I plan to work my way through Jesus of Nazareth by Pope Benedict XVI, formerly Joseph Ratzinger, published by Doubleday in 2007. Tonight I want to start by focusing on the last sentences of his introduction on page eight:
“The disciple who walks with Jesus is thus caught up with him into communion with God. And that is what redemption means: this stepping beyond the limits of human nature, which had been there as a possibility and an expectation in man, God’s image and likeness, since the moment of creation.”
Putting what the Pope says in my own words, I would say: Jesus is the Way by which we are united to God and have a relationship with Him. This union and friendship with God is what redemption is, for heaven itself is nothing other than being with God. Jesus enables us to go beyond the merely natural and be transported into the supernatural reality for which God created us. Being made in God’s image and likeness bespeaks the reality that God made us to be in relationship with Him.
What I find most interesting in this quote from our Holy Father is that he connects our communion with God to our being created in the image and likeness of God. That makes sense. It relates to what I say which is that being created in the image and likeness of God means that we are created to be God’s spouse and to have the deepest union with Him. Our two statements are not mutually exclusive; my statement is more specific and strongly stated.
The first chapter of the book is a reflection on the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River. John is shocked that Jesus wants to be baptized by him, but Jesus replies to John saying, “Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). The Pope reflects on Jesus’ words on page seventeen of his book:
“The key to interpreting Jesus’ answer is how we understand the word righteousness: The whole of righteousness must be fulfilled. In Jesus’ world, righteousness is man’s answer to the Torah, acceptance of the whole of God’s will, the bearing of the “yoke of God’s kingdom,” as one formulation had it. There is no provision for John’s baptism in the Torah, but this reply of Jesus is his way of acknowledging it as an expression of an unrestricted Yes to God’s will, as an obedient acceptance of his yoke.”
One is baptized then, in Jesus’ understanding, as an expression of an unrestricted Yes to the whole of God’s will and an obedient fulfillment of God’s commands. Pope Benedict says that the Eastern Church sees Jesus’ response here to John’s bewilderment as an anticipation of Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane: “My Father…not as I will, but as thou wilt.” Jesus is wholly given over to the will of His Heavenly Father, even unto death.
Today, when one is baptized, he enters into the death of Jesus, and he is given the very heart of Jesus which led Him to His faithful-unto-death self-offering. With Jesus’ heart within us, we are able to take on the impossible task of following and loving God and obeying His commands. We too are given the courage and spirit of sacrifice to say together with Jesus: “Not as I will, but as thou wilt.” The Eucharist is an extension and celebration of our baptism, and as such, the Eucharist is the new heart we need to be wholly given over to the will of God. Jesus frees us from our slavery to our own wills and makes it possible for us to follow and please God perfectly.
Thanks for reading and your prayers.
Copyright 2007.
All rights reserved.
Showing posts with label new heart. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new heart. Show all posts
2.26.2008
1.18.2008
Reflections on Psalm 40: Delight in God's Will
There were some especially beautiful readings at Wednesday’s Mass which were taken from the first Book of Samuel and from Psalm 40. The first reading from Samuel comes from chapter three, and it is the story of the boy Samuel who is asleep while called three times by the Lord; each time Samuel thinks the elderly priest Eli is calling him. After the third time this happens, Eli realizes that God must be calling the boy, so Eli tells Samuel that the next time he is called he should say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” God calls a fourth time, and Samuel replies as instructed.
The selections from Psalm 40 revolve around this theme of obedience, and the response to the Psalm is the similar sentence: “Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.”
The first stanza is this: “I have waited, waited for the LORD, and he stooped toward me and heard my cry. Blessed the man who makes the LORD his trust; who turns not to idolatry or to those who stray after falsehood.” He who trusts in the Lord and is obedient toward Him will be patient as he waits and will remain forever faithful to Him. The obedient one will not go after false gods nor seek falsehood; he will cling to God and to the truth.
