How do we die to self and open in obedience to the Lord?
The new covenant that the Lord describes through the prophet Jeremiah is unlike its predecessors in that it is written on the hearts of the people, placed within them, so that they hold it in the very depths of their being and attend to it, obedient to the law within. This covenant placed in their hearts will become a part of their very identity, as adults with intimate knowledge of God and his precepts. It suggests a maturity of relationship previously unseen in God’s relationship with God’s people: All, from least to greatest, shall know me, God says. It is a relationship upon which Christianity will one day build.
In John’s Gospel, Jesus, the ultimate fulfillment of God’s covenant, knows he must suffer and die so that resurrection can come for all people: unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. We, too, must die – we must die to our own ego so that the Lord can be at the center of our life. We are thus called to a life of obedience, obedience to the law written on our hearts. The Letter to the Hebrews reminds us that Jesus himself learned obedience from what he suffered; he was priest and sacrifice, once and for all. Jesus embraced his own humanity that he might suffer for the sake of others, giving his love flesh, permanence and undeniability, becoming the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him. Our own obedience helps us to clarify our sight; we open ourselves to the eternal, live for the sake of the eternal, by being obedient to the one who understood obedience first and foremost. This requires, as Psalm 51 reminds us, a clean heart, a heart transformed so that we might follow the Lord’s ways. In so doing we will find the true joy of salvation, that we might be drawn to Christ and know him, intimately.
This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com
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