Memorial of Saint Teresa of Avila
October 15, 2021
Daily Reading from the USCCB: Romans 4:1-8
Further instruction about faith, works, and salvation. Abraham was the righteous man “par excellence,” the forefather of all the righteous. Righteousness didn’t come to Abraham as a result of good works, as a “pay-off” for what he had accomplished. Rather it came through Abraham’s belief in God’s promises.
Abraham had no grounds for boasting about his relationship with God because he didn’t earn it. It came to him as a gift of God. Righteousness came to him because he believed in God’s promises. His faith was the source of his relationship with God.
The forgiveness of sins too, does not come as a result of our effort, but as a gift of God. They–we–are blessed whose sins the Lord does not record.
