Abraham - the Model of Justification by Faith

Homily for Saturday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

Abraham is consistently upheld as the example of a person who is justified by faith rather than by obedience to the Law of the Sinai covenant. While the Pharisees believed that they would be justified by their strict observance of all the commandments, Abraham could not be obedient to them simply because they didn’t exist at the time of Abraham. Moses was the mediator of the covenant; Abraham was an ancestor of Moses. However, this is not the only fault in their logic.

As is the case with some human beings, the Pharisees had fallen into the trap of believing that everything, including their own righteousness, depended upon them. Because they were obedient to the law, they thought that they had earned justification. They failed to see that good works and pious practices and obedience are not the path to heaven. As Jesus stated after many of his wondrous healings and cures, it was the faith of the one who approached Jesus for healing that was effective. How many times have we heard Jesus say, “Your faith has saved you”? When the rich, young man approached Jesus and asked, “What must I do enter the Kingdom of heaven?” he didn’t ask the right question. Entering the kingdom of heaven is not something we can accomplish on our own. Righteousness, which is defined as a right relationship with God, is a gift – unmerited, superfluous, bountiful. This becomes even more clear when we realize that we are saved by the grace of God.

The Gospel text that we proclaim today reminds us that Jesus will acknowledge us before his Father if we but acknowledge him. Placing our faith in Jesus, believing that he is living within and among us, is the way to acknowledge him. Devoutly receiving him in holy Communion, believing that he is really present in the Eucharist, is the key to eternal life.