ABRAHAM’S JOURNEY: The Narrow Gate of Faith and Humility

Meditation for Tuesday of 12th Week in Ordinary Time, Year B
(Gen 13:2, 5-18; Mt 7:6, 12-14)

Have you noticed that when people’s Eal 

possession increases, they become less accommodating and more selective in relating with others? The race to overtake each other is fiercer among the wealthy. Abraham and Lot had great possessions, “So great that they could not dwell together, and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdsmen of Lot’s cattle.” However, Abraham took the humble narrow way and appealed for peace, requesting that they separate and head different directions. Lot chose the Jordan Valley side that was watered like the garden of the Lord. So Lot journeyed towards the East and established his empire among the cities of the Valley down to Sodom.

Abraham dwelt in the land of Canaan. The Lord promised to give the land to him and his descendants forever. The Lord said to him, “I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth…” Abraham dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron; “And there he built an altar to the Lord.” While Lot’s quest ended with the dwelling he established for himself, Abraham would not settle down until he had built an altar for the Lord. What does this mean for Abraham? We see in this gesture that the Lord meant more for him than the land of promise and all his possessions.

We see how the humility of Abraham opened blessings for him. In handling his misunderstanding with Lot, he did not act extraordinary. He did what normal human person can do: desire peace, and give way for peace. But at the end we discover that Abraham was able to act humanly because of his faith in God, whom he followed as his priceless possession. Sieving our daily lives through faith is like passing through the narrow gate that Jesus talked about in the Gospel of today. “For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” Let us learn from the example of Abraham and be among the few that will find such blessings.

Our help is in the name of the Lord; who made heaven and earth! Amen.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos.
Tuesday June 22^nd, 2021.
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