tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34254421.post1115802707405795806..comments2023-09-23T07:04:26.564-04:00Comments on Vita Nostra in Ecclesia: God of Love and Human Sacrifice, Abraham and IsaacBenderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09322135500288738561noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34254421.post-32180386417598446472012-03-05T02:14:58.185-05:002012-03-05T02:14:58.185-05:00Continuing on Abraham's thoughts --
If the ab...Continuing on Abraham's thoughts --<br /><br />If the above interpretation is correct (and it follows Pope Benedict's exegesis), then I would think that God, in playing to Abraham's expectations, wanted him to experience and feel the horror right down to the depths of his soul -- He wanted to scare the hell out of him, so to speak.<br /><br />It is one thing to merely talk about ending evil and abominations and sin. Talk is cheap. Talk is words in one ear and out the other. Merely talk about ending human sacrifice with Abraham and you might get, "sure thing Lord," without much thought or appreciation for it.<br /><br />But you ram it home, you let Abraham get so close that he can feel the loss of Isaac already in his bones, and he will <i>never</i> forget it. And his gratitude will be real and not merely a polite curtesy.<br /><br />And more to the point -- we will remember it.Benderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09322135500288738561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34254421.post-74037667891447361302012-03-05T01:54:03.332-05:002012-03-05T01:54:03.332-05:00I'm still not sure if the 2 "he" occ...<i>I'm still not sure if the 2 "he" occurrences = "Abraham" or "God."</i><br /><br />Little "h" = Abraham<br />Capital "H" = God<br /><br />It is a bit clunky this way, but --<br />God tested Abraham so that Abraham would know that Abraham was so faithful that Abraham was willing to sacrifice Abraham's own son, whom Abraham loved.<br /><br />Conversely, we do see later on that God is so faithful to those He loves (humanity) that He was willing to sacrifice His (God's) own Son, whom God loves.<br /><br />Much of this thought is from Cardinal Ratzinger in <i>The God of Jesus Christ</i>. See also <a href="http://www.ignatius.com/Products/GIN-P/god-is-near-us.aspx" rel="nofollow">God is Near Us</a>, p. 32. (And I'll add a quote from the book to the main text.)<br /><br />What was Abraham thinking at the time? I would think complete and total dread and heartbreak, but obedient and trusting.Benderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09322135500288738561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34254421.post-65641716427815339292012-03-04T19:27:17.404-05:002012-03-04T19:27:17.404-05:00Hi, and thanks for commenting on this reading. I&#...Hi, and thanks for commenting on this reading. I've pondered it and seen its beauty a number of times in the past, but for some reason today I was struggling with it. <br /><br />First off, I really appreciate your comments as a whole. However, there was one thing I didn't quite get.<br /><br />You said: <br /><br /><b>"Rather, God tested Abraham so that Abraham would know that he was so faithful that he was willing to sacrifice his own son, whom he loved."</b><br /><br />I'm not sure I follow this. I had to re-read it a few times, and I'm still not sure if the 2 "he" occurrences = "Abraham" or "God." I certainly agree that this passage "foreshadows" God's own handing over of His Son in sacrifice for the life of the world, but I'm not sure why Abraham needed to know his own faithfulness.<br /><br />I do wonder what Abraham's thought process was. I've heard someone else say that there is a deep sense of humor (or irony) in the original language, as if because God was good (and not a God who desires human sacrifice) Abraham trusted Him to somehow provide an alternative or a way out, even possibly resurrection. Thus, verse 8 (not in today's reading): "God will provide the sheep for the burnt offering."<br /><br />Still, this is one of those amazing, curious, haunting passages of Genesis. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I'm teaching catechesis to 6th graders starting this year, and it's good to know there are "in-depth" resources like this out in the blogosphere.John Carswellnoreply@blogger.com