Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent
The thing about promises is that they are easy to
make and hard to keep.
“I promise to call home twice a week,” “I promise to
write this paper two weeks before it is due.” “I promise to spend more time
with a friend I have not seen in a while.” We make these promises both to
others and to ourselves. Yet, often, we find these promises a burden to keep
and they slip to the wayside.
In today’s first reading, God promises Abram a
collection of earthly substances-a changed name to Abraham, fertility, the land
of Canaan, and countless descendants. In turn, God asks that Abraham make a
promise to follow God, worshiping him and keeping faith and trust in God’s
love.
Jesus expands on this promise, offering much more
than earthly pleasures. In the Gospel today, Jesus exclaims, “Whoever keeps my
word will never taste death.” More than land and fertility, Jesus is offering
us a promise of eternal life- a salvation with Him. We trust that Jesus will
keep this promise. Have we any doubts, just look to the cross. Jesus kept his
promise until the horrific end.
When we begin Lent, we make promises both to God and
to ourselves. We promise to fast, pray, and almsgive. We promise a sacrifice,
whether that be candy or social media or swearing. We may also promise a
commitment, such as eating healthy, exercising daily, doing homework ahead of
schedule.
With Easter approaching in a little over a week, we
may have forgotten some of these initial promises we made. However, it is not too
late to renew them. We know that soon Jesus will sacrifice His life in order to
fulfill His promise to us. Let us continue to reflect on the sacrifices we make
to keep our own promises and pray that God will give us the strength to make
and keep our promises.
Moira McDermott is a Junior studying Secondary Education and English.
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