From the Friars: Our Father in Faith

If a man came to me and said that God had told him to take his only son and kill him with a knife and then burn him as a sacrifice to God, I would first doubt the man’s sanity and then try to convince him that that was not the voice of God that told him to do this. Yet this was an actual test of the faith of Abraham, about which we hear today in the second reading. At times we find quite shocking things in the Bible and we don’t think twice about them because they are familiar stories and we assume somehow they must have an explanation. Or more dangerously, we fall into the trap of thinking that the Scripture must contain errors, as so many believe.

But the clear and infallible teaching of the Church is that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, and that the Holy Spirit is the primary Author of the Sacred Text. And The Holy Spirit does not make mistakes. But there are many things in the Bible that are difficult to understand and the test of Abraham is one of the toughest. Much could be said about this incident, but let us consider three points that should strengthen our faith instead of weakening it.

First, we are creatures and our lives belong to our Creator. It is for Him to give and to take life. (1 Sam 2:6) When He tells us, “Thou Shall not kill” He reminds us that, of ourselves, we have no right to take another’s life, not even our own. Also, God allows physical death, a temporary evil, in order to prevent the much greater and permanent evil of spiritual death.

Second, the historical context is always very important in interpreting the Bible. Abraham lived in an ancient and primitive society. God was just beginning to reveal Himself and so it was necessary to give Abraham special graces to be able to discern when the Divine Voice was truly speaking. In our time we are blessed to have the Bible and the Teaching Authority of the Church. Therefore, there is no necessity for such extraordinary revelations.

Finally, the whole event is a prefigurement of the death of Jesus as a sacrifice for our sins. The amazing trust of Abraham that God was able to raise Isaac from the dead is a prophetic symbol of the heroic faith of Our Blessed Mother at the foot of the Cross. She never doubted that her Son would rise again, because He had said so. This is why Abraham is our Father in faith and Mary our Mother in faith.

God bless you.

— Fr. Peter