By: By Msgr. Stuart Swetland

Second Sunday of Lent, March 4

Genesis 22:1-2,9a,10-13,15-18; Psalm 116:10,15,16-17,18-19; Romans 8:31b-34; Mark 9:2-10

The story of the sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham is perhaps the most dramatic and artistic part of the Torah. The Scripture scholar Pauline Viviano has described it well:

“We are drawn into the action of the story from the very start and are held in suspense until the climax. We know, as readers, that what is recounted is a test for Abraham; thus we focus on Abraham’s response and not on the horror of God’s command. We are left to imagine Abraham’s inner thoughts while the narrator tells us only what he does. We follow Abraham each step of the way as he complies with divine command. We feel the silence as father and son walk together, coming closer with each step, to that moment of ultimate decision. We smile at Isaac’s innocent question and sympathize with Abraham in his tender but evasive answer. We watch mesmerized as each detail of that final moment unfolds, from the building of the altar to Abraham’s poised knife, ready to claim his son’s life. We wait expectantly until the angel intervenes, and finally we rejoice at the turn of events. Abraham has withstood the test, and Isaac still lives.”

While we do not hear the entire story in today’s Old Testament passage, this test of Abraham is none the less dramatic. Will he be willing to sacrifice the only visible sign (from a human perspective, the only hope) of the fulfillment of God’s promise to him that he would be the father of a great nation? Will he be willing to let go of all he has to receive, all he ever wanted? Will he trust in God believing that His promises to him will be fulfilled?

This test of faith results in Abraham’s total “yes” to God. He demonstrates his willingness to follow God and His will wherever they take him. Abraham is willing to risk all because he has come to know God intimately and personally and thus knows, as St. Paul will write centuries later, “If God is for us, who can be against?” (Romans 8:31).

REAL TEST OF FAITH
It is natural for us to want to ask many questions about this passage: Did God really ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac? Is this incident mainly to teach the Israelites not to practice child sacrifice like their neighbors? Is this story mainly an allegorical preparation for the reality of Calvary?
However, to do so risks missing the main thrust of this test of faith. Are we willing to give up anything and everything to follow God wherever He leads?

This is a vitally important spiritual point. The very first commandment requires this willingness. If we are to “love the Lord Our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind and with all our strength” (Mark 12:30), then we must place Him above everything and everyone else. To paraphrase, St. Augustine: Either He is the Lord of all of our life or He is not our Lord at all.

During Lent we are called to examine our lives to remove any obstacles that keep us from loving God completely and fulfilling His will in every aspect of our lives. Are there areas of our lives, individually or communally, where we just will not let God control? Are we holding back something from Him? A good examination of conscience might begin by seeing if one holds ideas or habits that are not in keeping with the church’s teaching, especially her moral and social teaching.

Each and every day, the Lord is calling us to a deeper relationship with Him. Like Abraham, our response should be, “Here I am Lord, I come to do Your will.” The attitude will allow the Lord to be in fact the Lord of all our life. Either He is the Lord of all, or He is not really our Lord at all.

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MSGR. STUART Swetland, a priest of the Diocese of Peoria, is the Most Rev. Harry J. Flynn Professor of Christian Ethics at Mount St. Mary University in Emmitsburg, Md., and director of the Center for the Advancement of Catholic Higher Education.