ABRAHAM’S BLESSINGS

 Reflection for Thursday of the 5^th of Lent

(Gen 17:3-9; Jn 8:51-59)

BEFORE ABRAHAM

God created man in his image and likeness, and man had his will absolutely united with God. It was a peaceful life in the garden, without fear or death. God needed no covenants to relate to man. But the devil tricked man, and he misused his freedom and chose to pull his will from God. He disobeyed and sin entered with death! Before Abraham, there was need to save man from swimming in sin and ending in death. God, in His love and mercy, had a plan to save man and restore him to perfect unity with the Trinity.

WITH ABRAHAM

God inaugurated the plan of salvation...He called Abraham to accept a pilgrimage of faith by going to the Promised Land. By dwelling there in faith, Abraham was to form a new human race, who would live by faith and thus they would become God’s chosen people. Now God had to relate to man by covenants. In other words, God had to attract man’s free consent by offering him promises sealed in His name! In today’s reading, God said to Abraham, “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations...I will make you exceedingly fruitful...and kings shall come forth from you.” This covenant was applicable to his descendants throughout their generations.

ARE YOU GREATER THAN ABRAHAM?

In today’s Gospel, the Jews used the case of Abraham to argue against Jesus’ origin and identity. Jesus continued to point to them that He is divine, but their obsession as descendants of Abraham would not let them hear. He said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” Before Abraham, God had a plan to save man from the domain of death. And Jesus came to fulfill that plan and bring to completion the journey that was inaugurated with Abraham.

Jesus reminded them that Abraham looked forward to seeing the fulfillment of the promised God made to him. “Your father Abraham rejoiced that he was to see my day; he saw it and was glad.” Now Jesus shook the very foundation on which their argument was based. As their temper was rising they asked him, “You are not fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” He answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”

Immediately they attempted to stone Him. Their rejection and persecution of Jesus was because they had already made up their minds on how the Messiah should be based on their own interpretation and tradition. But God’s gift of salvation was conceived even while Adam and Eve were still hiding in shame from God. And whenever we want to think out our lives for God without being open to His divine will, we too will pick up stones against Jesus. Our duty is to keep to His word; death will never be our destination. The Blessings of Abraham, and much more than that, awaits us in Christ Jesus. Amen!

Fr Jude Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.

Thursday, April 2^nd, 2020.

SPIRITUAL COMMUNION

My Jesus, I believe that you are really here in the Blessed Sacrament. I love you more than anything in the world, and I hunger to feed on your flesh. But since I cannot receive Communion at this moment, feed my soul at least spiritually. I unite myself to you now as I do when I actually receive you. Never let me drift away from you. Amen.

----St Alphonsus Liguori