THE PATTERN OF THE NEW COVENANT

The Pattern of the New Covenant

 Meditation for the 5^th Sunday of Lent, Year B

(Jer 31:31-34; Heb 5:7-9; Jn 12:20-33)

“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with house of Israel and the house of Judah...” The people of Israel transgressed against the commandments and broke their covenant with God. The prophet Jeremiah announced a new covenant, which shall be unique and different. It shall be a covenant written on their hearts, not on the tablet of stones. That means the covenant shall be part of their lives, and it shall become the principle of their existence. And knowledge of God will be part of their existence, for each shall know God from within him. It is only a fool that says in his heart that there is no God (Ps 14:1). Thus, the hand of God shall be evident in their lives. Therefore, their sins shall be forgiven. “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more.”

If sin that caused the breakdown of the earlier covenant can be wiped out in the new covenant, it means that the SUSTENANCE of the new covenant is not on the individual sinner. We hear from the second reading that Christ is the source and sustenance of the new covenant. In His body in the flesh, Jesus offered up supplications with tears to God for us. Though He was Son, He learnt obedience through His suffering and death. God raised Him,  and made Him perfect and the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him. Thus, Jesus becomes our entry into the New covenant in Himself.

 In the Gospel some Greeks came to look for Jesus. These were among the Gentiles, who were accounted sinners and unbelievers. For these people to desire the Messiah implies that the universal salvation of Jesus is already at work. Hearing their coming to look for Him, Jesus said, "The HOUR has come for the Son of man to be glorified." The great hour for the new and eternal covenant is the hour of the Cross! This too is the hour the sinner dies to sin that he might live with Christ. "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." This is the PATTERN with which Jesus saved us on the Cross. 

Thus, the pattern in which we are saved is now prescribed to us as the way of life! This is so beautiful. Hence, the covenant ìs mingled with our lives; we must always die to ourselves so that the grace of the resurrection will come alive in us. This too is the pattern with which we follow Jesus; our pattern of worshipping and serving God with our lives. If we die with Him, we too shall be glorified in Him. Therefore, we must resist the temptation to be self-absorbed, living for ourselves and trying to save our lives! We must begin to surrender ourselves by allowing Jesus to draw us to Himself. 

"When I am lifted up, I shall draw all men to myself." We see how we are pulled to Christ, the source and sustenance of the new covenant, my living out the pattern of the Cross. In this way, the prophecy of Jeremiah is fulfilled that the new covenant shall be written in our hearts. By dying with Jesus like a grain of wheat, we rise with the blessings of the Father to build up families, relationships, businesses, education, moral life, prayerful life, etc. And our sins our washed away, through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church 

Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.

Sunday March 21st, 2021.

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