All week long we have been reading the story of Abraham as it is told in Genesis. This story begins with the first calling and the promise that God will make of him a great nation.
Perhaps, thanks to Abraham’s faith and persistence, we are living in this “great nation” today. After all, can anyone deny that the United States of America was made great, in part, due to the sense of sacrifice and obedience of our forefathers?
In today’s first reading, we read the story of how God put Abraham to the test by leading his son Isaac to be sacrificed – only to be stopped just in time and given a ram to sacrifice instead.
The story is rich in detail and forecasts the future sacrifice of Jesus on the cross – the father allowing his son to be sacrificed, the carrying of wood on Isaac’s shoulders, the riding of the donkey.
God is no doubt pleased with the faith and obedience displayed by Abraham. He once again repeats the promise he made in earlier chapters of Genesis:
“I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you acted as you did in not withholding from me your beloved son, I will bless you abundantly and make your descendants as countless as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore …”
Now, all this happened when Abraham was quite old, as was his wife. The thought of bearing children probably seemed very far-fetched.
And that makes me think of so many young men and women who hear voices today … voices that echo in the heart, a calling to vocation.
Whether it be the vocation of marriage and a promise from God that if they leave home, find a spouse and bear children, God will reward them by making a “great nation” of them. I know some pretty large Catholic families who could come pretty close to starting their own nation, or at least a football team.
There is also the call to the vocation of the priesthood and a promise from God that if a man leaves his current life and follows the path to serve God alone, he will have his own “great nation” of parishioners … large flocks to shepherd.
I believe Abraham’s call was sacramental. It involved the gift of a blessing from God and it required some cooperative action on his part. The same kind of thing occurs whenever we are called to a sacrament.
That same sense of mission and the occasional test of character and perseverance play out in the lives of husbands, fathers and men who become priests.
It wasn’t easy for Abraham. And it’s not easy for us.
But Abraham was a man of great faith. Because of this, he is known as the father of the world’s three major religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Clearly, God kept his promise.
As we celebrate Independence Day in America today, these timely readings from Genesis can make you pause and ponder how a father and mother can change their world – and our world – by following God’s call to marriage and children.
After all, every great world leader … every great inventor … every brilliant man of science, law and the arts …
They all have one thing in common …
They were born.
My prayer today is that good men and women in the U.S. and around the globe will follow God’s call into marriage and be open to His will when it comes to children.
And I likewise pray that men and women who hear the call of vocation into the priesthood and religious life will answer that call and be open to God’s will.
Like Abraham, God promises to make a great nation of you.
All you need to do is listen … and have faith.
