Jeremiah 31:31-34;
Psalm 51:3-4.12-13.14-15;
Hebrews 5:7-9;
John 12:20-33 Full Readings
Living in the New Covenant
Brethren, as we approach Holy Week, the readings of this Sunday prepare us and point to us to the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ in Easter. In the first reading we see the promise of God’s establishment of the New Covenant to his people which will be written in the hearts of people. Israelites had broken the covenant that God had made with them, for many times, and out of his mercy, the covenant was to be renewed, not, as previously, dependent on the institutions, Law and cult of Israel, but open to every individual, an individual commitment to the Lord, written on human hearts. This meant that there was no need for everyone to teach brother or sister what to do, but everyone from his or her heart would know what to do and one would be judged by his conscience. Though we must still learn from one another and accept the guidance of the Church, the bond is between God and the individual, no longer the race as such. For us Christians, this is ‘the covenant in my blood for the forgiveness of sin’ to which Jesus refers at the Last Supper. He sees it ratified in his blood, as the first covenant was ratified in the blood of animal-sacrifice. The forgiveness it brings is the final forgiveness, pre-echoed in God’s forgiveness of the sin of Israel down the ages.
How then, should we live in this new covenant which Christ established through his blood which shed for us on the cross? First we need to know what this covenant demands, which we get from Jesus’ teachings and then secondly, we commit ourselves to living according to it. This covenant involves self denial and giving up oneself in service of God and humanity in all circumstances of life. We are reminded that we have to give up our old ways of life in order to gain life in this new covenant. In the Gospel Jesus tells us that unless a grain of wheat dies, it will not bear any fruit. Again he says, “If anyone serves Me, My Father will honour him” (John 12:26). If God has honoured someone, then we ought to honour him or her. Who are we to disrespect the ones whom God Himself has honoured by their service to Him? Among those who have served Christ are Mary, the mother of Christ, and the saints. God also honours us when we serve him.
Jesus used the illustration of the "grain of wheat" to show how God brings life from death and good fruit through patience and suffering. Seeds by themselves are worthless and lifeless. Only when the seed is destroyed by burying it in the ground, can it rise to new life and bear fruit. Jesu most probably had two meanings by this analogy. Firstly, it literally meant his death and resurrection. Jesus' obedience and death on the cross obtain for us freedom and new life in the Holy Spirit. His cross frees us from the tyranny of sin and death and shows us the way of perfect love and readiness to lay down our lives in sacrificial service for the good of others.
Secondly, it meant dying to ourselves in service of God and humanity. When we "die" to ourselves - to our rebellious sinful nature and willful rejection of God's commandments - we receive God's forgiveness and the life-changing power of the Holy Spirit which frees us to love and serve others, and follow God faithfully. It is God's free gift of grace (his blessing and favor towards us) and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit that enables us to live and serve joyfully as sons and daughters of God.
Dying to ourselves means that outer "outer shell" of our fallen sinful nature must first be broken and be put to death and by this we are new creatures, living in the new covenant which Christ established by his blood. In baptism our "old nature" which was enslaved by sin is buried with Christ so we may rise to new life with Christ through the cleansing waters of baptism. Paul the Apostle describes this death and rebirth in Christ as a "new creation" which Christ accomplishes in us through the power of his saving death and resurrection (2 Corinthians 5:17).
How can I practically "die" to myself so that the Lord Jesus can live in me and transform me into his likeness and holiness? It certainly means that what is contrary to God's will must be "put to death" within me. God gives us grace to say "yes" to his will and the strength we need to reject whatever is contrary to his commands and plan for our lives. The Lord Jesus promises that we will bear much "fruit" for him, if we choose to deny ourselves for his sake and embrace his will for our lives. We must hate ourselves (prefer less ourselves to God) and then we will be true servants of God. Reflect today on the new covenant and how you are ready to live by it. As humans, just like Jesus in the second reading, we fear sometimes to die to ourselves, suffer, and be persecuted for the sake of God, but as Jesus did we need the virtue of obedience and allow ourselves to do the will of God.
Let us Pray.
Lord Jesus, let me be wheat sown in the earth, to be harvested for you. I want to follow wherever you lead me. Give me fresh hope and joy in serving you all the days of my life as I live in as a new creature in the New Covenant established by God. Amen
Blessed Sunday
May i always live in the new covenant
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