The new
covenant
Children in this parish who received
the Sacrament of the Eucharist for the first time just a few weeks ago had a
unique privilege during the weeks previous to First Communion Sunday. At one of the preparation sessions, the
entire catechesis about the roots of the Eucharistic feast was explained by
living with them an experience of a Seder meal.
I remembered this experience when I read through the gospel that we have
just heard. In particular I was struck
by the words they prepared the Passover
meal. To the untrained eye, this
seems to be a rather insignificant detail, but to those who know what it’s like
to prepare a meal, especially a meal that is rich in tradition and, in this
case religious significance, these few words speak of meticulous, detailed
work.
In Jewish homes, the Seder meal is
celebrated on the first two nights of Passover.
This ritual meal commemorates the night when our God literally passed
over the houses of the Hebrews, but brought suffering and death to the
Egyptians who were their captors. The
Seder meal is a celebration remembering the freedom that was bought for God’s
people, and a reminder to all those who participate that our words and actions
should always be used to free the captives of our day.
Earlier this week, the Ontario
Legislature passed the Accepting Schools Act, and made Bill 13 a law within our Province. The debate that surrounds this legislation has
caused much political turmoil and has been closely followed in places far
beyond the borders of Ontario. As
Cardinal Collins has recently stated, we
must continue to seek opportunities to foster safe and welcoming school
communities, where bullying in any form is unacceptable and where every person
is welcomed with love and respect. The
unfortunate fact is that in all schools (and in some of our workplaces), there
are students and co-workers who are bullied for any of a number of reasons:
some because of physical size, others because of the colour of their skin, some
because of their religious beliefs, and still others because of their sexual
orientation. In our schools, bullying
that results from a student identifying him- or herself as either gay or
lesbian has even resulted in suicide.
There are lessons for all of us to
learn here. The issues raised by the Accepting Schools Act affect us
all. When the Israelites entered into
the original covenant with God, Moses marked that covenant in blood as a sign
of the permanence of God’s promise and the commitment of the people to abide by
it as well. We are still bound by this
covenant, which has been renewed by the covenant Jesus established when he
poured out his own blood. The government
is concerned about making our schools safe, but we must be willing to go one
step further: demonstrating our willingness to foster safe and welcoming
communities in our schools, our parishes and our workplaces. Bullying in any form is indeed unacceptable
and every person has a right to be welcomed with love and respect in the name
of Jesus who invites us here.
As we partake in the sacrifice of the Eucharist,
we remember the words of the letter to the Hebrews and give thanks that Jesus’
sacrifice purifies our consciences from
dead works to worship the living God.
This moment of prayer is an opportunity for all of us to renew our
commitment to being living witnesses of the covenant of love created by our
God. We do this by using the power of
speech, not to create a culture of us and them, but an ever deepening
understanding that there is a place for all people at the table of the Eucharist. We do this by supporting parents and
grandparents who struggle with the news that someone they love is hurting. We do this by finding contexts in which to
explore animosities and discomforts, so that these too might become
opportunities for compassion and reconciliation. We do this by banishing fear from our hearts
and our communities, and replacing it with love.
The Eucharist is a celebration commemorating
the freedom that was bought for all God’s people, and a reminder to all those
who participate that our words and actions should always be used to free the
captives of our day.
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