5th week in Lent, Saturday – 1st April 2023 – Ezekiel 37,21-28; Jn 11,45-57
Eternal Covenant
In the first reading, the prophet Ezekiel is speaking to the exiles during their captivity to come back to God and be united. God wishes to gather the dispersed regions of the two kingdoms and to renew His covenant relationship with them. He unites the nation in a new covenant which features the messianic age. The essential elements that restore the fortunes of the great Kingdom are: Yahweh, its God; Israel, his people; Sanctuary, a sign of God’s presence and David, as shepherd over them. The coming Messianic ruler is called David. He is likened to a shepherd, who cares for his flock. We recognize Jesus in this ‘Messianic David’, and later Jesus will also call himself the Good Shepherd, protecting his own and looking for those who are lost. The covenant formula of “I will be their God and they will be my people” is repeated twice. It is through Jesus that the new covenant is signed by his blood on the cross. This covenant extends now, not only to people or race, but to the whole world, “The nations will know that I am Yahweh, the sanctifier of Israel, when my sanctuary is with them forever.”
