the father of a host of nations

April 11, 2019 6:00 am

“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.” (GN 17: 4-5)

God didn’t tell Abram: you will have many children; God said: “you are to become the father of a host of nations,” “I am making you the father.” We can’t have children; with God’s help, we can become parents. This is a totally different world. When we make a decision object oriented, we say—we have or we want to have: a new car, a new house, a new gadget. Person oriented decisions are about identity—to become a husband/wife, to become parents, to become a doctor or practitioner or coach. God is our Father and we are His children—by names not by numbers, individually, not as a crowd.

“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” (Gospel Acclamation)

Categorised in: Fr Jarosław Szymczak