LISTENING TO THE SON


Second Sunday of Lent
Reflection from Friar Nicholas Okeke,OP


Theme: Listening to the Son

The human salvation history objectively started with God’s call of Abraham. With hindsight we understand that God knew the character of the person of Abraham and made him the origin of human salvation history. Abraham’s story is that of faithful following of God and obedience to his word. Abraham had faith in God and committed his whole life to following him. Faith in God always involves a sacrifice of self, for God himself is a sacrifice unto himself. This is a truth we will never stop repeating because of its centrality in our relationship with God. Abraham’s faith helped him to understand the meaning of God’s holiness and he responded adequately to God’s call, with total commitment. The first reading illustrates what faith in God entails. God demanded from Abraham the sacrifice of his only son Isaac. Though this was God’s test of Abraham’s faith, but a faithful commitment to God requires the type of Abraham’s faith. “God put Abraham to the test. ‘Abraham, Abraham’ he called. ‘Here I am’ he replied. ‘Take your son,’ God said ‘your only child Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him as a burnt offering, on a mountain I will point out to you.’” Abraham did not waste any time in obeying God because he had already reasoned it out within himself that God who gave him a son at 90 years of age can do all things.


Abraham’s faith in God made his life serve as a canvas on which God painted his divine nature. In other words, God’s faithfulness to his word and promises was fully demonstrated in the story of Abraham’s walk with God. Recall that God already promised Abraham an eternal inheritance, that is, God himself and the nations; a promise which would be fulfilled through God’s gift of his only Son. He tested Abraham to see whether he is worthy of such a divine gift. The fulfilment of the promise is what we see in the gospel. On the mountain where Jesus was transfigured in presence of his apostles: Peter, James, and John, with Moses and Elijah in attendance, they heard the voice of God. “And a cloud came, covering them in a shadow; and there came a voice from the cloud, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.’ Then suddenly, when they looked round, they saw no one with them any more but only Jesus.” On this mountain of transfiguration, God sacrificed his only Son by consecrating him to our salvation. 


God made his Eternal Word visible in human flesh, to make it easy for us to follow his divine will. Hence, we are more privileged than Abraham who had no such favour from God. What he was promised, we received together with him. St. Paul writes of this unique favour bestowed on us in the second reading. “Since God did not spare his own son, but gave him up to benefit us all, we may be certain, after such a gift, that he will not refuse anything he can give.” Abraham’s faith and trust in God guaranteed the physical manifestation of what God had already given him by his word of promise. God has acquitted us and brought us into his heavenly kingdom. We must never doubt, but believe to make it manifest in our life.

Let us pray: Grant us, Lord, to listen to your Son Jesus Christ, and come to the fullness of our heavenly inheritance.    



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