Abraham - father of all believers
God called Abraham to cooperate in the salvation of people. Made him promises, which apply to everyone. Abraham obeyed God's call. He went to the country, which God showed him, although it was a completely foreign country. When God promised, to make him the father of many nations, Abraham believed, even though he was an old man and he hadn't expected, that he will have a son. Scripture tells about his strong faith. in the story of the sacrifice of the only son of Isaac.
Abraham believes, trusts and obeys God
,,…God tested Abraham. He said to him : «Abrahamie ! »And when he answered : "Here I am," he said : «Take your only son, you love, Isaac, go to the land of Moriah and sacrifice him there on one of the hills, which I will show you ». The next morning, Abraham saddled his donkey, He took two of his men and his son Isaac with him, he cut trees to burn the victim and set off on his way to the village, which God told him about. On the third day, Abraham, having looked, he saw the place from afar. And then he said to his servants : «Stay here with the donkey, the boy and I will go there, to worship God, and then we will come back to you ». Abraham took the logs to burn the sacrifice and laid them on his son Isaac, he picked up fire and a knife, then they both departed.
Isaac spoke to his father Abraham : «My Father ! »And when this one said : " Here I am, my son »he asked« Behold fire and wood, where is the lamb for the burnt offering? ? »Abraham replied : “God will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son ». And they both walked on. And when they came to this place, which God has indicated, Abraham built an altar there, he laid wood on it, and bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the wood, on the altar. Then Abraham reached for the knife with his hand, to kill his son. But then an angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and spoke : «Abrahamie, Abrahamie ! ».
And he said : " Here I am ". He told him : «Don't put your hand on the boy and do nothing bad to him ! Now I have met, that you fear God, because you did not even refuse me your only son ».
Abraham looked beyond himself, he saw a ram tangled in the brush with its horns. So he went, he took a ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son " (Gen. 22, 1-13).
Abraham then received confirmation of the promise he had received from God in the past. "Because you did it, because you did not spare your only son, I will bless you and give you descendants as many as the stars in the sky and as the grains of sand on the seashore…
All the peoples of the earth will wish for happiness, like your offspring, because you obeyed my command " (Gen. 22, 16b-18).
God is calling us, that we may believe Him, they trusted and obeyed
You have read a Bible story and you may ask, did God really command Abraham to kill his own son ?
Some nations, adjacent to the nation of Israel, they had a habit of making human sacrifices. God did not like such sacrifices. God did not want to, that people would be killed. Therefore, in the story, you have read, there is an explicit prohibition on human sacrifice. The story of Isaac's sacrifice comes from a very old tradition. The inspired author recounts this story, To show, that Abraham believed and trusted God unreservedly and obeyed Him in all things. And what does God want to tell us today through this biblical story ?
Through the biblical narrative of Isaac's sacrifice, God wants to teach us about Abraham's strong faith and calls us to the same faith. Idea, Abraham's only son was, after all, all the hope of the old father. He was to be the beginning of a new nation announced by God, and his death would destroy all hope. Nevertheless, Abraham believes and trusts in God and submits to His will. At this point, God repeats His promise to save all nations.
Who wants to be saved, he should believe, trust and obey God. That's what Abraham was like. Therefore, St.. Paul calls Abraham the father of all believers. "Faith was counted as righteous to Abraham.". And so he became the father of all these, who are not circumcised, believe " (Rz 4,9.11). So as you read and listen to the story of Abraham's sacrifice, God turns to you and calls you to faith similar to that of Abraham. He does this especially in liturgical assembly through the words of the Holy Scriptures. That is why in the next readings you will learn more and more about God's call contained in the Holy Scriptures.
How will I answer God ?
You know from history, that we Poles were baptized and believed God in a year 966, during the reign of Mieszko I. In year 1966 the first thousand years of Christianity in Poland have passed. We have entered a new millennium of faith, we have vowed "faithfulness to God, to the cross and the Gospel ".
You did not attend the vows, because you were a little child or you weren't born yet. Instead, now you can renew your faith. You can do it with the words of Jasna Góra vows : "Great Mother of God-Man ! Virgin Mother of God, Mary, praised by God !
Queen of the world and Poland, Queen !
As three centuries pass from the joyful day, in which you became the Queen of Poland, oto my, Children of the Polish Nation and Your Children, blood from the blood of our ancestors, we stand before you again, full of the same feelings of love, fidelity and hope, which in the past animated our Fathers…”
■ Think:
1. In what story do the Scriptures portray Abraham's strong faith ?
2. Why Abraham found it hard to believe ?
3. What God is calling us to do in the story of Abraham's faith ?
■ Remember:
6. Why is St.. Paul calls Abraham the father of all believers ?
St.. Paul calls Abraham the father of all believers, because everyone, who believe like Abraham, are being promised salvation.
7. How we should answer God to His call ?
We should believe God, trust and obey Him.