Thursday of the Fifth Week

Reflection
Today’s readings are about promise, unconditional and timeless, and reveal that Jesus Christ is not only the fulfillment of the promise but that He is the promise itself in His own being.  This latter is John’s central thesis, beginning with John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

 

Jesus is not only the Word, but moreover the Word of God, that is the realization of the promise of God, in the sense that we say “I will keep my word.”  Here in the Old Testament reading, we see the promise made, and then, in the New Testament reading, we see Jesus, who is God, confirming that he is (“I AM”) the timeless promise.

 

God’s promise is unconditional, simply, “I will maintain my covenant with you and your descendants after you throughout the ages as an everlasting pact, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.”    However, a promise is only half of a covenant, which is a promise given by both parties.  Our part is to keep “[God’s] covenant throughout the ages.”

 

Jesus then brings this promise to fruition, namely the reward we reap though keeping God’s covenant, keeping His word, as He tells us “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.”  Furthermore, as the covenant of God, and like the covenant of God, Jesus is timeless: “Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.”

 

Thus, we have that Jesus Christ is the timeless promise of God, given to us for all ages. 

 

 

Prayer
Lord, make us Your people, and teach us to keep our covenant with You.

 

Joanna Ellis-Monaghan, Professor of Mathematics

 

Scripture

First Reading: Genesis 17:3-9

Psalm 105:4-9

Gospel: John 8:51-59

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website