The second stanza is even more powerful: “Sacrifice or oblation you wished not, but ears open to obedience you gave me. Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not; then said I, ‘Behold I come’.” The slaughter of animals as sacrifices to God is not what He wants; those sacrifices were only necessary because the people were worshipping false gods symbolized by those animals; animal sacrifice was added because of idolatry. Attempting to keep the hearts of His people from straying after these false gods, God had them kill their gods so that they would be less encumbered by them and free to worship Him. The sacrifices were the means, and mostly a negative one, but the end is a heart that loves and obeys God. God seeks our obedience and our willingness to do whatever He asks us to do. Ultimately, God delights when we offer up our entire selves as a sacrifice to Him.
The third stanza is the power punch: “In the written scroll it is prescribed for me. To do your will, O my God, is my delight, and your law is within my heart!” This is what God wants of us; this is why He came and died for us. He has made this very thing possible. He desires us to delight in His will, to have His law within our heart. It is one thing to say, yes, I will obey. It is a whole higher level to say, Lord, I delight to please You. This is only possible with a heart transplant; God gives us a new heart, a new tree of life, so that we can love and obey Him.
We are not even talking about the slave mentality which says, I will obey because I do not want to get into trouble. This is better than disobedience, but it still comes from a heart of stone with the laws written on the outside. The worst is disobedience which is not doing God’s will. Next is the slave mentality which merely doesn’t want to get into trouble; although, when the opportunity arises, a slave is just as likely to disobey when he doesn’t think he will get caught.
A loving child will want to please his parents, and so he will obey because he knows the parents will be pleased. This is good, and it is a world away from the slave mentality. Coming to the knowledge that one is a beloved child of God is an awesome realization, and much good fruit will be borne if one continues down this path.
The highest level is delighting in pleasing God, delighting in His law, and delighting in God’s will. When we are pleased in the extreme simply in pleasing God, we have reached a mature faith. This is the stage, the final one, where we become espoused to Him and eventually married. Once God’s will becomes our will, and there is no longer two wills but one only, God’s, then we are fully alive as His beloved spouse. This is our goal, our hope, our summit, the reason for which we were created.
When we have reached this stage, it is completely normal to say as the Responsorial Psalm ends: “I announced your justice in the vast assembly; I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.” When God becomes the love of our life, we tell all the world.
Thanks for reading and your prayers.
Copyright 2007.
All rights reserved.
The selections from Psalm 40 revolve around this theme of obedience, and the response to the Psalm is the similar sentence: “Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.”
The first stanza is this: “I have waited, waited for the LORD, and he stooped toward me and heard my cry. Blessed the man who makes the LORD his trust; who turns not to idolatry or to those who stray after falsehood.” He who trusts in the Lord and is obedient toward Him will be patient as he waits and will remain forever faithful to Him. The obedient one will not go after false gods nor seek falsehood; he will cling to God and to the truth.
The second stanza is even more powerful: “Sacrifice or oblation you wished not, but ears open to obedience you gave me. Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not; then said I, ‘Behold I come’.” The slaughter of animals as sacrifices to God is not what He wants; those sacrifices were only necessary because the people were worshipping false gods symbolized by those animals; animal sacrifice was added because of idolatry. Attempting to keep the hearts of His people from straying after these false gods, God had them kill their gods so that they would be less encumbered by them and free to worship Him. The sacrifices were the means, and mostly a negative one, but the end is a heart that loves and obeys God. God seeks our obedience and our willingness to do whatever He asks us to do. Ultimately, God delights when we offer up our entire selves as a sacrifice to Him.
The third stanza is the power punch: “In the written scroll it is prescribed for me. To do your will, O my God, is my delight, and your law is within my heart!” This is what God wants of us; this is why He came and died for us. He has made this very thing possible. He desires us to delight in His will, to have His law within our heart. It is one thing to say, yes, I will obey. It is a whole higher level to say, Lord, I delight to please You. This is only possible with a heart transplant; God gives us a new heart, a new tree of life, so that we can love and obey Him.
