Reading 1
Gn 15:1-12, 17-18
The word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:
“Fear not, Abram!
I am your shield;
I will make your reward very great.”
But Abram said,
“O Lord GOD, what good will your gifts be,
if I keep on being childless
and have as my heir the steward of my house, Eliezer?”
Abram continued,
“See, you have given me no offspring,
and so one of my servants will be my heir.”
Then the word of the LORD came to him:
“No, that one shall not be your heir;
your own issue shall be your heir.”
He took him outside and said:
“Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can.
Just so,” he added, “shall your descendants be.”
Abram put his faith in the LORD,
who credited it to him as an act of righteousness.
He then said to him,
“I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans
to give you this land as a possession.”
“O Lord GOD,” he asked,
“how am I to know that I shall possess it?”
He answered him,
“Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat,
a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
Abram brought him all these, split them in two,
and placed each half opposite the other;
but the birds he did not cut up.
Birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses,
but Abram stayed with them.
As the sun was about to set, a trance fell upon Abram,
and a deep, terrifying darkness enveloped him.
When the sun had set and it was dark,
there appeared a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch,
which passed between those pieces.
It was on that occasion that the LORD made a covenant with Abram,
saying: “To your descendants I give this land,
from the Wadi of Egypt to the Great River the Euphrates.”
105:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8-9
Responsorial PsalmR. (8a)
The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Gospel
Mt 7:15-20
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing,
but underneath are ravenous wolves.
By their fruits you will know them.
Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
Just so, every good tree bears good fruit,
and a rotten tree bears bad fruit.
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit,
nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down
and thrown into the fire.
So by their fruits you will know them.”
Meditation: Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18
“O Lord God, what good will your gifts be?” (Genesis 15:2)
Sometimes we look at the Old Testament patriarchs as being impossibly heroic—perfect almost to a fault. But today’s first reading shows us how human they really were. After the Lord promises him a great reward, Abram’s first reaction is to complain. He says in effect, “What good are all these promises? You still haven’t given me a son.” Little did Abram realize that God was just about to address this issue. He was too caught up in what he didn’t have, and he couldn’t see the big picture about who God is and how faithful he had been so far.
Abram wasn’t the only one in Scripture to complain to the Lord. There is also Job, who spent days bemoaning his sorry state and challenging God to justify himself. Then there’s Jeremiah, who got so frustrated at one point that he cried out: “You duped me, O Lord!” (Jeremiah 20:7). There’s even Peter—the prince of apostles—who asked Jesus: “We have given up everything and followed you. What will there be for us?” (Matthew 19:27). Each time, God showed that he wasn’t bothered by the pointed questions. He also showed that he was utterly faithful and reliable: None of these people was ever left abandoned.
We too may feel the need to ask God tough questions and even complain about the way we feel he is treating us. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. God wants us to feel free enough to tell him what’s on our hearts, even when we think he has let us down. He knows it’s better for us to be open with him than to keep all our complaints bottled up until they sour our faith. Only as we open up to him as Abram did will we find the real answers we are looking for.
Sometimes, faith does require us to keep pressing on with the Lord, even if we are disappointed. At other times, it means simply living every day while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the “perfecter” of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). He will get us through, despite our doubts and frustrations.
“Lord, you are my hope! I give you all my circumstances, good and bad, and I look beyond them to your merciful gaze. I trust that your love will make me more than a conqueror today!”
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