The Binding Love That Never Lets Go

About this sermon

The readings for this homily: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032626.cfm "You will be my people, and I will be your God." This powerful declaration echoes down through the ages, defining the particular source of God's renewed and redeemed relationship with humanity. It is a covenant of fidelity and everlasting love that the Lord enters into with each of us personally through the grace to have supernatural faith and through the Sacraments. Today, we reflect on this binding promise, starting with the saints honored in our liturgical calendar: Saint Margaret Clitherow, Saint Mathias and companions, and the martyrs of Alexandria. Though unknown to many, they were known perfectly to God, clinging to this covenant until their last breath. Covenant language is found in the story of Abraham, our father in faith. In the first reading, God changes Abram's name to Abraham, meaning “father of a multitude,” signaling a new identity and mission. This covenant was sealed through the terrifying test known as the akedah, the binding of Isaac. Abraham, willing to sacrifice his beloved son, demonstrated a faith that trusted God even when the fulfillment of the promise seemed impossible. He believed that God could raise the dead, a foreshadowing of the resurrection. This ancient binding finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ. In the Gospel of John, Jesus reveals His divine identity to the Jews, declaring, “Before Abraham came to be, I AM." He claims the divine name, asserting His unity with the Father. The Jews understood this claim as blasphemy and sought to stone Him, yet the Lord was simply telling the truth. Through the Incarnation, Jesus reveals the true nature of the covenant. Just as Abraham bound his son Isaac to the wood of the altar, so too did God the Father permit His only begotten Son to be nailed to the wood of the Cross. This time, the weapon was not withheld. The sacrifice was completed. God poured out the blood of His Son so that we might have eternal life. This is the final covenant, the New and Eternal Covenant established in Christ. It is not limited to a single nation but extends to every tribe, tongue, and nation. The Catholic Church is the kingdom of Heaven established through this covenantal love, where God binds Himself to us in the Eucharist. Every Mass is a renewal of this bond, where we consume the Body of Christ and become one with Him. The question remains: Do we remember this covenant? Do we recall the vows made at our baptism and confirmation? Sin is essentially forgetting this covenant and acting as though it does not exist, turning to idols instead of to the living God. When we stray, we are called to return to fidelity through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, renewing our love and recommitting to the binding promise. Like the many obscure saints who, though in Heaven, are not canonized or commemorated save on All Saints Day each year, we may not be famous, but if we remain faithful, we are known to God.

Topics

• Love & Compassion