Believing and Belonging in Covenant

-

Today's readings:
[ Gen 17:3-9; Ps 105:1-9; Jn 8:51-59 ]

Today's readings bring us a call not just to believe, but to belong.

In Genesis, Abraham (then still called Abram) falls on his face before God. There is no negotiation, no posturing—only surrender. And in that posture, God speaks covenant: “I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant”. This is not a contract of equals, but a gift of relationship. Through a Franciscan lens, this covenant is not merely legal—it is deeply relational, rooted in God’s desire to be with His people, to dwell among them in love.

The psalm echoes this invitation to remembrance: “Remember the wonderful works he has done”. Franciscan spirituality leans heavily into this remembering—not as nostalgia, but as living awareness. Creation itself bears witness to God’s fidelity. The covenant is not abstract; it is written into the fabric of the world, into history, into our very lives.

Then in John, Jesus raises the stakes: “Very truly, I tell you, whoever keeps my word will never see death”. His listeners struggle, as we often do, to grasp what He means. When He declares, “before Abraham was, I am”, He reveals not only His identity, but the fullness of that covenant promise. The God who called Abram is present, now, in the flesh.

God is not distant. In Christ, God enters creation fully—sanctifying it, redeeming it, dwelling within it. The covenant is no longer something we look back on; it is something we live within.

But like Abraham, this requires something of us. To fall on our faces—not necessarily physically, but in humility. To let go of control. To trust that the God who binds Himself to us is faithful.

Today’s invitation is simple, but not easy: remember, belong, and trust. The covenant is already given. The question is whether we will live as though it is true.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Choosing Sight and Light

-
Image
Today's Readings: [ 1 Samuel 16:1-13; Psalm 23; Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9:1-41 ] The readings today invite us to reflect on how God sees and how we see . In the First Book of Samuel, the prophet Samuel assumes that Israel’s next king must surely be the strongest and most impressive of Jesse’s sons. But God corrects him with a lesson that echoes throughout Scripture: “The Lord does not see as mortals see.” Human beings are naturally drawn to outward appearance, status, and strength. God looks instead at the heart. And so the shepherd boy David—the youngest, the overlooked one—is chosen. Psalm 23 reminds us that the Lord is still the shepherd who guides His people. Even when we walk through dark valleys, when the way forward seems uncertain, we are not abandoned. The shepherd sees the path ahead even when we do not. In the Gospel, Jesus heals a man born blind. Yet the miracle reveals more than restored physical sight. The man who had been blind comes to see clearly who Jesus is, ...
Read more

St Patrick's Day - Green Beer Or Radical Love?

-
Image
Today's readings: [  2 Cor 12:14-16, 19; Ps 131; Mt 5:43-48 ] St. Patrick’s Day often brings images of green fields, shamrocks, and joyful celebration (green beer, anyone?). Yet beneath the cultural festivities lies the story of a man who lived the Gospel in a radical way: humility, trust in God, and love even for enemies. Today’s readings trace a quiet but powerful thread through those same virtues. In Psalm 131 , the psalmist says, “I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother.” It is a picture of profound humility—of a heart that does not strive for greatness but rests in God. Franciscan spirituality holds this posture at its core. St. Francis believed that true wisdom begins when we stop grasping for status or control and instead become small before God, trusting Him as a child trusts a loving parent. Paul echoes that same spirit in 2 Corinthians , insisting that he does not seek the possessions of the people he serves but the people themselves. L...
Read more

Bread That Endures

-
Image
Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop and Teacher of the Faith, 386 - Commemoration Today's readings: [ Wis 7:7, 11-14; Ps 119:33-40; Jn 6:26-35 ] There is a quiet theme running through today's readings: the difference between what satisfies for a moment and what truly gives life. In Wisdom, Solomon does not ask for power, wealth, or long life, but for understanding. And in receiving wisdom, he finds that all other goods fall into place—not as idols to cling to, but as gifts rightly ordered. This is echoed in the psalmist’s plea: “Teach me… give me understanding… turn my eyes from what is worthless.” There is a deep hunger here, not just for knowledge, but for a way of seeing the world as God sees it. Then in the Gospel, Christ names the tension plainly. The crowd seeks Him because they ate their fill. Their hunger was real—but shallow. Jesus invites them deeper: “Do not work for food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life.” And then He reveals the heart of it all:...
Read more