💖 HOMILY - APRIL 10 💖

First Reading - Genesis 17:3-9

Gospel - John 8:51-59

We are all special and unique. Our uniqueness is all the more accentuated when God plays a special role in our lives. The readings of today remind us that God has chosen us as His own and that we need to remain faithful to Him.

In the first reading, God makes a special claim on Abraham and his descendants. This is evident in the change of his name from Abram to Abraham. The change signifies a new mission in Abraham’s life—to be the father of a multitude of nations. God seals a covenant with Abraham: to remain his God and the God of his descendants, to give him a great progeny, and to assure him and his descendants the land of Canaan. This covenant symbolizes God’s special claim on Abraham and his lineage. In return, Abraham and his descendants are asked to remain faithful to God.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus surprises and infuriates the Jews by making four striking Divine claims. First, Jesus claims that anyone who keeps His word will never see death, because His word is the word of God. The Jews respond by pointing out that even Abraham and the prophets, who kept God's word, had died. Second, Jesus claims unique knowledge of God, having come from Him—contrary to the Jewish belief that all knowledge of God had already been revealed through the Torah. Third, Jesus asserts that His obedience to God is perfect, because He speaks and acts exactly as the Father wills—implying a deeper obedience than even the patriarchs and prophets. Fourth, Jesus declares that He is not limited by time and that He existed even before Abraham. He even says that Abraham had seen Him. This final claim provokes the Jews to attempt stoning Him for blasphemy, but Jesus escapes.

Dear friends, the Sacrament of Baptism is a great covenantal gift through which God has claimed us as His sons and daughters. Just as God asked Abraham to be faithful to His covenant, we too are called to be faithful to our baptismal promises. The first reading reminds us that being faithful means placing God above everything else and never replacing Him with idols—be they people, material possessions, or worldly priorities. Lent is an ideal time to re-evaluate our relationship with God. There are times when we replace God with lesser things. This is a form of unfaithfulness. Lent invites us to reorient our hearts and lives.

Jesus teaches us today to keep His word, just as Abraham kept God’s word. Keeping the word of Jesus means believing in it, living by it, and trusting in the eternal life it promises. In doing so, we follow in the footsteps of Abraham and become true children of God.

May we remain faithful to our covenant with God and live our lives according to the teachings of Jesus.