We are not even talking about the slave mentality which says, I will obey because I do not want to get into trouble. This is better than disobedience, but it still comes from a heart of stone with the laws written on the outside. The worst is disobedience which is not doing God’s will. Next is the slave mentality which merely doesn’t want to get into trouble; although, when the opportunity arises, a slave is just as likely to disobey when he doesn’t think he will get caught.
A loving child will want to please his parents, and so he will obey because he knows the parents will be pleased. This is good, and it is a world away from the slave mentality. Coming to the knowledge that one is a beloved child of God is an awesome realization, and much good fruit will be borne if one continues down this path.
The highest level is delighting in pleasing God, delighting in His law, and delighting in God’s will. When we are pleased in the extreme simply in pleasing God, we have reached a mature faith. This is the stage, the final one, where we become espoused to Him and eventually married. Once God’s will becomes our will, and there is no longer two wills but one only, God’s, then we are fully alive as His beloved spouse. This is our goal, our hope, our summit, the reason for which we were created.
When we have reached this stage, it is completely normal to say as the Responsorial Psalm ends: “I announced your justice in the vast assembly; I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.” When God becomes the love of our life, we tell all the world.
Thanks for reading and your prayers.
Copyright 2007.
All rights reserved.
1.10.2008
We Keep His Commandments
The end of today’s reading from the first Letter of Saint John struck me: “For the love of God is this, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. And the victory that conquers the world is our faith” (5:3-4). If we replace “keep his commandments” with “obedience,” it would say, “The love of God is shown in our obedience to Him.” Jesus said the same thing: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). We show our love through our obedience.
Love gurgles up from a faithful heart that obeys; therefore, God’s laws are not difficult because we have conquered the world through our faith and become His children. When we love God above all things, then we want to please Him above all else, even over all the allurements of the world. In seeking His will only, we conquer the world and faithfully obey our Heavenly Father’s every command.
The united and interwoven themes today are love, obedience, faith, and God’s children. It is the “obedience of faith” (Romans 1:5 & 16:26) that reveals and proves our love, the love of a child for His father. Jesus came to make us children of God and a new creation and to give us a new heart, a new tree of life that loves and trusts in Him and so obeys Him. Now we can draw close to God and give ourselves entirely to Him; He gives us the grace to become one with Him. That union is a foretaste of heaven. That union, when it comes to complete fruition, is the mystical marriage when our heart and will and life are totally taken up into God. Therein is pure peace and joy. That is the goal of life.
Thanks for reading and your prayers.
Copyright 2007.
All rights reserved.
Love gurgles up from a faithful heart that obeys; therefore, God’s laws are not difficult because we have conquered the world through our faith and become His children. When we love God above all things, then we want to please Him above all else, even over all the allurements of the world. In seeking His will only, we conquer the world and faithfully obey our Heavenly Father’s every command.
The united and interwoven themes today are love, obedience, faith, and God’s children. It is the “obedience of faith” (Romans 1:5 & 16:26) that reveals and proves our love, the love of a child for His father. Jesus came to make us children of God and a new creation and to give us a new heart, a new tree of life that loves and trusts in Him and so obeys Him. Now we can draw close to God and give ourselves entirely to Him; He gives us the grace to become one with Him. That union is a foretaste of heaven. That union, when it comes to complete fruition, is the mystical marriage when our heart and will and life are totally taken up into God. Therein is pure peace and joy. That is the goal of life.
Thanks for reading and your prayers.
Copyright 2007.
All rights reserved.
1.02.2008
We are God's True Children
Tomorrow’s first reading is a mighty one, and again it is from the first Letter of Saint John. I will provide it here in its entirety:
“If you consider that God is righteous, you also know that everyone who acts in righteousness is begotten by him. See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure. Everyone who commits sin commits lawlessness, for sin is lawlessness. You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who remains in him sins; no one who sins has seen him or known him” (2:29-3:6).
