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In this episode of Father Simon Says, Fr. Richard Simon explores the righteousness of Abraham and what it truly means that “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Drawing from Romans 4 and Hebrews 11, Fr. Simon explains that Abraham was not justified by the works of the law – because the law of Moses did not yet exist – but by his complete trust in God’s promises. Abraham’s faith was a radical act of trust that led him to obey God even when asked to sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac.
Fr. Simon unpacks the Hebrew and Greek meanings of “righteousness” and “credited,” showing that righteousness in Scripture is about being in right relationship with God, lived through mercy, generosity, and sacrificial love. Abraham’s trust, he notes, was “reasoned to him as godliness,” a faith so real that it shaped his very identity.
Then, Fr. Simon makes a powerful connection: Abraham’s willingness to offer Isaac prefigured the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary. When the angel stopped Abraham’s hand, God was not canceling the sacrifice but postponing it – until it was fulfilled through Jesus, the true Lamb of God. In every Mass, Fr. Simon says, this sacrifice is made present again, uniting us with Abraham’s faith and God’s eternal covenant of love.
It’s a breathtaking reflection that reminds you that salvation is earned by trust in God who transforms faith into righteousness.
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