But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD.
I will place my law within them, and write it upon their hearts;
I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
No longer will they have need to teach their friends and relatives how to know the LORD.
The LORD in his wisdom holds the Jewish people and maintains the Covenant with them as a perpetual challenge to Christians. Their fidelity to the LORD reminds us of our infidelity. For the example we give them is often uninspired and sometimes scandalous.
However, in the same LORD's mercy, our Testaments consistently demonstrates Jesus's fidelity and the Church's apostolic fidelity to the faith of Abraham. In today's gospel from Saint Matthew, Jesus testifies to the fulfillment of Jeremiah's prophecy.
When he happily tells Saint Peter, "...flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father!" we remember Jeremiah's promise, "I will place my law within them, and write it upon their hearts."
And we also discover the mystery of the Trinity, for it is the Father who sends the Spirit to confirm the Apostle's faith in Jesus. The same Spirit confirms our apostolic faith throughout many centuries; and even today, in this era of polarized, post-modern uncertainty.
Both peoples -- Jews and Christians -- are held in love by the Spirit of God; we cannot surrender our belonging to God to the skepticism of critics or the cruelty of naked evil. If we cannot answer the question -- "How can a good God allow that to happen?" -- neither can we let the horror uproot our fidelity. Rather, we remain with Mary and the Beloved Disciple even as Jesus remains on the cross. In silence.
The Church today celebrates the life and holiness of the Curé d'Ars, Saint John Vianney. You'll find an excellent article about him on Wikipedia. It concludes with references to the "Heart of the Priest tour" in the United States in 2018-2019.
The Father still speaks to our hearts, one by one, calling us to fidelity, and to declare with Saint Peter, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.