The Everlasting Covenant

Voice over by Eliz

Gen 17:3-9, Psalm: 104, Jn 8:51-59

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Today, the sacred Word draws us from a foundational promise to its breathtaking fulfillment, revealing the eternal heart of God.

In Genesis, we witness the solemn establishment of God’s covenant with Abram. God promises him a glorious destiny: “I will make you exceedingly fertile… I will maintain my covenant with you and your descendants after you throughout the ages.” The sign of this everlasting bond is carved into their very flesh through circumcision. It is a promise of land, posterity, and a unique relationship. Yet, it points beyond itself, awaiting a deeper, more permanent fulfillment.

Centuries later, in the Gospel of John, Jesus stands in the Temple and unveils that fulfillment. He speaks not of an earthly inheritance, but of eternal life: “Whoever keeps my word will never see death.” The Jews, thinking within the covenant framework of physical descent from Abraham, are incredulous. Then Jesus declares the truth that shakes the foundations of history: “Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.” With these words, He does more than claim pre-existence. He takes for Himself the divine name revealed to Moses—the sacred “I AM” (YHWH). He identifies Himself as the very God who made the covenant with Abraham, now standing before them in the flesh.

Jesus is not merely a descendant of Abraham; He is the Lord of the Covenant, its Author and its perfect Fulfillment. The old covenant, with its external sign, prefigured the new and eternal covenant, sealed not by the cutting of flesh but by the pouring out of Christ’s blood on the Cross. As Pope Benedict XVI taught, “Jesus is the ‘yes’ to all God’s promises; in him all the promises find their fulfillment.”

Where is our comfort? In knowing that our relationship with God is not based on our fragile fidelity, but on His eternal, covenant-keeping love, perfectly embodied in Christ. We are incorporated into this everlasting covenant through Baptism, a spiritual circumcision of the heart.

Our spiritual strength flows from this truth. When we face mortality, failure, or uncertainty, we cling not to a distant promise but to the living “I AM.”

Therefore, let us live today in the freedom of this everlasting covenant. Let us keep His word, knowing it is the word of eternal life. Let us find courage in His divine constancy, for the God who promised faithfully to Abraham is the same Christ who promises Himself to us. “Before Abraham came to be, I AM.” And He is with us still. Amen.

May God bless you all!