By Beth DeCristofaro
When Abram prostrated himself, God spoke to him: “My
covenant with you is this: you are to become the father of a host of nations. No longer shall you be
called Abram; your name shall be Abraham, for I am making you the father of a
host of nations. … God also said to Abraham: “On your part, you and your
descendants after you must keep my covenant throughout the ages.” (Genesis 17:3-5,
9)
Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is worth
nothing; but it is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our
God.’ You do not know him, but I know him. … Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I
say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.”
(John 8:54-55, 58)
Piety
Study
Happy St. Patrick’s
Day! During Lent we have the opportunity
again to consider what it means to be Christian. Patrick, kidnapped and enslaved, found God and
the audacity to proclaim Him in spite of want, fear and the wiping away of his
identity. Yesterday we heard the story
of three Israelites thrown into a white-hot furnace because they refused to
worship an idol. And Abraham conversed
with God! Today’s Gospel shows us Jesus
upbraiding the leaders for their hardness of hearts, their refusal to let the
glory of God shine through their lives instead of basing their faith on public,
shallow piety.
These are hard acts
to follow but there have been many examples of Christians who shine God’s glory
in small but miraculous ways in my life.
I think first of my mom who celebrates her birthday today! She served as
an RN, volunteers to this day but through it all she stayed in the background,
quietly dispensing kindness and faithfulness.
I think of my loving husband who gave the ball cap off of his head to a
cold homeless man. Friends that surrounded
and did not let a family faced with tragedy face it alone inspired me as did a
divorced woman with whom I worked who provided round the clock care for her
dying ex-husband. A stranger harbored me
with a safe place to sleep when I was briefly without shelter. God’s glory round about.
Action
The glory of God
humbles us yet uplifts us through Christ’s grace as we keep covenant. Far from easy, the Beatitudes offer us an
identity rooted in Christ’s love. Which Beatitude do you find most
challenging? The works of mercy offer us
ways to practice walking beside Christ and letting God’s glory shine to
everyone.
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