Reading 1
Gn 17:3-9
When Abram prostrated himself, God spoke to him:
“My covenant with you is this:
you are to become the father of a host of nations.
No longer shall you be called Abram;
your name shall be Abraham,
for I am making you the father of a host of nations.
I will render you exceedingly fertile;
I will make nations of you;
kings shall stem from you.
I will maintain my covenant with you
and your descendants after you
throughout the ages as an everlasting pact,
to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
I will give to you
and to your descendants after you
the land in which you are now staying,
the whole land of Canaan, as a permanent possession;
and I will be their God.”
God also said to Abraham:
“On your part, you and your descendants after you
must keep my covenant throughout the ages.”
Ps 105:4-5, 6-7, 8-9
Responsorial Psalm
R. (8a) The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought,
his portents, and the judgments he has uttered.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations –
Which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
Gospel
Jn 8:51-59
Jesus said to the Jews:
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever keeps my word will never see death.”
So the Jews said to him,
“Now we are sure that you are possessed.
Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say,
‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.’
Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died?
Or the prophets, who died?
Who do you make yourself out to be?”
Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing;
but it is my Father who glorifies me,
of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’
You do not know him, but I know him.
And if I should say that I do not know him,
I would be like you a liar.
But I do know him and I keep his word.
Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day;
he saw it and was glad.”
So the Jews said to him,
“You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?”
Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
before Abraham came to be, I AM.”
So they picked up stones to throw at him;
but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area.
Meditation: Genesis 17:3-9
“I will maintain my covenant with you and your descendants after you throughout the ages.” (Genesis 17:7)
O Lord, in every generation you have revealed yourself to your people. You have shown us your power, your glory, and your majesty. But above all, you have shown us how faithful you are to your promises.
Beginning with the disobedience of our first parents, you promised to restore us to yourself. You chose Abraham to be our father in faith and made an everlasting covenant with him. You remembered this covenant in the bleakest days when we were slaves in Egypt, and you rescued us through your servant Moses. And not only did you rescue us, you bound us to you in a covenant unlike any other.
Centuries later, when we forgot the covenant and began to take upon ourselves the ways of other nations, you still remained faithful. Through the prophets you continued calling us back to you. Through people like Jeremiah and Ezekiel, you promised that you would gather us again and put your law within our hearts. You promised to give us a new heart and place a new spirit within us.
Then, when the time was right, you made a new covenant in the blood of your only Son. Through this covenant, our sins were taken away. We were reconciled to you forever. And you gave us the promise of everlasting life. Because of this, Father, your grace is constantly available to us to enlighten us, strengthen us, and draw us ever closer to your side.
Father, you have never failed us! As we ponder your fidelity through the ages, we are filled with awe of you. We want nothing more than to praise and adore you. We are forever grateful!
Father, we thank you for so many things: for revealing yourself through the Scriptures, for your Son’s death and resurrection, for the gift of your Spirit, for your commandments and the power to live them out, for the promise of eternal life. Thank you, Father. Thank you!
“Father, You are a faithful and awesome God. We want to respond to you by loving you, serving you, and trusting you all the days of our lives.”
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