March 26/Fifth Thursday of Lent
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. ~ Ps 105.8-9
Today let us slip our feet into the worn sandals of Abram, seventy-five years old and a long-time resident of Haran (probably in present-day Turkey). One day, God tells Abram to leave this place to make his way to parts unknown, to “the land that I will show you.” There is a vague promise of blessings to come, but no official contract, and no guarantees. If we received such an “offer,” we would quickly pass it up, citing the press of business, the bonds of family, the needs of the present moment. But this old man did no such thing: “So Abram went,” Genesis 12 tells us, “as the LORD had told him.” Through all that ensued — regional violence and family betrayal, the improbable gift of descendants, and sojourn in the promised land — the renamed patriarch Abraham faithfully followed God. And that is what each of us is called to do, too, throughout our lives. As the great nineteenth-century cardinal Saint John Henry Newman wrote, “For in truth we are not called once only but many times; all through our life Christ is calling us. He called us first in Baptism; but afterwards also; whether we obey His voice or not, He graciously calls us still.” The call of God echoes down through the generations: Abraham was called from his home, Elisha from his farm, Peter from his nets. Each of us, too, is called to leave off what we are doing and to follow God. To do so, we must strap on the sandals of faith every day and let God lead us where He will. To give Cardinal Newman the final word, “We are all in the course of calling, on and on, from one thing to another, having no resting place, but mounting towards our eternal rest.”
Lord God, whose faithfulness transcends time, Grant that I may be willing to risk everything to follow your lead. Amen.
For today’s readings, click here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032626.cfm
To hear the St. Olaf (MN) Choir sing “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPZaO9IwPmg&list=RDUPZaO9IwPmg&start_radio=1