God actually makes us His children; we are not just called His children. God is pure, and there is no sin in Him. We become like Him when we grow in purity and righteousness; those who remain in sin are not really his children. His children make themselves pure and are not attached to serious sin. A good tree bears good fruit. The gospel is that with God’s grace, we become His children, are made a new creation, and actually become inwardly and outwardly good. Salvation is not just getting into heaven. Salvation is being transformed into another Christ and becoming partakers of the divine nature as Saint Peter said:
“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, that through these you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of passion, and become partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:3-4).
God’s power makes us His children and frees us from the slavery of sin and death and transforms us into Himself. We share in His divine nature and become pure as He is pure. His heart and mind we take on, and it changes everything we do. Now we live for Him and love and think as He loves and thinks. The law is written upon our new heart of flesh, and we actually desire to do what pleases Him. We don’t just worry about getting into trouble or going to hell like a slave would do; we actually love Him and are careful not to hurt the one we love more than life. We are God’s children now, and if we give ourselves more and more to Him and grow in our prayer life and ability to truly love, God will perfect us and make us into His bride. Then we will fully become one flesh with Him.
Thanks for reading and your prayers.
Copyright 2007.
All rights reserved.
“If you consider that God is righteous, you also know that everyone who acts in righteousness is begotten by him. See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure. Everyone who commits sin commits lawlessness, for sin is lawlessness. You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who remains in him sins; no one who sins has seen him or known him” (2:29-3:6).
God actually makes us His children; we are not just called His children. God is pure, and there is no sin in Him. We become like Him when we grow in purity and righteousness; those who remain in sin are not really his children. His children make themselves pure and are not attached to serious sin. A good tree bears good fruit. The gospel is that with God’s grace, we become His children, are made a new creation, and actually become inwardly and outwardly good. Salvation is not just getting into heaven. Salvation is being transformed into another Christ and becoming partakers of the divine nature as Saint Peter said:
“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, that through these you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of passion, and become partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:3-4).
God’s power makes us His children and frees us from the slavery of sin and death and transforms us into Himself. We share in His divine nature and become pure as He is pure. His heart and mind we take on, and it changes everything we do. Now we live for Him and love and think as He loves and thinks. The law is written upon our new heart of flesh, and we actually desire to do what pleases Him. We don’t just worry about getting into trouble or going to hell like a slave would do; we actually love Him and are careful not to hurt the one we love more than life. We are God’s children now, and if we give ourselves more and more to Him and grow in our prayer life and ability to truly love, God will perfect us and make us into His bride. Then we will fully become one flesh with Him.
Thanks for reading and your prayers.
Copyright 2007.
All rights reserved.
1.01.2008
We Shall All Know the Lord
The first reading for tomorrow’s mass is from the first Letter of Saint John, and I would like to take a portion of this reading as my jumping off point tonight:
“As for you, the anointing that you received from him remains in you, so that you do not need anyone to teach you. But his anointing teaches you about everything and is true and not false; just as it taught you, remain in him. And now, children, remain in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not be put to shame by him at his coming” (2:27-28).
John is addressing the “children” or those who are babes in their understanding of the faith. They were anointed certainly at their baptism and perhaps also at their confirmation. The anointing of baptism remains inside us to teach us about the truth, and we, in turn, need to remain in Him. Baptism gives us the heart and mind of Christ; having been made a new creation with Our Savior’s way of seeing reality, we will come to know the truth as long as we remain in Him. The anointing teaches us because it endowed us with Jesus’ dwelling within us and giving us His heart; we will learn from Him if we continue to remain in Him.
This anointing and new heart reminds me of one of the most important passages of the prophet Jeremiah which is also quoted in Hebrews 8:8ff:
“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD. But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each man teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” (Jeremiah 31:31-34).
The key ideas here are new covenant, God as our husband, the law within us on our hearts, our sins forgiven, and we shall all know God. When we enter into the new covenant at our baptism, our sins are wiped away, and we receive a new heart of flesh that desires to please God, our divine spouse. The two shall become one flesh, says Genesis 2:24, and so you and I become one flesh with God, our Husband. The biblical sense of to “know” refers to sexual knowledge, and marriage is the symbol God created to reveal what He desires His relationship would be with us. He asks us: “Will you marry me?”
