The readings of the day :
1st Reading Genesis 12:1-4a,
Responsorial Psalm Ps 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22
2nd Reading 2Tim 1:8b-10
The theme of this Sunday could be God’s call and man’s response.
In the first reading, the author of Genesis narrates the call of our father in faith, Abraham. He tells us how God asked Abraham to quit his father’s land and his people to an undisclosed location. “Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you”.
Abraham being a man of faith did not doubt God. He obeyed the command and followed God.
His response merited him all the blessings attached to the call.
“I will make of you a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
so that you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you
and curse those who curse you.
All the communities of the earth
shall find blessing in you.”
And being the sons of Abraham his blessing could be ours if we share in his call. If we could leave our own comfort zone to a land which the Lord is to show us. If could accept to be a pilgrim people in search of the sick, the poor, the most abandoned, the neglected etc. These people could be the seen as “the land which I am going to show you”.
Though it might not be easy answering this call, God would want us to see it as our share in the redemptive plan of God. Thus he says in the second reading: “Bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God”.
And if we are ready to follow him, we should be ready to make a promise like Peter in the Gospel: “Lord, it is good that we are here.
If you wish, I will make three tents here,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
You must not make three tents like Peter would have wanted it. But it could just be enough making one. And that could be made possible by visiting a sick person this week, helping the poor or feeding the hungry. All these are our calls as Christians and as long as we are not doing them, we are not yet ready to share in Abraham’s blessings
”The truth might be hard to say, painful to bear or even drastic for the truth sayer but still needed to be said”. ALISON.
