Thursday, July 2, 2015

Obedience to God's Requests of Me

In today's first reading, Gen 22: 1-19, God asks Abraham to go to Moriah to sacrifice his only son, whom he loves.  Abraham obeys and sets out for Moriah. As they reach their destination, Abraham places the wood upon Isaac's shoulders and they proceed up the hill. Isaac says to his father: "Father, where is the lamb to be sacrificied?" Abraham replies: "God will provide." As Abraham is about to sacrifice his son, God intervenes. "Do not harm the boy." Abraham looks around and in a nearby bush a ram is caught. He sacrifices the ram. God says to him: "I now know your faithfulness and commitment to Me." Isaac, of course, symbolizes Jesus, who will be the unblemished Lamb sacrificed for our sins, the sins of the world, as Jesus will carry His cross up the hill to Calvary. The cross is the altar upon which Jesus gives His life, pours out His blood, for our freedom from the slavery, not of Egypt, but of sin! How obedient am I to what God asks of me? Jesus was obedient to the point of death. What about me? To what is God asking me to die in order to be free in His grace?

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