Daily Readings - Thu Mar 30 2023
Genesis
3Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him,4"Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations.5No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.6I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you.7And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.8And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God."9And God said to Abraham, "As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations.
John
51Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death."52The Jews said to him, "Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, 'If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.'53Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?"54Jesus answered, "If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, 'He is our God.'55But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word.56Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad."57So the Jews said to him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?"58Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am."59So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of 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.