The days are coming, says the LORD,
when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel
and the house of Judah. …
I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts…
Excerpt from first reading in Jeremiah 31:31-34
- (12a) Create a clean heart in me, O God.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
Excerpt from responsorial psalm, Psalm 51
In the language of Scripture and of teaching about God, the “heart” is the depth of a person’s being, his or her innermost self. The heart is the seat of our decisions, thoughts, and emotions. Jeremiah, speaking for God in a time of repeated, blatant, and gross evils on the part of so many in Israel, acknowledges the failure of the previous covenants with Moses and King David as he reveals the next step the Lord will take.
They already knew how God wanted them to live. But knowing does not save. The Law given through Moses was clear enough, but it was just as clearly ignored, bringing injustice, ruin, and finally exile upon God’s chosen people. It was not new laws they needed. What they needed was the law (God’s ways, God’s instructions for a fulfilled human life) written on their hearts, so that it flowed out of them into all they said and did.
God inspires the psalm writer to put down in lyrics what the human heart, deep down, knows it needs. They are the same things our hearts need today:
- The compassion of God, wiping out our sin, washing away our guilt, and cleansing us of our evil inclinations, compulsions, and desires that lead to our decisions to act out of selfishness, greed, lust, and vanity.
- In all, then, a “re-created heart.” A renewed inner self, unique to each individual, but patterned on Jesus in always responding to what the Father calls him to do.
- A new heart, then, that is clean, steadfast, and willing to commune with Jesus daily in prayer, Scripture, sacraments, and service to those around us. In those four ways we “hear” and “see” and gradually come to understand our next steps as response to his direction.
God’s Son was willing to die for everyone—and anyone—who needs such a new heart. We can be certain he has our best interests in his heart. He is patient as he guides us into those better ways. Incredibly patient; incredibly persistent.
How to begin? Read the psalm above as your prayer. Be ready.
For further reflection: Where do I fall on the spectrum of “I get down on myself all the time for sin” to “Who, me need to repent for my little sins?” What would be a healthy balance? How can I move toward that balance?
Thoughts, comments, questions welcome!