Thursday, March 22, 2012

I will write my law upon their hearts...


One of the core prayers of the Jewish tradition is the Shema, based on the Book of Deuteronomy:

Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one.  
Therefore, you shall love the LORD your God, 
with your whole heart, and with your whole being, 
and with your whole strength.  
Take to heart these words which I command you today.

In the Book of Jeremiah, God promises a new covenant with the people of Israel in the form of this very law that God will write upon their hearts:  I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people (Jer. 31:33).

Like the Jewish people, we are called to accept God’s “signature” (his seal) as the source of our identity, and that means we are to love God with our whole heart, with our whole being, with our whole strength.  It is up to us to say yes to this covenant, to a loving relationship with God, allowing God to work in our lives.  The perfect model of the beauty of this relationship is Jesus himself, whose prayers to God are heard because of his reverence.  As we move toward Holy Week, may we embrace these words written upon our heart, participating fully, accepting God’s will and allowing it to rule our own, to be the only identity we seek.
(Above:  Rare Babylonian bronze cylinder seal, used to sign clay tablets)




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