Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Lectionary: 253​

They answered and said to him, "Our father is Abraham."

Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works of Abraham.

Like the political parties today, ancient Christians and Jews vied for ownership of the narrative. Who controls the story controls the way people think and where they are, inside or out. Insiders own and control the narrative and outsiders are left at a disadvantage.

In this case the contest is about the Patriarch Abraham. Where Jews of Jesus's time honored Moses as the Great Lawgiver and founder of Israel, Christians honored Abraham. His name appears 73 times in the New Testament but -- after the Book of Genesis -- only 57 times between Exodus and 2 Maccabees. He seemed to disappear behind the dominant figures of Moses, the prophets and David. The Jews were a "people of the book" and the book was laws, ordinance, statutes, and commands. It had much to do with dress, manners and diet.

Saint Paul, the Evangelists and the Christian missionaries described a different narrative when they boldly claimed descent from the Father of Faith. By doing the works of Abraham, which was faith, even gentiles could be called children of Abraham.

Righteousness was also redefined in the controversy between Jews and Christians. Matthew 25 shows how the righteous might not even suspect they are pleasing God. Although they did not recognize him when they fed the hungry, clothed the naked and visited the imprisoned, they were "blessed by my Father." Unfortunately, the unrighteous also failed to recognize him despite his innumerable appearances among the needy.

The word is still contested among Christians today. Only recently I met a fellow who would pray for me because, he says, I am not righteous. I didn't quite get how I would become righteous but he was quite sure of the matter. It probably didn't help when I reminded him that Catholics wrote the Bible.

Faith is another word we claim. Christians often speak of other faiths or faith traditions, but Jews and Muslims don't use the word with the same meaning. By our "ownership" of the word we can make a superior claim to it. 

Saint Francis insisted that his disciples should live sine proprio! Without property. That includes not only our material possessions, but our titles, offices, opinions and doctrines.

In the practice of faith and righteousness we let God settle the more important issues of ownership. The Catholic should address our Jewish, Muslim, Mormon and Protestant sisters and brothers without claims of superiority. Such claims are unnecessary baggage. We own nothing but our confidence that God is the Father of every nation, race and people. Like the righteous in Matthew 25 we honor every person who is made in the image and likeness of God.