There is nothing sexual in our relationship with God, but it is most intimate. In baptism, God becomes our God, and we become His people. He becomes our Husband, and we become His bride. He becomes one flesh with us and gives us His very heart to replace our old stony one. With His heart beating within us, with Him dwelling within us, with His mind and will becoming our mind and will, we intimately come to know the Lord.
He asks us at our creation, “Will you marry me?” We take a huge step in our relationship with Him at our baptism. Baptism is our saying yes to God’s question and is our marriage to Him. At our baptism, we are married to God. We renew that commitment with every Holy Communion. Every Communion is like every renewal of the marriage covenant when the husband gives his body to his bride. At Communion we receive the body of our Husband so that we can bear good fruit. If we give ourselves fully to Jesus, and that means pleasing Him in all we think, say and do, He will be able to give Himself fully to us so that we may have life to the full and be full with His fruit.
Thanks for reading and your prayers.
Copyright 2007.
All rights reserved.
“As for you, the anointing that you received from him remains in you, so that you do not need anyone to teach you. But his anointing teaches you about everything and is true and not false; just as it taught you, remain in him. And now, children, remain in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not be put to shame by him at his coming” (2:27-28).
John is addressing the “children” or those who are babes in their understanding of the faith. They were anointed certainly at their baptism and perhaps also at their confirmation. The anointing of baptism remains inside us to teach us about the truth, and we, in turn, need to remain in Him. Baptism gives us the heart and mind of Christ; having been made a new creation with Our Savior’s way of seeing reality, we will come to know the truth as long as we remain in Him. The anointing teaches us because it endowed us with Jesus’ dwelling within us and giving us His heart; we will learn from Him if we continue to remain in Him.
This anointing and new heart reminds me of one of the most important passages of the prophet Jeremiah which is also quoted in Hebrews 8:8ff:
“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD. But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each man teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” (Jeremiah 31:31-34).
The key ideas here are new covenant, God as our husband, the law within us on our hearts, our sins forgiven, and we shall all know God. When we enter into the new covenant at our baptism, our sins are wiped away, and we receive a new heart of flesh that desires to please God, our divine spouse. The two shall become one flesh, says Genesis 2:24, and so you and I become one flesh with God, our Husband. The biblical sense of to “know” refers to sexual knowledge, and marriage is the symbol God created to reveal what He desires His relationship would be with us. He asks us: “Will you marry me?”
There is nothing sexual in our relationship with God, but it is most intimate. In baptism, God becomes our God, and we become His people. He becomes our Husband, and we become His bride. He becomes one flesh with us and gives us His very heart to replace our old stony one. With His heart beating within us, with Him dwelling within us, with His mind and will becoming our mind and will, we intimately come to know the Lord.
He asks us at our creation, “Will you marry me?” We take a huge step in our relationship with Him at our baptism. Baptism is our saying yes to God’s question and is our marriage to Him. At our baptism, we are married to God. We renew that commitment with every Holy Communion. Every Communion is like every renewal of the marriage covenant when the husband gives his body to his bride. At Communion we receive the body of our Husband so that we can bear good fruit. If we give ourselves fully to Jesus, and that means pleasing Him in all we think, say and do, He will be able to give Himself fully to us so that we may have life to the full and be full with His fruit.
Thanks for reading and your prayers.
Copyright 2007.
All rights reserved.
11.29.2007
The Eucharist: Our New Heart
As I was saying yesterday, one of the primary underlying points of the Old Testament is that man needs a new heart; in many respects, the Old Testament reads like a soap opera or like Desperate Housewives or some other pathetic reality show. The human condition is in need of a make-over. We need help; apart from God, there is precious little evil that man will not do.
Did you ever wonder why God gave the Ten Commandments on two tablets of stone? Of course, writing in stone is great for a permanent and lasting reminder of what is written; however, there is more to it than that. The two tablets with the law engraved on the outside is a symbol of our hearts. We have hearts of stone; our hearts are cold and dead; our tree of life is barren because we only obey when we have to or because we don't want to be punished; whenever we can, we disobey. We love our sin and are slow to give it up.
