Today, 15th of July, we celebrate
Saint Bonaventure
First Reading: Genesis 17:3-9
You will be the father of a multitude of nations.
When Abram prostrated himself, God spoke to him:
“My covenant with you is this:
you are to become the father of a host of nations.
No longer shall you be called Abram;
your name shall be Abraham,
for I am making you the father of a host of nations.
I will render you exceedingly fertile;
I will make nations of you;
kings shall stem from you.
I will maintain my covenant with you
and your descendants after you
throughout the ages as an everlasting pact,
to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
I will give to you
and to your descendants after you
the land in which you are now staying,
the whole land of Canaan, as a permanent possession;
and I will be their God.”
God also said to Abraham:
“On your part, you and your descendants after you
must keep my covenant throughout the ages.”
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading: Genesis 17:3-9
You will be the father of a multitude of nations.
When Abram prostrated himself, God spoke to him:
“My covenant with you is this:
you are to become the father of a host of nations.
No longer shall you be called Abram;
your name shall be Abraham,
for I am making you the father of a host of nations.
I will render you exceedingly fertile;
I will make nations of you;
kings shall stem from you.
I will maintain my covenant with you
and your descendants after you
throughout the ages as an everlasting pact,
to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
I will give to you
and to your descendants after you
the land in which you are now staying,
the whole land of Canaan, as a permanent possession;
and I will be their God.”
God also said to Abraham:
“On your part, you and your descendants after you
must keep my covenant throughout the ages.”
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 105:4-5, 6-7, 8-9
R./ The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
Look to the Lord in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought,
his portents, and the judgments he has uttered.
R./ The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the Lord, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R./ The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations –
Which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R./ The Lord remembers his covenant for ever
Gospel Reading: John 8:51-59
Your father, Abraham, rejoiced because he saw my day.
Jesus said to the Jews:
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever keeps my word will never see death.”
So the Jews said to him,
“Now we are sure that you are possessed.
Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say,
‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.’
Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died?
Or the prophets, who died?
Who do you make yourself out to be?”
Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing;
but it is my Father who glorifies me,
of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’
You do not know him, but I know him.
And if I should say that I do not know him,
I would be like you a liar.
But I do know him and I keep his word.
Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day;
he saw it and was glad.”
So the Jews said to him,
“You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?”
Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
before Abraham came to be, I AM.”
So they picked up stones to throw at him;
but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area.
The Joy of Abraham
The dialogue between Jesus and the Jews is almost like a conversation between deaf individuals (at least on the Jews’ part). From their words, it seems they are discussing the same topic, but the meanings behind the words spoken by Jesus and the Jews are radically different. The death the Jews refer to is biological—the inevitable fate of all humans. Jesus, however, speaks of a different kind of death, the “eternal death,” which means complete separation from God and salvation. This salvation is offered through Jesus’ word. Yet, this leads to another misunderstanding: Jesus’ word is not a philosophy, moral code, or doctrine; it is His very self, the incarnate Word through whom God offers salvation from “eternal death.”
The Jews’ argument about biological death is undeniable: even the great patriarchs and prophets died. Jesus does not dispute this fact—in fact, He is prepared to face it Himself, as the glory He speaks of is none other than the paschal mystery of His death and resurrection (the “eternal life”). Once again, the Jewish interlocutors fail to grasp what glory He is referring to.
Clinging to their venerable traditions and seeing themselves as their guardians, as children of Abraham, they are unable to comprehend that the great promises made to the patriarch are now being fulfilled in Jesus—the joy of Abraham, father not only of Israel but of a multitude of nations.
The misunderstanding and stubbornness of these Jews, who violently oppose Jesus, force Him to leave the temple and Judaism—the original keeper of the promise—so that a multitude of nations might be freed from eternal death and partake in the fruits of Christ’s glorification: eternal life.
We, as believers in Christ Jesus and true children of Abraham, are called to overcome all stubbornness. By keeping Jesus’ word, we continue to spread these fruits among all the peoples of the world.
Warm regards,
José M. Vegas cmfFAITH IN GOD’S WORD, COVENANT
Introduction
Our communion with God, our salvation, depends on faith. God makes his offer of a covenant; we have to trust the word of God. Abraham believed in God’s word and his faith changed the destiny of himself (hence the new name) and of his people. Many Jews did not believe and cut themselves off from their ancestors and from God’s new people. God speaks to us through his Word, who is a person: Jesus Christ. If we believe in him, we become the new people of the new covenant by baptism, and the Promised Land will be ours.
Opening Prayer
Lord God,
in your Son, Jesus Christ,
you have given us a new name,
the name of your Son himself.
May we live up to our new destiny,
to be people-for-others
who serve and commit ourselves
together with Jesus,
your Son and our Lord for ever.
General Intercessions
– Jesus, we pray for those who cannot believe in you. Let them be people who follow their conscience, we pray:
– Jesus, give us the grace to believe in your word and also to keep it in our daily living, we pray:
– Jesus, we pray that the Jewish people may come closer to us through their fidelity to the covenant you made with Abraham, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord God,
you speak with your living Word in our midst,
your Son, Jesus Christ.
Give us faith, a strong faith,
that we may believe
in his presence among us
and that we may be his presence
in the world of today.
Give us a bit of his Spirit
that people may accept him in us,
for he is our Lord for ever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord, our God,
in days when life looks drab
and when we get impatient with ourselves,
we have a hard time to realize
that your Son is present in our midst.
Give us a trusting faith,
that he is here for us and with us,
to lift us above ourselves
and to give us hope in your future.
Make us deeply aware,
that you have bound yourself to us
and share our destiny
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Blessing
May we keep the Lord’s Word not only in our minds but also in our deeds, that we may enjoy eternal life, with the blessing of the Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
