God called Abraham and commanded that he called his relatives to a new land. He took his wife Sara and insisted that He would give him a descendant. However, Sarah was sterile.
When God visited Abraham, Sarah got pregnant. Abraham had a son, the only one, the son of promise. After a while, the Lord said: now sacrifice your son. Abraham understood that this meant more than to sacrifice his son, he understood that he could not go to God himself, so he would have to give his son the Lord. Abraham came to tie the hands of his son, but the Lord cried out: Abraham! I believe that you love me and denied me nothing. Behold, the promises I will keep. Soon, a new lamb appeared and Abraham untied his son, he got the lamb and sacrificed it to God.
See the story of Abraham, we can imagine what he felt to have to sacrifice his son. When we see the crucifix, we don’t think of the pain of the father seeing his Son on the cross. I don’t know if the pain was greater than the parent or child, because This is suffered in the heart, soul and spirit. You can’t imagine the pain of God for each of us.For him, we too are Worth a heavy price: the blood of Jesus. For this reason, we cannot irresponsibly cast our vocation aside.
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You might even say: “I choose if I go to heaven or to hell!”. No! You have no right! You don’t have it, because Jesus paid a high price for you, he paid with the blood … So, you have no right to continue in sin, to go to hell.
Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And we are called to follow him. Our first vocation, our first call is giving life, spend it for his brother. Many are called, as Abraham and Sarah, to give their life in marriage. If there is a sacrament in which we must give our lives, this is matrimony. That’s why a lot of people want to stop along the way, you want to get a divorce, because you don’t want to sacrifice for each other.
I know it’s very nice for girls to dream with one that God already predestined them, because Abraham had a dream too. But you know, my daughter, that to keep your marriage you need to give yourself to your spouse, your children and even to the other.
You, boy, must also live the same thing, need to give of yourself to your wife, give your life for her. Even the priests and consecrated persons need to take life in their vocation. My way of getting to give of myself is that of being priest for the people.
My children, this is your vocation: spend time and devote yourselves to the priesthood, a religious community or the marriage. If you think your life is going to be a bed of roses, don’t kid yourself. How beautiful it is when we are willing to give of our life.
Which is the way you chose to give of yourself? In your marriage, the priesthood? religious life? Which are the people who depend on you for being saved?
Lord, today, You are looking for people willing to give their lives for their brothers and sisters.
Monsignor Jonas Abib