The Lord remembers His covenant forever. In today's first reading God promises a great reward to Abram and yet Abram's faith is beginning to waver. God has not yet given him a descendent and now Abram feels that a son of his household will be his heir. But God promises him that his heir shall be of his own flesh and blood and that this land will belong to his descendents, who will be as many as the stars of Heaven. Abram put his faith in God and yet he asks for a sign that this promise will be fulfilled. God grants him his request. Abram prepared all the animals as God requested. Then the two people who were entering into a contract would walk between the animals with the agreement that if one were to break the promise then that person would meet the same fate as that of the animal. However, God ratified the covenant with Abram through a fire that passed between the halves, a symbol of God's presence. Abram again put his faith in the Lord, a faith that had no earthly explanation, a faith that humanly speaking could not be realized.

Many times we also have been blessed by God. Yet at times we too doubt. Perhaps it is when we begin to put our trust in ourselves rather than in God that we lose faith. Let us remember that God again renews His covenant with us and let us offer ourselves again to God who created us and who never ceases to love us.