20 Then the Lord said, “How great is the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah and how very grave their sin! 21 I must go down and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me; and if not, I will know.”
22 So the men turned from there, and went toward Sodom, while Abraham remained standing before the Lord.[a]23 Then Abraham came near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will you then sweep away the place and not forgive it for the fifty righteous who are in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” 26 And the Lord said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will forgive the whole place for their sake.” 27 Abraham answered, “Let me take it upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. 28 Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” 29 Again he spoke to him, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.” 30 Then he said, “Oh do not let the Lord be angry if I speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” 31 He said, “Let me take it upon myself to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.” 32 Then he said, “Oh do not let the Lord be angry if I speak just once more. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.”- Genesis 18:20-32
What Faith Is This?
When Mass began this morning, my family had already been through a fairly chaotic morning. After all, what Sunday morning is not chaotic for a family with four kids. As the lector was reading the above reading from the book of Genesis, my wife looked over at me at me and said “It is like a parent talking with a child.” I know there is much that can be said and written about the above passage, but I want to focus on what my wife said.
Here is Abraham speaking with the creator of the universe and interceding on behalf of the righteous living in Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham has faith that God will not only take care of him, but the those faithful to him in the most horrid of situations. Do we have this kind of faith? Do we realize that we have the same access to God a our great ancestor in faith? If anything we have much greater access because we also have our Lord Jesus Christ mediating for us. Let us not be afraid to petition God for others or help in whatever situation we find ourself. He is a loving Father who wants to hear from us, loves us, and wants us to have a relationship with Him. May we all have a faith like Abraham.
Quotes From Saints About Faith
“No one will have any other desire in heaven than what God wills; and the desire of one will be the desire of all; and the desire of all and of each one will also be the desire of God.”
-St. Anselm
“Unfurl the sails, and let God steer us where He will.”
– St. Bede the Venerable
“Love God, serve God; everything is in that.”
“Totally love Him, who gave Himself totally for your love.”
– St. Clare of Assisi
“It is not the actual physical exertion that counts toward a man’s progress, nor the nature of the task, but the spirit of faith with which it is undertaken.”
– St. Francis Xavier
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