18 March 2027 · Latin Rite
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“Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.”” John 8:58
Abram is ninety-nine years old and childless when God appears to him again. He falls on his face, and God speaks: “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham.” A new name means a new mission. God binds himself with an everlasting covenant, “to be God to you and to your offspring after you,” and asks Abraham to keep it, he and his descendants. The whole history of Israel hangs on this promise, and so does ours: St Paul will say that all who belong to Christ are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise (Galatians 3:29). The Psalm answers with wonder that God never forgets: “He is mindful of his covenant forever, of the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations.” In the last days of Lent, as the elect prepare for Baptism, the Church reminds us that God's covenant is older and stronger than our failures.
In the Gospel the argument about Abraham reaches its peak. Jesus says: “whoever keeps my word will never see death.” His hearers object that Abraham died, and the prophets died: “Who do you claim to be?” Jesus answers that Abraham “rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad.” They reply, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Then comes the most daring sentence in the Gospel: “Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.” He does not say I was, but I AM, the name of God revealed to Moses. Some take up stones, judging it blasphemy, and Jesus slips away from the Temple. When John writes “the Jews” in such scenes, he usually means the leaders and opponents in Jerusalem, not the whole Jewish people, of whom Jesus, Mary and the apostles were members; the Church firmly rejects any use of these texts to blame the Jewish people (Nostra Aetate 4). Today we remember St Cyril of Jerusalem (about 313 to 386), bishop of the city where these words were spoken. Around the year 350 he gave his famous Catechetical Lectures to those preparing for Easter Baptism, near the place of the Cross and the empty tomb, and after Easter he explained to the newly baptized the mysteries they had received. Exiled three times in the struggles against the Arian heresy, he held fast to the faith that Jesus is truly God, the I AM before Abraham.
Theme: “Before Abraham was, I am.”
The covenant with Abraham, the joy of seeing Christ's day, and the eternal Son; St Cyril of Jerusalem.
“No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations.” Genesis 17:5
“And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:29
Apply: Renew your baptismal promises in your own words tonight before you sleep.
“I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.” Genesis 17:7
“Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham,” Luke 1:72–73
Apply: Pray the Benedictus (Luke 1:68–79) in the morning this week, thanking God who keeps his covenant.
“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” Psalm 90:2
“Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.”” John 8:58
Apply: Make a slow genuflection before the tabernacle each time you enter church this week, adoring the I AM.
God's covenant with Abraham is everlasting, and in Christ we are its heirs.
Jesus is the eternal Son, the I AM, whom St Cyril taught and defended.
Take-home resolution: Find the date of your Baptism and keep it this year as a day of thanksgiving.
Dear friends, Abram is ninety-nine years old and has no son, and God says: you shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham (Genesis 17:4–5). A new name means a new mission. God makes an everlasting covenant, and he never forgets it.
In the Gospel Jesus says: your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad (John 8:56). All the promises to Abraham were looking forward to Jesus. In him the blessing reaches all nations, and we too become Abraham's children by faith and Baptism.
Then Jesus says: very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am (John 8:58). Not I was, but I AM, the holy name of God. This is why some picked up stones. Jesus is not only a great teacher. He is the eternal Son of God, who was before Abraham and before the world.
St Cyril of Jerusalem, whom we remember today, taught this faith to those preparing for Baptism near the very place of the Cross and the empty tomb, and suffered exile to defend it. Let us renew our own baptismal faith as Easter approaches, and adore Jesus, true God and true man. Amen.
Children, God gave Abram a new name, Abraham, and promised him a family as big as the stars. Jesus said something amazing: before Abraham was born, I AM. Jesus was always there, because he is God! Ask your parents today the date of your Baptism, the day you joined God's family.
God of Abraham, you never forget your covenant. Thank you for making us, in Christ, heirs of your promise. Lord Jesus, before Abraham was, you are; we adore you as true God and true man. Through the prayers of St Cyril of Jerusalem, who taught the faith to the newly baptized, keep us faithful to our Baptism and lead the elect safely to Easter. Amen.
Abraham stands at the center of both readings. In Genesis, God gives him a new name and an everlasting covenant. In John, Jesus claims that Abraham rejoiced to see his day, and then says the words that bring stones into people’s hands: “before Abraham was, I am.” The covenant with Abraham leads to the one Abraham longed to see. The key words are covenant, name and I am.
Setting.
Abram is ninety-nine years old (17:1), and he and Sarai have no son together. God has made him promises (Genesis 12; 15), and he now confirms them with a covenant and a new name, under the title “God Almighty”. The chapter goes on to give circumcision as the sign of the covenant and to promise Isaac (17:10–21).
Structure.
Key words.
Verse by verse.
“As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations.” (17:4)
God speaks first, and he speaks of what he will do. The obligation (v. 9) comes after the gift.
“No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham;” (17:5)
In the Bible a new name means a new calling (compare Genesis 32:28; Matthew 16:18). Abraham is named for what he cannot yet see.
“to be God to you and to your offspring after you.” (17:7)
This is the heart of every covenant in Scripture: “I will be your God”. Everything else, even the land, serves this.
How the Church reads it.
The Catechism teaches that God called Abraham to gather together scattered humanity, and made his descendants the trustees of the promise (CCC 59–60). The Jewish people remain the first to hear the word of God, to whom the covenant belongs, “for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29; CCC 839; Nostra Aetate 4). In the Roman Canon the Church calls Abraham “our father in faith”.
Setting.
This is the close of the long dispute in the Temple at the festival of Booths. The argument has been about Abraham, and it now reaches its peak. As before, “the Jews” in this Gospel refers to those of his hearers who are in dispute with him, not to a whole people. To them, Jesus’ words sounded like blasphemy, and they respond as they believe the law requires (Leviticus 24:16).
Structure.
Key words.
Verse by verse.
“Very truly, I tell you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.” (8:51)
They think he means the end of bodily life, and so they point to Abraham’s grave. He means the life that death cannot end (compare 11:25–26).
“Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad.” (8:56)
Jesus does not set Abraham aside. He calls him their ancestor and makes him a witness to his coming.
“Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.” (8:58)
Here the “I am” of this chapter is plain. St Augustine says that Jesus does not say “I was” because the words belong to the Godhead, for whom there is no past or future (in substance). The Catechism lists this saying among those that only his divine identity can justify (CCC 590).
“So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.” (8:59)
His hour has not yet come (compare 8:20). He goes out of the Temple. When the hour does come, he will lay down his life of his own accord (10:18).
How the Church reads it.
The Church’s faith in the Son, “God from God, Light from Light”, rests on sayings like this one. The Catechism also explains that such a claim was a real stumbling block for many in Israel, and it treats those who rejected him with care (CCC 589–591). The Passion is not to be charged against the Jewish people (CCC 597).