Reading 1
Rom 4:13, 16-18
Brothers and sisters:
It was not through the law
that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants
that he would inherit the world,
but through the righteousness that comes from faith.
For this reason, it depends on faith,
so that it may be a gift,
and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants,
not to those who only adhere to the law
but to those who follow the faith of Abraham,
who is the father of all of us, as it is written,
I have made you father of many nations.
He is our father in the sight of God,
in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead
and calls into being what does not exist.
He believed, hoping against hope,
that he would become the father of many nations,
according to what was said, Thus shall your descendants be.
Reposorial Psalm
Ps 105:6-7, 8-9, 42-43
R. (8a) 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.
For he remembered his holy word
to his servant Abraham.
And he led forth his people with joy;
with shouts of joy, his chosen ones.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
Gospel
Lk 12:8-12
Jesus said to his disciples:
"I tell you,
everyone who acknowledges me before others
the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God.
But whoever denies me before others
will be denied before the angels of God.
"Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven,
but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will not be forgiven.
When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities,
do not worry about how or what your defense will be
or about what you are to say.
For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say."
Meditation: Romans 4:13,16-18
It depends on faith, so that it may be a gift. (Romans 4:16)
It’s amazing how much fun small children can have with a gift. Sometimes they will stare at it for a while before opening it, guessing at what might be inside. Then they’ll quiver with anticipation as they pull off the wrapping paper. When they’ve finally opened their gift, you may hear “Wow!” or “Cool!” or they may say nothing and just start enjoying it right away. They still have the ability to find wonder at things that we adults may take for granted.
It’s interesting that Paul uses the word “gift” to describe the faith of Abraham in today’s first reading. Why? Because God’s promise that Abraham would be “the father of a host of nations” wasn’t dependent on Abraham’s goodness. It was a pure gift from the Lord. Circumcision wasn’t the key to Abraham’s inheritance. In fact, the requirement for circumcision came after Abraham had already believed in God (Genesis 17:5,10). It was Abraham’s trust in what God had already worked out that brought God’s amazing promise to fulfillment.
How does this apply to us as Christians? It’s not that our faith doesn’t ask anything of us. Jesus tells us to seek the lost, care for the poor and wounded, and live righteously so that we’ll be fit for heaven. But in its essence, our faith comes to us as a free gift. We can’t possibly repay God for what he has done for us through Jesus Christ. We may do good works out of gratitude for God’s goodness, but he has already done the real work! Our sins have been paid for, in full!
Think about the gift of your own faith. Within that gift are several other gifts—most importantly, your redemption. There is also the gift of the Holy Spirit, who fills you with hope and charity. You may want to draw up a list, but be careful. You may run out of room on the paper! Now imagine you’re receiving these gifts for the first time, and look at each one in your mind’s eye. Think about how much each one means to you and what life would be like without it. Then be sure to thank the One who gave you those awesome gifts!
“Lord, show me that you desire my love and trust more than anything I can do for you. Thank you for never forgetting your promises!”
No comments:
Post a Comment