Daily Catholic Mass Readings for March 21, 2021
First Reading: Jeremiah 31.31-34
31"The time is coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.32It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them, "declares the LORD.33"This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.34No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the LORD. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."
Psalm 51
1Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.2Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.3For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.4Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.5Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.6Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.7Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.8Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.9Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.10Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.11Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.12Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.13Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.14Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.15O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.16You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.18In your good pleasure make Zion prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem.19Then there will be righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings to delight you; then bulls will be offered on your altar.
Second Reading: Hebrews 5.7-9
7During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.8Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered9and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him
Gospel: John 12.20-33
20Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Feast.21They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. "Sir," they said, "we would like to see Jesus."22Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.23Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.24I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.25The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.26Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.27"Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.28Father, glorify your name!"29Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and will glorify it again." The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.30Jesus said, "This voice was for your benefit, not mine.31Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.32But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself."33He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the profound mystery of God’s covenant with humanity and the transformative power of self-giving love. In the first reading from Jeremiah, we hear of a new covenant—one that will be written not on stone tablets but on the hearts of God’s people. This covenant is rooted in forgiveness and intimacy, where all will know the Lord without needing to be taught. It speaks of a deep interior transformation, where God’s law becomes the very fabric of our being. This passage is set in the context of Israel’s history, where the old covenant had been broken, but God promises something new and everlasting.
The second reading from Hebrews shifts our focus to Jesus, who as the Son of God, learned obedience through suffering. His prayers and tears demonstrate his humanity, but his ultimate obedience leads to eternal salvation for all. This passage emphasizes that Jesus’ journey of suffering was not in vain; it was the path to glorification and the source of salvation. It reminds us that true leadership and service are rooted in humility and sacrifice.
In the Gospel, Jesus speaks of his own glorification through death, using the metaphor of the grain of wheat that must fall to the ground and die to bear fruit. This is a call to radical self-giving, where loving one’s life means losing it for the sake of eternal life. The voice from heaven confirms that Jesus’ mission is to draw all people to himself, and his death on the cross will be the ultimate act of love that overcomes the world.
These readings are deeply connected, as they all point to the new covenant fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Jeremiah’s promise of a covenant written on the heart is realized in Jesus, who through his obedience and sacrifice, draws all people to himself. The moral lesson here is clear: true life comes through self-giving love and surrender to God’s will. Just as Jesus had to let go of his life to fulfill his mission, we too are called to let go of our own desires and fears, trusting that in doing so, we will find true life and purpose. May we open our hearts to the transformative power of God’s covenant, embracing the cross as the path to resurrection and eternal life.