Daily Catholic Mass Readings for March 30, 2023
First Reading: Genesis 17.3-9
3Abram fell prone on his face4And God said to him: "I AM, and my covenant is with you, and you will be the father of many nations5No longer will your name be called Abram. But you will be called Abraham, for I have established you as the father of many nations6And I will cause you to increase very greatly, and I will set you among the nations, and kings will come forth from you7And I will establish my covenant between me and you, and with your offspring after you in their generations, by a perpetual covenant: to be God to you and to your offspring after you8And I will give to you and to your offspring, the land of your sojourn, all the land of Canaan, as an eternal possession, and I will be their God.9Again God said to Abraham: "And you therefore shall keep my covenant, and your offspring after you in their generations
Psalm 105
1Alleluia. Confess to the Lord, and invoke his name. Announce his works among the nations2Sing to him, and sing psalms to him. Describe all his wonders3Be praised in his holy name. Let the heart of those who seek the Lord rejoice4Seek the Lord, and be confirmed. Seek his face always5Remember his miracles, which he has done, his portents and the judgments of his mouth6you offspring of Abraham his servant, you sons of Jacob his elect7He is the Lord our God. His judgments are throughout the entire earth8He has remembered his covenant for all ages: the word that he entrusted to a thousand generations9which he assigned to Abraham, and his oath to Isaac10And he stationed the same for Jacob with a precept, and for Israel with an eternal testament11saying: To you, I will give the land of Canaan, the allotment of your inheritance12Though they may have been but a small number, very few and foreigners there13and though they passed from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another people14he allowed no man to harm them, and he reproved kings on their behalf15Do not be willing to touch my Christ, and do not be willing to malign my prophets16And he called a famine upon the land, and he crushed every foundation of the bread17He sent a man before them: Joseph, who had been sold as a slave18They humbled his feet in shackles; the iron pierced his soul19until his word arrived. The eloquence of the Lord inflamed him20The king sent and released him; he was the ruler of the people, and he dismissed him21He established him as master of his house and ruler of all his possessions22so that he might instruct his princes as himself, and teach his elders prudence23And Israel entered into Egypt, and Jacob became a sojourner in the land of Ham24And he helped his people greatly, and he strengthened them over their enemies25He turned their heart to hate his people, and to deal deceitfully with his servants26He sent Moses, his servant, and Aaron, the one whom he chose27He placed with them signs of his word, and portents in the land of Ham28He sent darkness and made it conceal, and he did not afflict them with his speech29He turned their waters into blood, and he slaughtered their fish30Their land brought forth frogs, even in the inner chambers of their kings31He spoke, and there came forth common flies and gnats, in every region32He gave them a shower of hail and a burning fire, in the same land33And he struck their vineyards and their fig trees, and he crushed the trees of their region34He spoke, and the locust came forth, and the caterpillar, of which there was no number35And it devoured all the grass in their land, and it consumed all the fruit of their land36And he struck all the first-born in their land, the first-fruits of all their labor37And he led them out with silver and gold, and there was not an infirm one among their tribes38Egypt was joyful at their departure, for the fear of them lay heavy upon them39He spread a cloud for their protection, and a fire, to give them light through the night40They petitioned, and the quail came; and he satisfied them with the bread of heaven41He ruptured the rock and the waters flowed: rivers gushed in the dry land42For he had called to mind his holy word, which he kept near to his servant Abraham43And he led forth his people in exultation, and his elect in rejoicing44And he gave them the regions of the Gentiles, and they possessed the labors of the peoples45so that they might observe his justifications, and inquire about his law
Gospel: John 8.51-59
51Amen, amen, I say to you, if anyone will have kept my word, he will not see death for eternity.52Therefore, the Jews said: "Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham is dead, and the Prophets; and yet you say, ‘If anyone will have kept my word, he shall not taste death for eternity.53Are you greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. So who do you make yourself to be?54Jesus responded: "If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me. And you say about him that he is your God55And yet you have not known him. But I know him. And if I were to say that I do not know him, then I would be like you, a liar. But I know him, and I keep his word56Abraham, your father, rejoiced that he might see my day; he saw it and was glad.57And so the Jews said to him, "You have not yet reached fifty years, and you have seen Abraham?58Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham was made, I am.59Therefore, they took up stones to cast at him. But Jesus hid himself, and he departed from the temple
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter profound moments of divine interaction and identity. The first reading from Genesis recounts God's covenant with Abram, renaming him Abraham and promising a multitude of descendants and the land of Canaan. This marks a pivotal moment in the Old Testament, establishing Abraham as the father of many nations and setting the stage for God's ongoing relationship with His people.
In the Gospel, Jesus engages in a dialogue where He asserts that keeping His word leads to eternal life, sparking debate among the Jews. They question His identity, comparing Him to Abraham and the prophets who have passed away. Jesus responds by emphasizing His divine nature, stating that He existed before Abraham, thus asserting His role as the fulfillment of God's promises.
These readings intertwine the themes of covenant and divine identity. While Genesis focuses on the establishment of God's covenant with Abraham, John's Gospel reveals Jesus as the fulfillment of that covenant. Jesus extends the promise from a physical inheritance to a spiritual one, offering eternal life through faith in Him.
In our daily lives, these readings invite us to reflect on our trust in God's promises. Just as Abraham trusted God's covenant, we are called to live according to God's word, recognizing that our true identity and purpose are rooted in Christ. The moral lesson here is one of faith and identity, urging us to embrace the spiritual life offered by Jesus, understanding that our existence transcends the physical and is grounded in eternal life with God.