Though my Holy Land Pilgrimage was in early October of 2015, my
thoughts, visions and memories are still fresh in my mind, especially during
Lent and Holy Week. I kept a journal
during our 10-day journey and St. Mark’s Gospel on this Passion/Palm Sunday reminds
me of the depth of God’s love for His creation as He returns to Jerusalem for
the last time to give us life everlasting through His death and Resurrection.
It
is rare that a Psalm is used for a main thought for a homily, a reflection,
pastoral letter or even a blog. It is
the Gospel upon which we are to take our lead in God’s message to His disciples
or people who “wish to see Jesus” as mentioned in St. John’s Gospel today (Jn.
12:21). But, without Psalm 51:12, can we
really “See” Jesus?
Our Gospel from St. John this Fourth Sunday of Lent quotes what is considered one of the best known verses in the Bible:
And yet, it is one of the most
difficult for us to understand and to follow.
God’s
relationship with His believers is based on covenant agreements that include
disciples’ promises to do or not do something for which they are rewarded with
eternal salvation as part of God’s plan of redemption.
Depending
on which faith you choose to follow, the number of covenant agreements is
recognized differently. The Roman
Catholic Church, for example, names five they consider official covenants
between God and humanity: Noahic; Abrahamic; Mosaic; Davidic; and New. Two not considered covenants are Adamic and
Palestinian. The two we address today
are the Mosaic Covenant from the first reading of The Book of Exodus and the
New Covenant from the Gospel of Saint John.
