FIRST READING
Genesis 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.”
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 105:4-5, 6-7, 8-9
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 B Which he entered into with Abraham and by his oath to Isaac.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
VERSE BEFORE THE GOSPEL
Psalm 95:8
If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
GOSPEL
John 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.
REFLECTIONS:
Do you submit to Jesus' words as if your life depended
on it? Jesus made a claim which only God can make – "if any one keeps my
word, he will never see death." St. Augustine of Hippo, in his commentary
on John's Gospel, explains this verse: "It means nothing less than he saw
another death from which he came to free us – the second death, eternal
death, the death of hell, the death of the damned, which is shared with
the devil and his angels! This is the real death; the other kind
of death is only a passage." [Tractates on the Gospel of
John 43.10-11]
When God established a relationship with Abraham, he offered him an
unbreakable "everlasting covenant" (Genesis 17:7). Jesus came to fulfill
that covenant so that we could know the living God and be united with him
both now and for all eternity. God made us to know him and to be united
with him and he gives us the gift of faith and understanding so that we
may grow in the knowledge of what he has accomplished for us through his
Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus challenged the people of Israel to accept his
word as the very revelation of God himself. His claim challenged the very
foundation of their belief and understanding of God. Jesus made a series
of claims which are the very foundation of his life and mission. What are
these claims? First, Jesus claims unique knowledge of God as the only begotten
Son of the Father in heaven. Since he claims to be in direct personal communion
with his Father in heaven, he knows everything about the Father. Jesus
claims
that the only way to full knowledge of the mind and heart of God is through
himself. Jesus also claims unique obedience to God the Father. He thinks,
lives and acts in the knowledge of his Father's word. To look at his
life is to "see how God wishes me to live." In Jesus alone we see what
God wants us to know and what he wants us to be.
When the Jewish authorities asked Jesus who do you claim to be?
he answered, "before Abraham was, I am." Jesus claims to be timeless
and there is only one in the universe who is timeless, namely God. Scripture
tells us that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever"
(Hebrews 13:8). Jesus was not just a man who came, lived, died, and then
rose again. He is the immortal timeless One, who always was and always
will be. In Jesus we see the eternal God in visible flesh. He is God who
became a man for our sake and for our salvation. His death and resurrection
make it possible for us to share in his immortality. Do you believe the
words of Jesus and obey them with all your heart, mind, and strength?
"Lord Jesus, let your word be on my lips and in my heart that I may
walk in the freedom of your everlasting love, truth and goodness."
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