Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM – Jn 8:51-59
This is how false dogma can effectively prevent people from believing in Christ. The opponents of the Lord Jesus in today's Gospel carried the dogmatic conviction that no man can be greater than Abraham. So, when the Lord Jesus began to talk about His power to keep us from death, they reacted with an objection: they "knew" that even the Messiah could not be greater than Abraham.
The Lord Jesus contrasts the false dogma with the truth: "Amen, amen, I say to you,
before Abraham came to be, I AM". It is worth noting that in this sentence he not only ascribes himself to eternity, but also refers to the holy name of God. "I am" is after all the translation of the name of Yahweh.
Indeed, telling the truth caused the indignation of the audience, and even threatened the Lord Jesus. However, in this way our Lord left us an example of how we are to oppose false dogmas. Let us not be afraid to bear witness to the truth, even if we are thus exposed to someone's indignation and even persecution.
Today too, many false dogmas separate many people from faith in Jesus. Some people "know" in advance that Jesus is not the Son of God at all. They stated that only Christians have come to such views and believes. Others pride themselves on their dogmatic belief in the equal value of all religions. For others it is an indisputable axiom that the truth about Jesus must be sought outside the Church.
Also, the opponents of Jesus in today's Gospel "knew" better who he is than he himself.
Until Tomorrow
fr. george