FAITH OF OUR FATHERS

“The Tomb of the Patriarchs”

Today we had the opportunity to visit the “Tomb of the Patriarchs” in Hebron. You might now be asking yourself, “Who are the Patriarchs?” The Patriarchs (and Matriarchs) are usually associated with the fathers and mothers of our Faith; namely, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, and Leah.

The Patriarchs are central to Catholicism because they set salvation history into motion. The Book of Genesis recounts the covenant made between God and Abraham: “Then the word of the Lord came to him: No, that one will not be your heir; your offspring will be your heir. He took him outside and said: Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. Just so, he added, will your descendants be. Abraham put his faith in the Lord, who attributed it to him as an act of righteousness” (Genesis 15:4-8, NAB). It was from this covenant that a people were born. God’s covenant, however, did not only concern the Jews and Israel. God’s promise extends to us — the New Jerusalem — who are now children of God by virtue of our faith in Jesus Christ: “But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name” (John 1:12, NAB). Abraham was central to our visit. Unbeknownst to us, we had the opportunity to visit the site known amongst the locals as ‘the Oak of Abraham”  

"The Oak of Abraham"

 “The LORD appeared to Abraham by the oak of Mamre, as he sat in the entrance of his tent, while the day was growing hot. Looking up, he saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to greet them; and bowing to the ground, he said: ‘Sir, if it please you, do not go on past your servant. Let some water be brought, that you may bathe your feet, and then rest under the tree. Now that you have come to your servant, let me bring you a little food, that you may refresh yourselves; and afterward you may go on your way.’ ‘Very well,’ they replied, ‘do as you have said.’ Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, ‘Quick, three measures of bran flour! Knead it and make bread.’ He ran to the herd, picked out a tender, choice calf, and gave it to a servant, who quickly prepared it. Then he got some curd and milk, as well as the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them, waiting on them under the tree while they ate. ‘Where is your wife Sarah?’ they asked him. ‘There in the tent,’ he replied. One of them said, ‘I will return to you about this time next year, and Sarah will then have a son.’ Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent, just behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years, and Sarah had stopped having her menstrual periods. So Sarah laughed to herself and said, ‘Now that I am worn out and my husband is old, am I still to have sexual pleasure?’ But the LORD said to Abraham: ‘Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really bear a child, old as I am?’ Is anything too marvelous for the LORD to do? At the appointed time, about this time next year, I will return to you, and Sarah will have a son.’ Sarah lied, saying, ‘I did not laugh,’ because she was afraid. But he said, ‘Yes, you did.’ With Abraham walking with them to see them on their way, the men set out from there and looked down toward Sodom” (Genesis 18:1-16).

The Tomb of Abraham

Another event central to our Faith! It was through Sarah’s son that the covenant was fulfilled—a covenant later extended to all believers in Jesus’ name. The Church Fathers, recognizing the shifting numbers and identification of the visitors, actually saw the guests as the three people of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Either way, it is touching to be in a place where the heavenly encountered the earthly. A Russian Orthodox Church stands nearby the site where the guests appeared to Abraham as a testament to the ecclesial significance of this place. May we who encounter God’s grace, be moved to faith by the faith of our fathers!