For this reason, it depends on faith,
so that it may be a gift,
and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants,
not to those who only adhere to the law
but to those who follow the faith of Abraham,
who is the father of all of us, as it is written,
I have made you father of many nations.
Saint Paul invokes a powerful argument for trusting in the God of Abraham. As children of "our father in faith" we rely on the promise which we have seen fulfilled over many generations. It is a word that, were it not from God, would have been lost many centuries ago. The world has seen how many thousands of cities, nations, and peoples, with their cultures and languages, their triumphs and failures, their virtue and wickedness appear, flourish, fade, and vanish? Periodically, archaeologists unearth another ancient city, long forgotten. They wonder who lived here, and how, and why they disappeared. And why does no one remember them today?
But the nation of Abraham, whose foundation is God's fidelity, remains through it all. Nor can any one of us boast of their own fidelity. Our history, as recorded in the songs, stories, and annals of our own sacred texts, describe a people who cannot produce even a single generation with purity of heart. "We have sinned; we and our ancestors have sinned." It is the LORD who does not surrender us to our sins but continually calls us back to himself.
We have had our champions in faith, our saints. Of them all there is only Jesus and Mary who lived without sin. Clearly their perfect integrity was a gift of God, unearned and unmerited, and given to them as a gift for everyone. We credit them for proving their worthiness by his sacrifice of his life and her sacrifice of her only son.
But we boast also of those sinners who surrendered to the God of Abraham. They repented and lived by the Spirit of God, listening intently to his whisper in their hearts, and habitually sacrificing their own desires, preferences, expectations, and opinions. What they wanted mattered not to them; they wanted only what God wanted.
We remember that our saints and martyrs turned away from their former lives as they suffered the discipline of God. Many had been notorious sinners leading scandalous lives. Their transformation was wonderful in our eyes, as the psalmist said. It was just as amazing to them as it is to us. They knew they could claim no merit for what God had done with them.
In our own lives of prayer, we ask God to do something with us. "Dear Lord, find something useful in my willingness and turn it to your purpose." We remember the oft repeated prayer of Abraham, "Here I am." And of Jesus, "I come to do your will."
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.