Friar’s Corner: God’s promises fulfilled in us
Genesis 12:1-4a; Psalm 33:4-5, 18-20 and 22; 2 Timothy 1:8-10; Matthew 17:1-9
Our Jewish Christian faith goes back about 4000 years. During that time the Holy Spirit shows us how God created everything. He had a plan for the entire universe and continues to guide and provide for us if we follow him.
The readings this Sunday show us some of God’s promises given to another key figure in his plan and how he fulfills them. The first eleven chapters of Genesis are the earliest of our faith history. All was good in the beginning until Adam and Eve did the one thing God commanded them not to do. They ate from the tree at the center of the garden and evil continued to spread.
Abram heard God’s call
From chapter 12 better things happened. God call Abram (later Abraham). He and his family lived in an ancient civilization known as Sumer, near modern-day Kuwait. Later they migrated to the northern part of Syria near Turkey. This is where a nine-year war continues with thousands having been killed. Abram heard God call him to leave his family and that prosperous area and move to a rather primitive and undeveloped area of Canaan – modern-day Israel/Palestine. Sarah, Abram’s wife, was baron yet God promised that they would become famous with countless offspring. In faith, they did what God asked of them. And so it happened. We are some of their descendants.
Our God makes and keeps his promises. He gave Abraham and Sarah numerous descendants, a new land and worldwide blessings. All Abraham had to do was trust that God would be faithful. God did test Abraham’s faith several times.
With all the mess and unfaithfulness of humanity, God has not abandoned us. He finally sent his own Son to earth, born of a humble maiden, Mary, and the power of God’s Holy Spirit. God’s Son took on a complete human nature except sin. Jesus undid the sin of Adam and Eve and started a new Kingdom of blessings through his death and Resurrection.
Channels of divine power
Baptism brings other humans into this Kingdom and offers us many divine powers through the sacraments Jesus established, and our deeper prayer life. These divine powers help us bring his good news to others, wanting to save the human race from the evils of the fallen angels and their servants on earth.
The sacraments of the church Jesus directly founded are channels or gifts of divine power to help us live out a Godly life. Not all Christian denominations belong to Christ’s church or accept all of these sacramental powers primarily the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist at Mass.
St. Matthew’s gospel today relates the story that Jesus took his three closest personal friends up a high mountain and he showed them his true radiant glory. Jesus had to give them this revelation of his final outcome so they would not lose faith but hope in him as he was about to go through his suffering and death on the cross. They had to know he would come back from the dead, although they didn’t know exactly how that would happen.
Empowered with divine power
What can this say to all of us? Most of you reading this have received many of the sacraments. These have empowered you with divine power to be about God’s work on earth that Jesus wants you to do even though we are not all perfect.
The Mass has the greatest amount of divine power. We hear about our past history, then the Holy Spirit, through the priest’s ordination, change simple bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus as our “daily bread,” as we pray the Our Father Jesus taught. We are still doing what Jesus did at the Last Supper.
Reconciliation can be viewed in today’s culture as Jesus’ Laundromat, cleanses us of our sins. Confirmation gives us new God-power to go out into our crazy world to bring God goodness and love to others
Marriage is God’s power bringing two different people together to become one though different personalities, temperaments and family backgrounds. They can grow to become best friends, become closer and help create and care for new lives. Using this divine power, we can show and tell others who their Savior is and how to plug into his saving power.
Trust God
We only have vague ideas of the natural and divine gifts that God has given and offers us. The Liturgy this weekend encourages us to trust that God loves us and has a great plan for us to accomplish on earth. As we cooperate with God’s plan and his divine power, great things can happen. We live in hope, a gift from baptism, that our promised reward will be an eternal life of glory with God and his angels and saints in heaven forever. “Do not be afraid,” scripture tells us over and over. Remember the song last week, and allow God to take you deeper into his divine life.
Be of good cheer and have a great week,
+ Father Bob Hilz
fbhilz@gmail.com
(© 2020 Father Bob Hilz, TOR)
