March 1, 2015 Sunday: Lenten Pilgrimage, 2nd Sunday of Lent B
A Lenten Pilgrimage
Sunday, 2nd Week of Lent
March 1, 2015
An excerpt from ‘Looking into the Heart of the Father’ by Fr. Blasé J Cupich
Someone once said that the Bible is simply the story of God’s patient and continual attempt to convince us of his love for us. I would add that it is a story aimed at our hearts and not just our minds. Everything God reveals about himself aims at bringing us to understand and to accept the unbelievable and astonishing truth that while his heart is full of grief at losing his only Son, it is even more full of love for us. In fact, because this plan of God is so beyond our understanding, beyond belief, God said it over and over again in varied ways throughout the centuries, preparing us to accept the scandal of his Son’s death on the cross.
That is how we should read the story of Abraham, who in the first reading today is preparing to sacrifice his only son Isaac because God is testing his faith. At first glance this seems to be a cruel test or a mad hoax by an equally cruel and mad God. After all, God promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations. Only in their old age did God finally make good on that promise of a son to Abraham and Sarah. Now God wants Abraham to slay this only son on an altar of sacrifice.
But we need to read this story, this text, as but the first episode of the story of God’s repeated attempt to reveal his love for us. Here God begins to reveal how much he loves us, and the plan he has for us to share his life. It is a plan that will only be revealed fully on the cross. There, on Calvary, the full irony of Abraham’s test is revealed. The irony is that God is the one who is willing to offer up his Son. Abraham gives us the first glimpse of this divine plan. That is why he is called the father of faith, for faith is about seeing into the heart of God. God uses Abraham to give a human face to what is otherwise unbelievable, namely that he plans to suffer the grief of losing his Son to gain us.
Sunday, 2nd Week of Lent
March 1, 2015
An excerpt from ‘Looking into the Heart of the Father’ by Fr. Blasé J Cupich
Someone once said that the Bible is simply the story of God’s patient and continual attempt to convince us of his love for us. I would add that it is a story aimed at our hearts and not just our minds. Everything God reveals about himself aims at bringing us to understand and to accept the unbelievable and astonishing truth that while his heart is full of grief at losing his only Son, it is even more full of love for us. In fact, because this plan of God is so beyond our understanding, beyond belief, God said it over and over again in varied ways throughout the centuries, preparing us to accept the scandal of his Son’s death on the cross.
That is how we should read the story of Abraham, who in the first reading today is preparing to sacrifice his only son Isaac because God is testing his faith. At first glance this seems to be a cruel test or a mad hoax by an equally cruel and mad God. After all, God promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations. Only in their old age did God finally make good on that promise of a son to Abraham and Sarah. Now God wants Abraham to slay this only son on an altar of sacrifice.
But we need to read this story, this text, as but the first episode of the story of God’s repeated attempt to reveal his love for us. Here God begins to reveal how much he loves us, and the plan he has for us to share his life. It is a plan that will only be revealed fully on the cross. There, on Calvary, the full irony of Abraham’s test is revealed. The irony is that God is the one who is willing to offer up his Son. Abraham gives us the first glimpse of this divine plan. That is why he is called the father of faith, for faith is about seeing into the heart of God. God uses Abraham to give a human face to what is otherwise unbelievable, namely that he plans to suffer the grief of losing his Son to gain us.
