A Great Nation
God’s timing is perfect. As the fighting between Israel and Iran continues, today’s first reading is the story of when God first promised to Abram, who would become known as Abraham, “I will make of you a great nation.”
What does it mean to be a great nation?
Is it wealth? Is it how much land the nation has? Is it prestige? Is it how much military power it has? Is it how much it is feared by other nations?
I would say a “great nation” in God’s eyes is not great because of any of these things. Rather, a nation is great because it seeks to do God’s Will. Here I think of Deuteronomy 4:5-6, “See, I am teaching you the statutes and ordinances as the Lord, my God, has commanded me, that you may observe them in the land you are entering to possess. Observe them carefully, for this is your wisdom and discernment in the sight of the peoples, who will hear of all these statutes and say, “This great nation is truly a wise and discerning people.””
Returning to today’s first reading, we also read, “The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” Here lies Israel’s claim to the land it holds as a nation. The people of the nation of Israel today are the descendants of Abraham. Thus, they have a God given claim to the land.
Hum…before we go too far with that, we should note that the Muslims also identify as descendants of Abraham. The Israelites are descendants of Abraham through his son Isaac. The Muslims identify as descendants of Abraham through his first-born son Ishmael (with Hagar, see Genesis 16). Jews maintain, based on Genesis 17:20-21, that God’s promise is fulfilled through them. I will only say that I leave that to God. We are all children of God. Incidentally, Christians can make the same claim to the land as Christians are descendants of Abraham through Isaac and the Israelites of the Old Testament.
I offer this only as food for thought. I choose to stay out of the politics and history of the conflict between Israel and Iran (see my article from last week, “What is Needed to Make Things Better”).
We are called to bring forth the truth (see Ezekiel 3:17-21). Yet, today’s gospel calls us to not judge. It also calls us to look at our own sins first. We should not rush to make any judgment on the conflicts in the Middle East without first looking at our own sins.
We are a divided nation. I am 55 years old. Now, there has always been elements of division in our nation but in my lifetime the division and polarization have grown to the point where one might wonder if there is any hope for real dialogue. Do we even know what real dialogue would look like (see my article “Seeking Real Dialogue” and Fratelli Tutti)?
Now, there is not even agreement as to whether or not there is universal truth. The devil has introduced into our society the notion that there is no universal truth such that everyone decides for themselves what their “truth” is. The work of the devil is at the center of the lack of dialogue. The devil loves division.
Is there hope? Of course there is for, in this jubilee year of hope and always, nothing is impossible for God.
There is truth. We need the truth. As Jesus says, “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). (I hope before the end of summer to have some extensive ready for you on truth.)
We all must examine what God is calling us to. In light of 1 Samuel 17, the first reading today from the Office of Readings today, we might ask ourselves if we are David or Goliath.
How is God calling us to act in the battle against evil? I leave with these words of Jesus, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9).
Peace,
Fr. Jeff