2ND SUNDAY OF LENT B
SEASON OF GIFTS
What will you do if someone gives
you the most precious gift that your heart has been longing for a long time?
Most probably you will treasure this gift above all other things in your life,
keeping it with meticulous attention and care, and preserving it for many years
to come.
Of all people in the Old
Testament, Abraham knew most the meaning of a gift. Amost despairing to have a
son all his life, he and his wife finally received the gift of a child they
named Isaac – and this in their advanced age! Isaac was the fulfillment of his
father’s ardent aspiration for posterity and legacy, promises made by the Lord
God himself.
But Abraham knew that a gift was
to be always treated as a gift. Surely there were times he wanted to treat his dear
son as his possession. He wanted to protect him and secure his needs. He had
his own plans for his future. But when God unexpectedly asked Abraham to
sacrifice the boy Abraham resisted the urge to exclusive claim ownership of
Isaac. He willingly, albeit painfully, offered back his son, as a sacrifice, as
a gift. Received as a gift, returned as a gift.
It turned out that the Lord was
merely putting Abraham to the test, to confirm his loyalty, his faithfulness to
God. By freely returning his gift-son, he was also giving back to God the gift
of his fatherhood, his visions and his dreams. That must have been very painful.
But by doing so, Abraham recognized that the Giver of the gift is supreme and
that he trusted him even without understanding all the demands. For this act of
faith, the Lord showered his rich blessings on both Abraham and Isaac.
Isaac was a symbol of Jesus.
Being God’s Son, he was the gift of love par
excellence to the world. Jesus too, did not claim a right to his life. He
did not declare sovereignty over his future. Instead, he willingly offered
himself as a victim on the cross, as a gift to his Father and a Savior to his
brothers and sisters mired in sin. Like Abraham, Jesus did not cling to
anything, not even to his own life, but willingly surrendered all for love, for
the sake of others.
This Lent, it might be helpful to
review our lives and see what those things are that keep us shackled, attached,
and unfree. Is it material things? Or pursuit of honor and prestige? Or
unhealthy attitudes of pride, envy, greed, and others? Abraham’s attitude
teaches us how to acknowledge everything as a gift and how to surrender it
freely to the Giver of all good things.
