As we continue through our second Lenten season of the Covid Era, I notice that today’s reading is the story of Abraham taking his son Isaac to the mountaintop to slaughter him. It’s never an easy Bible verse for me — or any parent — to hear. The amount of faith and obedience required is way beyond what I or, I hazard a guess, most of us, might have. 

But the story does come at a good time. With most of a penitential season still ahead of us, we could use a reminder of the power of faith to, if not move mountains, then come pretty close. Because, of course, Abraham is richly rewarded for his obedience. He is told that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars. 

Lent on top of Covid seems redundant. We are already giving up so much! I’ve struggled this year, as I did last, for a way to make the season meaningful. One of them is to keep up with the daily readings, to seek wisdom from the verses. This doesn’t always work … but sometimes it does.