Today's Old Testament reading in the Catholic church is the story of Abraham and Isaac. Between that, and the Transfiguration in the Gospel reading there is a lot about the importance of sons today. Something I can definitely relate to as I have three of them. By tomorrow, for my Monday entry, I'm sure I will have some new perspective as I get to hear two different homilies today--one when I take my third grade Sunday School class to a learning mass and one when I play my electric bass in the band at the mass I regularly attend.
But as I try to think about the story of Abraham and Isaac and how it relates to my own spirituality, I think of how strong Abraham was to follow exactly what God asked him to do. He was "all in". He proclaimed his faith through his actions. And, while God (fortunately) does not make it a habit of asking people to sacrifice their own offspring, the example of the complete trust that following God's word would be the right thing to do is quite an amazing example of faith for me to follow.
And, as an aside as I finish writing, Abraham's wife (Sarah who started out as Sarai) must also have been a woman of strength in her faith to accept that she would have a son in her old age and to change her name at the command of God.
Following God is never easy. Balancing following God against other demands is never easy. But the examples of strength I find in the Bible and in the present day are amazing and inspiring.
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