The story of the Passover is difficult to read because it involves the deaths of innocent people. It is very hard for us to believe that God would actually take the lives of innocent people because of the obstinance of one man. It is important, however, that we see this story as pointing to the future. Is it any more difficult to believe that God would sacrifice His own Son for the sake of our freedom from sin?
If we look at this story in that light, it becomes very clear that God is prepared to go to great lengths in order to save us, God’s people, God’s beloved people. So the question becomes, if God is willing to go to such lengths for our sake, how far are we willing to go to demonstrate our gratitude, our love for God? All that God asks of us is faith. Here we must remember that faith means far more than simply believing something to be true. Biblical faith is the same as loyalty, faithfulness.
God is faithful in fulfilling the promises made down through the generations. God’s faithfulness is the hallmark of the covenant. The stories that appear in the Hebrew Scriptures oftentimes strike us as unbelievable or inconsistent with our understanding of who God is. These stories tell us in a dramatic fashion the depths of God’s love and God’s fidelity to the promises made.
The Eucharist itself is a promise made to us. For the Gospel teaches us that whoever eats this bread and drinks this wine shall have life everlasting. We can believe this promise because we have learned through the Scriptures that God means what God says.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator