The Unfailing Promise: The Lord will not abandon his people.

November 4, 2023 - Saturday, Memorial of Saint Charles Borromeo, Bishop

Psalm 94:12-13a, 14-15, 17-18

Psalm 94 accompanies the first reading from the letter to the Romans where Saint Paul asks a question: “Has God rejected his people?” (Rom 11:1). Behind this question was the fact that very few Jews accepted Jesus as their Messiah and Christianity was growing among the Gentiles. For example, in the Church of Rome, the Gentile Christians outnumbered the Jewish Christians. Thus, the new faith that has at its foundation the Jewish Messiah, Jesus Christ, and was proclaimed across the Roman Empire by the Jewish disciples of Jesus slowly became a religion of predominantly Gentile Christians. So, “Has God rejected his people?”

Paul’s answer, “Of course not!”, evokes Psalm 94 with its declaration that “the LORD will not cast off his people, nor abandon his inheritance” (Ps 94:14). The promise of God not abandoning His people is deeply rooted in the covenant He established with Israel. After a failed attempt to unite humanity around the project of the Tower of Babel, the story of salvation begins with a Hebrew, named Abraham. His family grew into a nation that was chosen as God’s treasured possession. They became the recipients of God’s commandments and established the worship of the Lord in Jerusalem. God spoke to them through Moses and the prophets and finally, from them came the Saviour of the world, Jesus Christ.

Although many of them were not faithful, there was always that holy remnant that remained faithful to the Lord. Paul and other Jewish followers of Christ were among them. Moreover, as Paul argues, their initial rejection of the Gospel turned out to be a blessing for the Gentiles. Moreover, the apostle indicate that the initial rejection was not a total failure but a temporary stumble. We read in the Romans: “So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous” (Rom 11:11).

Psalm 94:14 states, "For the Lord will not abandon his people; he will never forsake his inheritance" and Saint Paul declares that “the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable” (Rom 11:29). The mystery of salvation includes the salvation of all Israel. Saint Paul writes: “Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved” (Rom 11:25-26a).

Psalm 94:14 and Romans 11:1 serve as powerful reminders of God's unwavering commitment to His people. The historical significance of Israel in the unfolding plan of salvation cannot be overstated, as they were chosen by God to bring forth the Saviour of the world. We should never forget that our faith has Jewish roots and that we share a common heritage with our Jewish brothers and sisters.