The first reading of the day reminds us of the covenant that was made with Abraham. The promise made by Yahweh to make His descendants as many as the stars in the heaven was manifested by the birth of Isaac. The faithfulness of Yahweh was only experienced by Abraham twenty-five years later, after the promise was fulfilled with the birth of Isaac.

Faith is not based on external signs only. It is also believing in what we do not see and being faithful to what we believe. In the Gospel, Jesus reprimands those who look only for signs in order to believe but fail to recognize God's greatest sign to the world in Jesus Christ.

Faithfulness to our beliefs is what marks out a true disciple. The presence of Jesus in and around us should give us the impetus to be ever more faithful to God the Father and to the community around us. Together with the Psalmist, may we too be able to say, "May the name of the Lord be blessed for evermore."