God our Father, on this blessed Thursday as we come nearer to the closing of Lent, we rejoice in that beautiful truth about you proclaimed in our responsorial psalm today, "The Lord remembers his covenant forever."
How lovely it is to recall that story of how you called Abraham, not only in making a promise with him to be the father of all nations but in entering a covenant with him to be our God forever with us your people; in doing so, you changed his name from Abram to Abraham to show us that every relationship is built in calling with names not with shaking of hands nor with other signs and gestures we are used to.
So many times we forget how all our relationships are based and rooted in you our Father because without you, all our ties as family and friends will never last, will never have meaning for we are all fragile and weak, very erratic and so moody unlike you, always faithful and true.
Remove the blindness that prevents us from finding you in every person we meet like the Pharisees debating with Jesus at the temple area, refusing to believe him that "before Abraham came to be, I AM" (Jn.8:58); enable us to grow and mature amidst the many tensions and frictions we experience in our relationships with you and others for it is in pains and sufferings our love and fidelity are purified and harnessed, just like when "Jesus hid and went out of the temple area" (Jn.8:59) when his enemies tried to stone him as they could not accept him and his words. Amen.
