“Behold the days
are coming, says YHWY, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of
Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I
made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them up out of
the land of Egypt – a covenant they broke, though I was their spouse, says
YHWY. But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those
days, says YHWY: I will put my Law in their minds and on their
hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
No longer will they
have to teach one another or remind one another to listen to
YHWY. All of them, high and low alike, will listen to me, says YHWY,
for I will forgive their misdeeds and remember their sins no
more.” (Jeremiah 31: 31-33, Inclusive Bible translation)
Such hopeful words
from the prophet who mourned with his people over their exile in Babylon, and
who brought them to task for abandoning their faith and straying from the law
which stitched them together as a people! Such healing balm from the
prophet who depicted the mental image of “Rachel weeping for her
children!” And yet it is the same Jeremiah, who when all seemed and
indeed was lost, saw hope. I imagine how the message now fixed in
these chapters was received by the exiled community. Were they
skeptical about the prospect of YHWY’s favor? I think they probably
were, and they probably believed that they could never earn that favor back
after straying so far from their God and the law that defined them as a
people. But Jeremiah, speaking for YHWY, says nothing about
earning. Rather, Jeremiah depicts YHWY as a wronged spouse who
despite betrayal and hurt is waiting with open arms, ready to renew the
love-relationship. And this time YHWY promises to make it easy for
the people to be faithful by imprinting the beloved law onto their hearts.
In his sermon “Etched
in Flesh” Water Brueggemann draws on Jeremiah’s hopeful words and expands our
understanding of them. He reminds us of Jeremiah’s conviction that
it is God who yearns for new life with Israel, and that despite their
infidelity God offers the people a completely new, slate-clean relationship. Brueggemann’s
term for this new covenant is “a new start-up of fidelity,” and I think that is
very apt. It is from scratch, nothing from the past dragged
in.
Brueggemann reminds us
that the law which had been abandoned by the people and would now be etched in
their hearts represented much more than religious practice, dietary
regulations, etc. Rather, the underlying law spelled out in the book
of Deuteronomy is more about justice than diet, more about treating the poor
with compassion than wearing the right clothing. This was the law
that would be etched into the hearts of the people of
Israel: economic justice for all, including the poor.
This is the law which
is etched onto our hearts as well, and the hearts of all who walk this
earth. We just need to listen to our hearts to know the only law
that counts.
From Deuteronomy, to
Jeremiah, to Jesus, to our lives today, the law may be expressed in different
words, but is the same world-over. It crosses all religions and
cultures. It is the call to treat others fairly, to love the people
with whom we share this earth.
At the Upper Room Inclusive Catholic Community,
each week as the bread is being broken we as a community repeat this
promise: “Oh Holy One, You call us to live the Gospel of peace and
justice. We will live justly. You call us to be your
presence in the world. We will love tenderly. You call us
to speak truth to power. We will walk with integrity in your
presence.” These are the words spoken by our mouths and etched on
our hearts.
At Baptism we welcome
a new child (or adult) into our community. As a human being sharing
life on this planet we believe that the words of the law of justice are already
there, within the heart. But this is a time to speak the words
aloud, to proclaim them. And so we do this, and with great
joy: “By asking for Baptism within the Christian community, you are
promising to teach (your child) to live justly, to love tenderly and to walk
with integrity for all to see and celebrate.” (from the Baptismal Rite used at the Upper Room) This is a new life, and with every new life comes
new hope, a covenant written anew on the hearts of the whole
community. What joy!
At Confirmation we
recognize the commitment made by the person being confirmed. This is another
reason to celebrate, that the promises made on that person’s behalf at Baptism
have taken root, and blossomed into a desire to make an adult commitment to
justice. Each commitment, each energetic YES to standing on the side
of Love is another reason to celebrate. All is not lost, no matter
how dim the future of the world may appear, when the law of love and justice is
etched and alive in so many hearts!
Denise Hackert-Stoner is a candidate for priesthood through the Association
of Roman Catholic Women Priests. She will we ordained a deacon in Albany, NY
with Julie Corron on Saturday September 7, 2019. This reflection is part of her
ordination preparation program through the People’s Catholic Seminary.
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