It was not through the law that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants that he would inherit the world, but through the righteousness that comes from faith.
For this reason, it depends on faith, so that it may be a gift, and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants, not to those who only adhere to the law but to those who follow the faith of Abraham, who is the father of all of us,
as it is written, “I have made you father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into being what does not exist.
He believed, hoping against hope,l that he would become “the father of many nations,” according to what was said, “Thus shall your descendants be.” (Romans 4:13, 16-18 NABRE)
Abraham, our father in faith, totally believed God's promise to him despite how absurd it must have seemed to him--he and his wife were an elderly couple with no children. And it is entirely because of his unshakable faith that God made him such a promise. Abraham is a role model for us.
God's promise extends to us when we believe in him regardless of our temporal circumstances. We have the promise of salvation, the promise of eternal life because we believe in "the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead." (Romans 4:24b)
Today, on this Solemnity of Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary, I will look beyond my own circumstances and see our family of faith, and remember our inheritance.
Saint Joseph, Husband of Mary, pray for us.
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