Ezekiel 36:26-27 states: "A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will take out of your flesh the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances." A new heart of flesh is one that seeks to please God out of love for Him. It is not a servile, slavish heart; it is the heart of a child with his father or of a bride for her husband. The beating heart seeks to please the beloved.
Jeremiah 31:31ff states: "I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel... not like the covenant which I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke, though I was their husband....I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God.... for they shall all know me...." This is the only time "new covenant" is mentioned in the Old Testament, and it is connected to God our husband who will write His law upon our hearts, and we shall all know Him.
Connecting both of these passages we have this: when God gives the new covenant, He will give us a new heart of flesh which contains God's law and which will be careful to obey Him and will come to know Him. When Jesus uses the phrase "the new covenant," He is celebrating the first Mass as He fulfills and completes the Passover. He is the Passover Lamb who lays down His life and is lifted up on the cross where He gives His whole self, ending in the piercing of His Sacred Heart and the blood and water flowing forth from it.
From Eucharistic miracles, we know that the flesh of the Eucharist, when the reality is not hiding, is cardiac tissue. The Eucharist is Jesus' heart. His heart is the heart that loves, trusts, obeys; His heart loves to the point of giving Himself completely; His heart lays down His life for the beloved; His heart only seeks to please the Father. Every Holy Communion Jesus gives us His heart anew. He gives us the grace and courage and desire to love God above all things and our neighbor as our self. The problem of our hard, unbelieving heart is solved when we worthily receive Jesus' heart each Eucharist. He is our tree of life; when we are in communion with Him, we have life abundantly.
Tomorrow I would like to explain how the Eucharist is the precise antidote to the condition we find ourselves in due to the Fall.
Thanks for reading and your prayers.
Copyright 2007.
Did you ever wonder why God gave the Ten Commandments on two tablets of stone? Of course, writing in stone is great for a permanent and lasting reminder of what is written; however, there is more to it than that. The two tablets with the law engraved on the outside is a symbol of our hearts. We have hearts of stone; our hearts are cold and dead; our tree of life is barren because we only obey when we have to or because we don't want to be punished; whenever we can, we disobey. We love our sin and are slow to give it up.
Ezekiel 36:26-27 states: "A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will take out of your flesh the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances." A new heart of flesh is one that seeks to please God out of love for Him. It is not a servile, slavish heart; it is the heart of a child with his father or of a bride for her husband. The beating heart seeks to please the beloved.
Jeremiah 31:31ff states: "I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel... not like the covenant which I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke, though I was their husband....I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God.... for they shall all know me...." This is the only time "new covenant" is mentioned in the Old Testament, and it is connected to God our husband who will write His law upon our hearts, and we shall all know Him.
Connecting both of these passages we have this: when God gives the new covenant, He will give us a new heart of flesh which contains God's law and which will be careful to obey Him and will come to know Him. When Jesus uses the phrase "the new covenant," He is celebrating the first Mass as He fulfills and completes the Passover. He is the Passover Lamb who lays down His life and is lifted up on the cross where He gives His whole self, ending in the piercing of His Sacred Heart and the blood and water flowing forth from it.
From Eucharistic miracles, we know that the flesh of the Eucharist, when the reality is not hiding, is cardiac tissue. The Eucharist is Jesus' heart. His heart is the heart that loves, trusts, obeys; His heart loves to the point of giving Himself completely; His heart lays down His life for the beloved; His heart only seeks to please the Father. Every Holy Communion Jesus gives us His heart anew. He gives us the grace and courage and desire to love God above all things and our neighbor as our self. The problem of our hard, unbelieving heart is solved when we worthily receive Jesus' heart each Eucharist. He is our tree of life; when we are in communion with Him, we have life abundantly.
Tomorrow I would like to explain how the Eucharist is the precise antidote to the condition we find ourselves in due to the Fall.
Thanks for reading and your prayers.
Copyright 2007.
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