Jeremiah 31:31-34

Hebrews 5:7-9

John 12:20-33

Some Greeks who had come to worship at the Passover Feast came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Amen, amen, I say to you, 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. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me. I am troubled now. Yet what should I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But it was for this purpose that I came into this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it and will glorify it again.” The crowd there heard it and said it was thunder; but others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come for my sake but for yours. Now is the time of judgment on this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” He said this indicating the kind of death he would die.

In our first reading, the prophet Jeremiah speaks of the LORD establishing a new covenant with His people. This new covenant will not be like the old one, when God led the Hebrews out of slavery in Egypt. In the new covenant, rather than writing His law on stone tablets, God will write His law upon the hearts of His people. When we think of our heart, we think of the emotional center of ourselves, but for ancient Jews, the heart was the intellectual center of the person, where his or her will reigned supreme. What does this mean? That God will give His law in such a way that His people cannot ignore it or break it, for it will be a part of their very selves. This is why no one will need to be taught about God by others, but all will know the LORD, from the least to the greatest, because they will experience His mercy, the forgiveness of their evildoing, when God will remember our sins no more. God is eternal, so for God to no longer remember our sins means not only that they no longer exist, but it is as if they never existed in the first place.

This is what we experience through the sacrament of confession, the sacrament of reconciliation. This is why it is pointless to be overly concerned about committing the same old sins over and over again, as if God will lose patience with us and grow tired of forgiving us. He never grows tired of forgiving us, for He does not remember our past sins. To God, every sin confessed is a new opportunity of mercy, a new opportunity to wipe the slate clean and begin anew, not simply because when we leave the confessional our sins are no more, but because they never existed in the first place. See how great the mercy of God is in His new covenant established in Christ Jesus!

When God freed Israel from chattel slavery in Egypt, He commanded them to celebrate the Passover sacrifice every year in remembrance of this central saving act in the lives of His people. The Exodus is the central saving act in the lives of God’s people Israel, and remains so for Jews today. But in this new covenant, won for us by the life of Jesus, a life lived in perfect obedience to the will of the Father even unto death, God’s law is written on our hearts, is part of our very being, so that if we listen to that law we will be saved. The Letter to the Hebrews reads, “Son though he was, Jesus learned obedience from what he suffered.” Even though He was God’s only begotten Son, Jesus lived a life of perfect obedience to the will of the Father through suffering on our account. “And when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.” When was Jesus made perfect? When His life of perfect obedience to the will of the Father culminated on the cross He embraced, not setting it aside our of fear.

Jesus was troubled. He asked Himself, “What should I say? Father, save me from this hour? But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour.” Jesus knew what lay ahead for Him, but He did not run from it, but embraced it for our sakes. Just as Adam’s disobedience brought sin and death upon all, so Jesus’ life of perfect obedience brings freedom from sin and eternal life to all who obey Him. On that cross, Jesus became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him.

In the old covenant, the lamb was slain, its blood poured out and its roasted flesh eaten in a meal of communion by God’s children. In the new covenant, Jesus reveals Himself as the Lamb of God who is slain on the cross and is eaten in a meal of communion at every Mass. At every Passover seder, the event of the Exodus is made present so those present throughout the ages and today can participate in that saving act of God. At every Mass, the life, passion, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus is made present on this altar so that we here present can participate in that saving act. When God freed Israel from slavery, He commanded them to celebrate the Passover sacrifice in remembrance of Him and that central saving act in the life of His people. When Jesus saved us by His sacrifice, He commanded us to “do this in remembrance of me.” Jesus is the sacrificial lamb who is slain and eaten according to the new covenant. And we do this in remembrance of Him because of who we are as His brothers and sisters, co-heirs with Him to the kingdom.

We call the Mass “the Divine Liturgy” or “the Sacred Liturgy.” The word “liturgy” comes from the Greek leitourgia. It means “the work of the people.” One’s leitourgia is what one does that tells the world what one is. So, a firefighters leitourgia is to fight fires. If you don’t fight fires, you’re not a firefighter. A teacher’s leitourgia is to teach. If you don’t teach, you’re not a teacher. A nurse’s leitourgia, is to nurse people, to provide care for them. If you’re not nursing people, you’re not a nurse. As Catholics, our leitourgia is the Mass, the Divine Liturgy. It is what we do that tells the world what we are. So, if we don’t do this, we’re not Catholic. If you don’t do this, you’re not Catholic. You may have been baptized, confirmed, and received first Holy Communion. St. Paul says, do not receive the grace of God in vain. One can receive the grace of baptism and receive it in vain. One can receive the grace of confirmation and receive it in vain. One can receive the grace of Holy Communion and receive it in vain. The Divine Liturgy, the Mass, the sacrifice of Jesus made present on this altar, is what we do that tells the world what we are as Catholics, so if you are not doing this, you are not Catholic. If you are Catholic, this is what you do.

The Mass is the sacrifice of Jesus made present on this altar so that we here present today may participate in that sacrifice. The Mass, then, is where we are saved. The Mass is the purpose for which Jesus came into the world. The Mass is where Christ the Son is made perfect in obedience and becomes the source of eternal salvation. The Mass is where Jesus is lifted up. “Now,” Jesus said, “is the time of judgment on this world; now the ruler of this world [, Satan,] will be driven out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, … when I am lifted up on this altar … I will draw everyone to myself.”