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| All the Righteous Dead in Abraham’s Bosom, United to God’s People by Faith and the Covenant of God, First in Circumcision and Now in Holy Baptism |
In the days of old, when the nations of the earth were scattered in idolatry, the voice of the Living God called forth a man from the city of Ur of the Chaldees to bear witness to His covenant faithfulness. That man was St. Abraham, the Father of the Faithful, Friend of God, and great Patriarch in the Covenant of God. Born in the pagan world of Mesopotamia, surrounded by the worship of celestial bodies and carved idols, Abraham's journey began not merely in geography but in faith. When God spoke to him, saying, “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee” (Genesis 12:1), St. Abraham obeyed with unwavering trust.
St. Abraham’s pilgrimage was not merely a movement from one land to another but a testimony of trust in the God who is unseen, yet ever present. Throughout his life, he encountered trials that tested the depth of his fidelity. By faith, he entered Canaan, dwelling in tents as a stranger and sojourner, trusting in the promise that his descendants would inherit the land. By faith, he believed the Word of the Lord, who said that his offspring would be as numerous as the stars of heaven and the sand upon the seashore, though he and his wife Sarah were advanced in years.
St. Abraham’s life was marked by moments of profound encounter with God. On the plains of Mamre, the patriarch welcomed three heavenly visitors, a theophany of divine grace. In their hospitality, he and Sarah entertained not only strangers but also God Himself, who revealed the imminent birth of Isaac. Here, the great tradition of Christian iconography sees the roots of the mystery of the Holy Trinity, veiled yet manifest in human form.
The most poignant moment in St. Abraham’s life came on Mount Moriah, where he was called to offer Isaac, the son of promise, as a sacrifice. This act, unparalleled in its demand, prefigures the offering of God’s only-begotten Son upon the Cross. Yet, the hand of St. Abraham was stayed, for the God who tests hearts and reins provided a ram as a substitute. In this, the patriarch beheld the shadow of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
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| The Sacrifice of Abraham in the Contemporary Style |
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| Abraham Offering Gifts to the Lord in the Person of the Priest-King Melchizedek |
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| An Ancient Byzantine Mosaic of the Same Scene |
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| The Altar of the Lord Set by the Great Priest-King, Abraham Offering Up His Sons, and the Offering of Bread and Wine Being Made Instead |
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| The Prefigurement of the Perfect Sacrifice of the Holy Eucharist, Jesus Christ |
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| A Medieval Block Print, Showing the Tree of Life, the People of the Covenant, Springing Up through the Sacraments |
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| Abraham and Melchizedek in a Roman Cultural Setting |
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| For Over 15 Hundred Years, Abraham’s Sacrifice to God and the Offering of a Meal, Both by Melchizedek and to the Three Travelers Whom Abraham Addressed as “Lord,” Were Seen as Types of the New Covenant in Christ and Theophanies of the Pre-Incarnate Christ |
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| The Hospitality of Abraham, the Three Angels Addressed Singularly as Lord, Revealing the Trinity and the Theophany of Jesus Christ in Human Form |
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| The Great Patriarchs of the Faith, All Gathered in the Garden of Abraham in Hades, Before Christ Created the Great Mansions of Heaven for the Faithful, Upon His Resurrection |
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The Righteous Lineage of God’s Covenant in the Loins of Abraham, Flowing Out, Generation Upon Generation, for the Revelation of Jesus as the Savior of the World
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| Ancient Byzantine Icon of Abraham’s Bosom |
The witness of St. Abraham did not end with his death, for his faith stands as the foundation of God’s covenant people. He is the father not only of Israel according to the flesh but also of all who walk in the faith of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul declares, “They which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham” (Galatians 3:7). The Holy Church remembers Abraham not as a mere figure of history but as a living intercessor and example, who calls us to forsake all for the promises of God.
In the tradition of the Western Orthodox Church, Abraham's role as the Patriarch is celebrated in the sacred Liturgy of St. James, which speaks of him as a type of the new humanity in Christ and a great Father of our Faith. The prayers of the saints call upon his intercession, remembering that he rejoiced to see the day of the Messiah (John 8:56). His faith, obedience, and hospitality are a living exhortation to the Church to walk in his steps.
COLLECT
O God, who didst call Thy servant Abraham out of the land of the Chaldees, to be the father of the faithful, and madest Thy covenant with him to be an everlasting promise to all his seed: Grant that we, being made children of the same promise through faith, may evermore follow his example of trust, obedience, and hospitality, and at the last be received with him into Thine eternal kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
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