Son of God. Help me live out of that faith today!” (Meditation on John 8:51-59, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler discusses the kind of treaty represented by the Covenant in Genesis that identifies a Sovereign and a subject who is promised descendants and land. At his death Abraham had one son and a small burial plot for Sarah. Friar Jude notes the possibility of misinterpretation of Jesus' dialogue in John as anti semitic, but reminds us that the author was a Jewish Christian who saw his fulfillment in the person of Jesus.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Author Barbara Brown Taylor who considers how God shows up in all things. According to the Talmud, every blade of grass has its own angel bending over it, whispering, “Grow, grow.”
If there is a switch to flip, I have never found it. As with Jacob, most of my visions of the divine have happened while I was busy doing something else. I did nothing to make them happen…. I play no apparent part in their genesis. My only part is to decide how I will respond, since there is plenty I can do to make them go away, namely: 1) I can figure that I have had too much caffeine again; 2) I can remind myself that visions are not true in the same way that taxes and the evening news are true; or 3) I can return my attention to everything I need to get done today. These are only a few of the things I can do to talk myself out of living in the House of God.
Or I can set a little altar, in the world or in my heart. I can stop what I am doing long enough to see where I am, who I am there with, and how awesome the place is. I can flag one more gate to heaven—one more patch of ordinary earth with ladder marks on it—where the divine traffic is heavy when I notice it and even when I do not. I can see it for once, instead of walking right past it, maybe even setting a stone or saying a blessing before I move on to wherever I am due next. (Rohr, n.d.)
We contemplate the meaning of faith to Abraham and to the disciples of Jesus who struggled with “I Am” and accepted faith in His Word.
References
Cherney, M. (2024, March 20). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved March 21, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/032124.html
Genesis, CHAPTER 17 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 21, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/genesis/17?3
John, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 21, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/8?51
Meditation on John 8:51-59. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved March 21, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/03/21/917075/
Psalms, PSALM 105 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 21, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/105?4
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Waking Up to God. CAC Daily Meditations. Retrieved March 21, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/waking-up-to-god/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Before Abraham Was, I Am. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 21, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=mar21
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