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Decide

Writer's picture: Fr. Jerry Schik, o.s.c.Fr. Jerry Schik, o.s.c.

 

My key word for today is DECIDE and I begin with the most important decision of all time, the decision that Jesus made on the night of Passover.

 

After the Last Supper, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane for a time of prayer.  This garden is located in the Kidron Valley between the Mount of Olives and Mount Zion.  During his time of prayer, Jesus knew that he had a choice to make.  Which hill should he climb when it was time to leave the valley?  Should he climb the Mount of Olives or should he go up to Mount Zion?  The Mount of Olives was tempting because he could walk down the other side and head toward Galilee and get away from all the hatred and political turmoil which was brewing in Jerusalem.  Going to Mount Zion was not tempting at all because the political leaders in Jerusalem were looking for a way to kill him.  Jesus had to decide which direction to go in.  Should he head toward comfort, or should he head toward the cross?  Jesus chose the cross.  That was his decision and the rest is history.

 

His time in the valley was his time of decision.  He had been expecting to live a long life and retire in comfort, like everyone else.  But he changed his expectation.  He dropped his plans for himself, and He carried the cross of pain.  He shouldered the cross of pain so that we could be set free from the power of sin.  In doing this, Jesus set up a new covenant relationship between God and the People of God.

 

Jesus had been talking about a new covenant relationship for three years - and during his agony in the garden he made the decision which officially marked the beginning of the New Covenant.

 

Today’s Gospel describes one of those scenes in which Jesus prepared his disciples for the New Covenant.  First of all, he described the difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.  Jesus said, “The Old Covenant is a good covenant, and it remains in force until the end of time.”  In the Old Covenant you show your love for God by following the Ten Commandments - no killing, no stealing, no lying and so forth.  Remember how Joshua called for a covenant renewal ceremony every year!  We heard about that in today’s First Reading.  He gathered all the tribes of Israel at the shrine at Shechem and he put everyone on the spot.  Joshua asked, ‘Are you going to love God this year?  Are you going to show your love for God by following the Ten Commandments?  You must decide.  Are you going to serve God or not?’”

 

Jesus said, “In the New covenant you must follow those Ten Commandments, and you must do more.  You must carry the cross of pain and believe that I am the Bread of Life which has come down from heaven.  You must decide.  Are you going to be a part of the New Covenant?  You must decide.”

 

Then Jesus was sad because many of his followers walked away and never came back.   However, Twelve of them remained loyal to Jesus.  Simon Peter spoke for the rest when he said, “Master, we believe in you.  We believe that you are the Bread of Life which has come down from heaven.  We believe in your message, and we will participate in your New covenant.  We know that you want us to take up the cross and follow you - and we will do it.”

 

After Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, his followers decided that “one commitment is not enough.”  They decided that we need to commit ourselves to participating in the New Covenant more than once in our lifetime.  They decided that Christians need a covenant renewal ceremony every Sunday to help them stay on track.  This covenant renewal ceremony takes place during the liturgy when we proclaim the creed and when we receive communion.

 

When we say the Creed, we tell God once again that we will be loyal to the New Covenant because that is our way of thanking God for creating us, saving us and sanctifying us.  And then at communion time we have a chance to say that we believe that Jesus is fully present in the Holy Eucharist.

 

The Hebrew word Amen means “I believe.”  When the communion minister says, “Body of Christ.” We say “Amen.”  When the communion minister says, “Blood of Christ.”  We say, “Amen.”

 

In today’s second reading St. Paul talks about a special covenant renewal for those who are married.  He calls husbands and wives to follow in the pattern of Christ.  Just as Jesus serves his people and makes sacrifices for them, so husbands and wives serve each other and make sacrifices for each other.  In later centuries church leaders suggested that married couples might see their marriage as an icon of the New Covenant.  They suggested that married couples should get into the practice of renewing their marriage covenant each day.  

 

I will close with this thought: Today we are going to participate in a covenant renewal ceremony.  We will give voice to our decision to follow Christ.  We will proclaim our creed - which is the creed of the New Covenant.  And when we say Amen at communion time we will be saying once again, “I believe that Jesus is fully present in the Bread which has been blessed and broken.  And I believe that Jesus is fully present in His Precious Blood which is the blood of the New Covenant.  And I believe that he shed his blood - in pain - on the cross.  And I promise that I will walk with him and carry the cross of pain today, tomorrow, and every day of my life.  If my neighbors are hurting, I will run to their side and help them to carry the cross of pain.”   

 

We now take a moment to prepare ourselves to renew our commitment to the New Covenant.

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