Friday, April 8, 2005 Lenten Fast
Celestine, Bishop of Rome
6th Hour: Isaiah 29:13-23 1st Vespers: Genesis 12:1-7 2nd Vespers: Proverbs 14:15-26
Genesis 12:1-7 LXX, especially vss. 1, 2: "And the Lord said to Abram,
Go forth out of thy land and out of thy kindred, and out of the house of thy father, and come into the land which I shall
shew thee. And I will make thee a great nation." With today's reading from Genesis, we begin a series of five weekday
lessons concerning the Patriarch Abraham, the classic example of faith. In these readings we shall observe the faith of
Abraham, a faith that obeys God without knowing the outcome, a faith that is open to whatever God wills, a faith that
discovers God's faithfulness, a faith willing to make personal change, and a faith that trusts God without reservation.
Let us ever honor this man who obeyed God with the barest grasp of what was implied in the call he received. Abram was
simply obedient. He left the well-known life for the vaguely defined outcome, for a result stated in generalities. Be
mindful: open-ended obedience to God's call is the nature of real faith. First, one obeys, and then, only later, does one
grasp what God had intended all along. Faith is stepping into the unknown in order to learn and experience directly the
mind of God. True faith, of the sort that Abram reveals, continues to believe in God through the years, even when faced
with contradictions. It trusts Him for the promised outcome. Without doubt, God makes impressive promises to all those
whom He calls to serve Him. In Abram's case, the Lord said, "I will make thee a great nation, and I will bless thee and
magnify thy name, and thou shalt be blessed. And I will bless those that bless thee, and curse those that curse thee, and in
thee shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed" (vss. 2,3). These promises are magnificent in their words and in their scope,
but notice, the content of the words is not at all specific, tangible, or fully defined. Faith is acting with open-ended trust in
God.
God's call confronts each Orthodox Christian in a similar manner. His call is grandly stated to each of the Faithful in the
magnificent promises of the Baptismal Mystery. God assures each one who presents himself for Holy Baptism that he shall
"find life," be inscribed in God's "Book of Life," be united to the "flock of [God's] inheritance," be regarded by God "with
mercy," be heard in "his supplication," and enabled "to rejoice in the works of his hands and in all his generation." Note,
however, that these words and phrases are neither precise nor specific. A Christian obeys in faith and only later discovers
the specifics of God's promises.
The life in Christ is a series of choices and actions undertaken after the manner of Abram, as a "journey" away from what is
measurable and familiar toward new "life." One learns this life through sustained obedience through the years. God
establishes His priorities, and these detach the Faithful from elevating family, property, friends, career, or pleasure into
absolutes for living.
The Baptismal Liturgy outlines both what to expect as outcomes as well as the route to our "inheritance." We anticipate
increasing illumination by the Holy Spirit. We expect to defeat "every snare of enemies...visible and invisible;" but we
know that we have to prove ourselves as children of the Light, to "partake of the death and resurrection" of Christ through
choices, to accept God's direction at every turn along the way, always obeying His commandments.
From the call of God to the fulfillment of His promises, Abram's experience teaches one to expect contradictions. Arriving
in the Promised Land, "Abram traversed the land" (vs. 6), but only to discover that it was occupied. The "life" we are
promised in Baptism is only partially realized in this present existence. "This life" is inhabited with cares and riches ready
to snare us and to choke out God's "life." Expect contradictions but keep trusting God - this is true life!
May we live the remainder of our life undefiled before Thy face, and worthily hymn Thee.
