Exceedingly fertile

That is what Abraham will be, as God tells him in today’s first reading (Genesis 17:3-19): “exceedingly fertile” and “father of a host of nations.”

While Abraham would indeed have biological descendents, who today number in the millions, the complete fulfillment of this promise would not come through biological means alone, as St. Paul reminds us in places such as Romans 4:16-17a and Galatians 3:29:

That is why it depends on faith,
in order that the promise may rest on grace
and be guaranteed to all his descendants
-- not only to the adherents of the law
but also to those who share the faith of Abraham,
for he is the father of us all,
as it is written,
"I have made you the father of many nations"

***

And if you are Christ's,
then you are Abraham's offspring,
heirs according to promise.

In a similar way you and I can be exceedingly fertile: by generously sharing seeds of faith.

Thus through faith and by the grace of God may you and I – anonymous or popular, powerful or oppressed, well-placed or mostly ignored - make an impact that will continue to spread and grow in this world and into eternity.