Daily Readings - Thu Mar 30 2023
Genesis
3And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,4As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.5Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.6And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.7And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.8And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.9And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.
John
51Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.52Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death.53Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?54Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God:55Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying.56Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.57Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?58Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.59Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
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.