20240321 WHOEVER KEEPS MY WORD WILL NEVER SEE DEATH
21 March 2024, Thursday, 5th Week of Lent
First reading | Genesis 17:3-9 © |
Abraham, the father of a multitude of nations
Abram bowed to the ground and God said this to him, ‘Here now is my covenant with you: you shall become the father of a multitude of nations. You shall no longer be called Abram; your name shall be Abraham, for I make you father of a multitude of nations. I will make you most fruitful. I will make you into nations, and your issue shall be kings. I will establish my Covenant between myself and you, and your descendants after you, generation after generation, a Covenant in perpetuity, 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 you are living in, the whole land of Canaan, to own in perpetuity, and I will be your God.
‘You on your part shall maintain my Covenant, yourself and your descendants after you, generation after generation.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 104(105):4-9 © |
The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
Consider the Lord and his strength;
constantly seek his face.
Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles, the judgements he spoke.
The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
O children of Abraham, his servant,
O sons of the Jacob he chose.
He, the Lord, is our God:
his judgements prevail in all the earth.
The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
He remembers his covenant for ever,
his promise for a thousand generations,
the covenant he made with Abraham,
the oath he swore to Isaac.
The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Jn6:63,68 |
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life;
you have the message of eternal life.
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
Or: | Ps94:8 |
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
Harden not your hearts today,
but listen to the voice of the Lord.
Glory and praise to you, O Christ!
Gospel | John 8:51-59 © |
Your father Abraham saw my Day and was glad
Jesus said to the Jews:
‘I tell you most solemnly,
whoever keeps my word
will never see death.’
The Jews said, ‘Now we know for certain that you are possessed. Abraham is dead, and the prophets are dead, and yet you say, “Whoever keeps my word will never know the taste of death.” Are you greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? The prophets are dead too. Who are you claiming to be?’ Jesus answered:
‘If I were to seek my own glory
that would be no glory at all;
my glory is conferred by the Father,
by the one of whom you say, “He is our God”
although you do not know him.
But I know him,
and if I were to say: I do not know him,
I should be a liar, as you are liars yourselves.
But I do know him, and I faithfully keep his word.
Your father Abraham rejoiced
to think that he would see my Day;
he saw it and was glad.’
The Jews then said, ‘You are not fifty yet, and you have seen Abraham!’ Jesus replied:
‘I tell you most solemnly,
before Abraham ever was,
I Am.’
At this they picked up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid himself and left the Temple.
WHOEVER KEEPS MY WORD WILL NEVER SEE DEATH
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [GN 17:3-9; PS 105:4-9; JN 8:51-59]
The Lord is faithful to His covenant. This is God’s fidelity to His people. In the first reading, God appeared to Abram a third time, renewing the covenant He made with him. This time, the Lord spelt out the details of this covenant. “You shall no longer be called Abram; your name shall be Abraham, for I will make you father of a multitude of nations. I will make you most fruitful. I will make you into nations, and your issue shall be kings. I will establish my Covenant between myself and you, and your descendants after you. I will give to you and to your descendants after you the land you are living in, the whole land of Canaan, to owe in perpetuity.” In these words, God promised Abraham, posterity, a kingdom and land.
These promises made to Abraham are renewed once again. In Jesus, the covenant is renewed. The Lord said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to think that he would see my Day; he saw it and was glad.” This day of course is the day of His passion and resurrection. At His death, Jesus was lifted up on the cross and glorified again at His resurrection. The passion, death and resurrection of Christ confirms the unconditional love of God for humanity and His fidelity to us. Through His death and resurrection, we live forever with His Father in His Kingdom. In Jesus, we became the children of God, His brothers and sisters, because Jesus is one with us in our humanity and one with the Father.
The responsorial psalm invites us to place our trust in God’s covenant. “Consider the Lord and his strength; constantly seek his face. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, the judgements he spoke. O children of Abraham, his servant, O sons of the Jacob he chose. He, the Lord, is our God, his judgements prevail in all the earth. He remembers his covenant forever, his promise for a thousand generations, the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac.” Indeed, we are to recall the wonders of God in our lives. Forgetfulness has always been the cause of infidelity, as in the case of Israel. We, too often, forget what the Lord has done for us by His passion on the cross. Remembering His covenant is the way to be faithful to the covenant.
