This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.
Abraham’s obedience and trust in God know no equal in any creature, except in the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Abraham was ordered to sacrifice his son Isaac–to slaughter him as an offering. Abraham was so absolute in his trust in God, the Creator and definer of all good, that he did not hesitate to obey. Unlike Adam and Eve, he did not pass God’s command through the filter of what seemed best for him. God’s commands themselves were the only filter; all else was a relative good.
We must not imagine that this was a piece of cake for Abraham, that he did not use his mind. He could not see the other side of this. He had no idea how God could possibly bring good out of such a command. The entire rest of his life appeared dark as he ascended the mountain with Isaac.
But, he trusted.
The resonance of his trust in history is incalculable. The Lord predicts to him in the first reading the distant reality of his descendants–the entire nation of Israel–defeating the Canaanites to enter and take possession of the promised land. His descendants will be countless, and will include Jesus Himself, the Son of God–and by extension, in faith, all those who follow Jesus.
All because he trusted, and obeyed.
The Blessed Virgin Mary and Abraham are so similar in this–Mary too, because of her faith and trust under the Cross of her Son, causes resounding impact down through history. She wins a massive increase in the application through the ages of Christ’s infinitely powerful sacrifice in the hearts of believers and non-believers alike. How many conversions from faithlessness, godlessness, and despair are directly attributable to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary?
And what about your obedience to God? Are you ready to make it absolute, that aspect of your life to which all other goods are relative? If so, the resonance of your life will be powerful like Abraham’s and Mary’s, with profound effect for the good of your loved ones and far, far beyond.
Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Ask Jesus to give you obedience like His, like His mother’s, like Abraham’s. Ask Him to help you to understand how obedience was the secret of the power of His saving act, and is the secret of the power of the Christian. And ask Him to fill you with such trusting love for God, that you will obey His will no matter what the cost.
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