Monday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

 Lectionary: 371

The LORD said to Abram: "Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk and from your father's house to a land that I will show you.
"I will make of you a great nation,
and I will bless you....

When did our story begin? When did we begin to know that we are set aside and not like other people? Despite our similarities to our neighbors, friends, and colleagues there is something different about us. What is it exactly, and when did it happen? 

The story begins on the edge of prehistory with God's calling Abram to "go forth  from the land of your kinsfolk and from your father's house to a land that I will show you." We're given little detail about that incident. Did the LORD appear visually or speak audibly to the gentleman? And why did he call that particular man? Was there something about his appearance, character, or social standing that attracted divine attention? 

Nothing. He chose and called Abraham, and so the story begins. The point is, God chose, befriended, and tested him; and Abraham was found reliable. Or, as Saint Paul put it, he was "justified by faith." That standard becomes the sole standard by which we are judged. We need not have wealth, intelligence, knowledge, or experience. We don't need to produce or achieve. Our family status means nothing; nor does our race, ethnicity, nationality, or religious background. The only standard is faith. Do you believe in God? Do you keep faith with God? Do you trust God enough to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

We come to faith in God in the same way that everyone else does, through those who show God's care for us. My parents bore, fed, clothed, and protected me. They taught me how to speak English with words they understood and with their Louisville accent. They didn't expect me to decide which language I should adopt, or which religion I might embrace. I speak their language and I believe in their God. And he is my God. 

No reason is given for God’s choice of Abraham but our salvation had to start somewhere, in a real place and real time, and with a particular person. It's not just a good idea, or a romantic notion of being good for goodness sake. Grace entered human history through Abraham and his wife Sarah; and then, their son Isaac. Because Abraham believed in God, God remains faithful to their children forever. 

Finally, because salvation is from the Jews, he sends a Jewish Messiah, his Son Jesus Christ, to redeem all nations. Grafted into the stock of Abraham, even gentiles receive blessings and become blessings for others. 

God's word to Abraham does not fail, and blessed are they who are not scandalized when hard times fall upon us.