As in the covenant with Abraham, we are called to maintain our part of that covenant. The Lord said to Abram, “‘You on your part shall maintain my covenant, yourself and your descendants after you, generation after generation.” We are required to place our trust and faith in God. Although God freely gives Himself to us, we must respond; otherwise we cannot receive what He wants to give us. This is why the Lord told the Jews, “whoever keeps my word will never see death.” The Word of God is the key to eternal life. God gave the Law to Israel through Moses so that they would be established as a united people and increase in strength and grow in prosperity. But they were not faithful to God and the covenant. As a consequence, the people were divided because of social injustices, the Kingdom became divided because of power rivalry. And then one after another, they were eventually conquered by their enemies. This was the price of ignoring the Covenant.
However, it is more than just being faithful to the Word of God. It is to be faithful to Jesus. This is because Jesus speaks the Word of God. He knows His Father. He has been sent by the Father to reveal His message to us. Jesus told the Jews. “If I were to seek my own glory that would be no glory at all; my glory is conferred by the Father, by the one whom you say, ‘He is our God’ although you do not know him. But I know him, and if I were to say: I do not know him, I should be a liar, as you are liars yourselves. But I do know him, and I faithfully keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to think that he would see my Day; he saw it and was glad.” Jesus and the Father are one. Thus, Jesus said to the Jews, “I tell you most solemnly, before Abraham ever was, I Am.” Jesus was with the Father before creation.
Jesus’ will was to do His Father’s will. He came to glorify His Father. In His priestly prayer, Jesus said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.” (Jn 17:1-5) He continued, “I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.” (Jn 17:6-8)
Consequently, we must be clear of the identity of Jesus. When the Jews asked Jesus, “Who are you claiming to be?”, our answer must be clear. Jesus is the Son of the Living God, the Christ who is our only Mediator between God and man. He is truly human and truly divine. As God, He was with the Father from all eternity. As man, He was born of the Virgin Mary. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Unless we are firm in our understanding of Jesus, we will not be able to believe in the teaching of our Lord. Faith in Jesus as the Son of God is critical in taking His word as truth. Indeed, when Jesus asked Peter and the apostles whether they also wanted to follow some disciples who left Jesus because they could not accept His teaching on the Bread of life, Peter said, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” (Jn 6:68f)
Indeed, if some liberal Christians today compromise the Word of God by imposing their rationalistic and subjectivist view of life, it simply means that they do not truly believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Today, liberal Christians twist and turn the Word of God so that they can justify and normalize their selfish and self-centred lifestyles. They will use historical principles, contextualizing every text that the Lord uttered and dilute the truth of what the Lord is teaching us. If we truly believe that Jesus is the Word of God, then we will take the scripture seriously. We must seek to be faithful to the Word of God.
As for the world, we can appreciate their disagreement with the Church’s moral teaching and faith in Jesus because the world also asks the same question, “Who are you claiming to be?” In a relativistic world, many no longer accept that there is one true religion – all religions are different ways to God. With that also, salvation is put in question. Is there heaven and hell? Or will we be reincarnated or just extinguished from this earth after death? Since not all religions agree in morality except for the general principles of doing good and compassion for our brothers and sisters, it is difficult to determine what can be done today. Because there is no absolute answer in the questions that humanity is asking, some become atheistic, agnostic, or humanist. They do not accept anything unless it is rooted in reason. But then, those who appeal to reason end up with different conclusions. Hence, relativism prevails in modern society.
Christianity continues to maintain that Jesus is the Son of God. The gospel clearly defines Jesus’ identity as the Son of God. Because of this fact which is substantiated by the works of Jesus especially in His passion, death and resurrection, Christians can confess without doubt that Jesus is truly the Saviour of the World. For that reason, Christians believe in the Scriptures as well because Jesus Himself cited Scripture. He was brought up in the Jewish Faith. He claims to be the fulfilment of the Covenant promised by God to Abraham. Consequently, Christian Faith is rooted in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, since by His death and resurrection, Jesus lives forever with the Father. Accordingly, the Church which Christ founded upon the apostles continues to proclaim Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life. To listen to Jesus is also to listen to the Church. Of course, the Church seeks to be faithful to Christ and the Word of God. Regardless of what the world says, Christians take reference from the Word of God as contained in the scriptures handed on by the Church.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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