Today’s readings are full of action and depth aren’t they?! It is hard to know what to delve into, so I will start with the first line in our reading from Genesis: “When Abram prostrated himself, God spoke to him” (17:3). Another translation reads, “Abram fell face down and God said to him:.” I like both versions for different reasons. The former makes me think about how important it is to humble oneself before the Lord, and it is fitting that that is when God talks to us. The latter translation makes me chuckle a bit as I picture someone, in this case a one hundred year old man, falling on his face. I think this paints a more vivid picture of the reality of humbling oneself before our creator; a down and dirty, if you will, act of fidelity. Abram shows God his devotion, and then God speaks of the covenant which decrees Abram the father of all nations. Next God gives Abram a new name, Abraham, and his wife Sarai, now to be called Sarah.
How interesting names are! They say something about who we are and who we belong too. I admit that growing up in the generation that I did, I was a little tepid about giving up my maiden name for my husband’s last name when we got married. That was my name, after all, for 25 years! It felt strange to no longer be Brenda Thompson, but now Brenda Faulkner. Even though I didn’t fully understand the big picture back then, the importance of leaving behind my father’s name for the new family bond with my husband, I did want what the sharing of a name meant. It meant we were family.
Let us think for a moment about what a covenant is. A promise, an agreement, a contract, a pledge, an arrangement. These synonyms really don’t get at the true meaning of God’s covenant with his people. It is much, much more than a cold, even arbitrary contract made between two parties, it is a bond. A family bond. God was telling Abraham something incredibly important in the commencement of this covenant during which he gave them new names. Abraham was entering into a family relationship with God, and from it, he was told his family would multiply and flourish. We come to another important point though, that in this relationship, God requires fidelity, or in other words, that the people keep his commandments. Another place that I think of as requiring the utmost faithfulness is in the bonds of marriage. Family life requires a deep commitment in order to flourish. No less, from this special bond of love, comes children who certainly thrive under the guidance of parents who remain faithful and loving towards one another. I read somewhere when I was preparing for the birth of my children, that the very most important thing a father can do for his children, is to love their mother. And of course I think of it from my perspective, which is I, to love their father. Beautifully simple and rich in it’s truth. It is no wonder the Catholic Church calls the family, the domestic church, it is such a reflection of the bigger picture! We are a part of a domestic church in our homes, a universal church which is the body of Christ, and God the father’s family. This reality is deeply rooted; it is a physical reality as well as a spiritual one. Flesh, blood and water connect us, as does the giver of life, the Holy Spirit.
When I think of how deep the pool of my love for my family is, a seemly endless depth, I call to mind that God loves us so much more than that; more than our feeble minds can ever comprehend. Yet we get a glimpse of this truth when we examine the bonds within our own families. Family relationships certainly can be disordered and messy, but even that shows the unspeakable way in which we desire communion and acceptance in our family. The greater reflection is the call of our hearts to God our father; to know Him, and to feel known by Him. I can’t help but quote the Catechism of the Catholic Church here, “The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for.” God LOVES us! He truly does. We were made in love and for love and yet because of original sin, we are in desperate need of salvation. So what did God do? What only a merciful and loving father would do, he came to us incarnate. The father’s begotten Son, Jesus. Jesus, a name that means “God saves.” Emmanuel, a name which means, “God with us.” The Word made flesh. Christ, messiah, or “anointed one.” I AM.
Jesus reveals his divine nature very clearly in today’s gospel from John when he declares, “I AM.” The discussion surrounding this reading is all about the call to be faithful to God the father, the father of Abraham, through discipleship of Christ Jesus. When we believe in Christ, and try again and again to follow his way, we will have life everlasting with God, rather than death which came to be through sin. Our walk with God is like any other relationship, it can be difficult and messy. We need to ask for forgiveness, and ask often, just as we do in the relationships with our family members. We need to seek, to give, to grown, just like in our human relationships. Kinship between God and man is a living, breathing thing. When we ponder this, we can see how our family life is a reflection of being members of God’s family. Pope Francis said, “The lifeblood of God’s family, of the Church, is God’s love which is activated in loving him and others, all others, without distinction or reservation. The Church is a family in which we are love and are loved” (General Audience, May 29, 2013). A beautiful reality that I am so grateful to be a part of. Pope Francis concludes his talk with these wise words: “Faith is a gift and an act which concern us personally, but God calls us to live with our faith together as a family, as a Church.” The Catholic Church is a family, with all it’s imperfections, faults and failures of it’s human members. Thanks be to God, we can count on the Holy Spirit to guide the Church through out the ages. I pray that we treat the Church with love, forgiveness and respect, as we do our own families.
I would like to return briefly to the idea of names before I conclude. Isn’t it interesting how the Old Testament treats the name of God with such sanctity that it was not even allowed to be spoken? Names are useful in helping us define things, and yet God is undefinable. It makes sense to me that, along these lines, creating an image of God was also not allowed back then. Until the coming of the Son of Man. Jesus changed everything in his fulfillment of the law of the prophets. God came to us in flesh and blood, fully divine, and fully human. He had a name, and a face. His name shocked and divided households then, and still does now. How powerful the name of Christ Jesus. I want to point out though, while names are meaningful and important, they do not fully define. Who you are is much more than your name, your human family, your genetic make-up, your tendencies, your likes, and dislikes. You are a child of God and a part of the mystical body of Christ. Let us always remember who we are and who we belong too.
