Friars Corner: Jesus wants to draw all people to his heart

Fr. Bob Hilz, TOR

Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ps 51:3-4, 12-15; Hebrews 5:7-9; John 12:20-33

Do you find it difficult to put the major pieces of our Catholic faith together? Many people create their own god, rule and plan for their life’s success. Some tell me they know Jesus. They pray now and then. Yet they are not following Jesus. We all have reasons for or against Jesus.

God is the spiritual force that created everything and everyone in the world and universe. He is also the force that holds all cells together in the form he created them to be. God had a master plan in his creation of humans: to share his life and happiness. This requires our following his plan as revealed to us in Jesus Christ and his church.

In the Old Testament, God had to make 5 covenants to save the human race because it did not follow his previous directive. He made a covenant with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and David.

The New Covenant

God had to send his own Son to earth to personally reveal this plan and seal it with his own sacrificial blood in his suffering, scourging and death on the cross. Jesus’ death was not the end. His lifeless body was laid in a tomb. Yet three days later his soul reentered his lifeless body in a transformed and glorious state. In this glorious Shepherd and high priestly state, he wants to draw all of his sheep close to his loving heart. He wants us to experience his great merciful love for us.

Jesus’ death and resurrection sealed a new covenant in his blood that formed a New Testament never to be broken because God himself made and sealed it. Within these few ideas is God’s plan for us.

We all have our own path to follow with and behind Jesus. It is not one size fits all. It involves a death to our ideas and will. We have a cross fashioned for us by Jesus, whether little or big. God gives us the grace to carry it behind and with Jesus.

God deletes our sin file

In the first reading, Jeremiah speaks of God placing his law (plan) within us and writing it in our hearts. With Psalm 51 we are begging God for his forgiveness of our sins. God will forgive our evildoing and remember our sins no one. He will delete our sin file in his computer.

Jesus came to earth to show us God’s plan and give us his love through healings and teaching a new way of life. Then he took the sins of the entire human race on himself, dying in our place. He did this so that we could live a whole new way of life and love. Praise God!

How close are we?

This Lent, how close have we come to Jesus? There are a lot of distractions in our life and world. We may have a lot of fear and worry about our future. Have we taken a little time each day to focus on Jesus and try to love and follow him more?

He will guide us and give us the graces to follow him each day. The closer we get to Jesus the more we can live a more joyful life and can radiate his love, peace and joy to those around us. Our prayer can help put out more of the “dark lights of evil” in the world and bring the joyful light of Jesus into more situations.

Thank you Jesus, for your loving plan and forgiveness of our mistakes.

Have a good week. Blessings,

• Fr. Bob Hilz
  (© 2018 Fr. Bob Hilz, TOR)