God’s covenant with the people throughout salvation history finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, inviting us to uncover the treasure of our history to live our present reality with vibrant faith.
Here are some of the themes that emerge in the Mass readings for the 5th Sunday of Lent.
1st Reading – Jeremiah 31:31-34
The Lord will make a new covenant with the house of Israel.
The covenant will be written on their hearts, and God will forgive their sins.
Psalm – 51:3-4,12-15
“Create a clean heart in me, O God.”
The Lord mercifully renews our spirit, gives us joy, and leads us back to God.
2nd Reading – Hebrews 5:7-9
During his earthly life, Jesus offered prayers and supplications to God.
Christ learned obedience through his suffering and became the source of our eternal salvation.
Gospel – John 12:20-33
Like the grain of wheat that falls to the ground and dies in order to bear much fruit, so also a disciple of Christ must lose his life in this world in order to preserve it for eternal life.
When the Lord was lifted up from the earth, he drew all people to himself…indicating his death on the Cross.
The Book of Judges outlines an emerging pattern in the children of Israel. For a time they draw close to the Lord, and then they fall away into temptation. Yet through it all the Lord continues to be present, raising up judges to guide the people into right relationship with God.
Throughout salvation history God has forged covenants with his people, ultimately fulfilled in the great revelation of love in his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Moses relates to the people the teachings and commandments of the Lord, forging a covenant in the blood of a sacrifice that binds the children of Israel with the Almighty.
God states that the rainbow is a sign of the covenant between the Lord and all living things, reminding us that the gift of life is precious, holy, sacred…and meant to be lived to the best of our ability.
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