INTERIOR REALITY
In today's First
Reading from the Prophet Jeremiah, we hear that God will give a new Covenant to
His people. The Law of God, once written in stone, will become an interior
reality. "I will place My Law within them and write it upon their
hearts" (Jer. 31:33). The word "Covenant" must be very important
to God. It is written fifty-five times in twenty-two books of the Old Covenant
and eighteen times in eleven books of the New Covenant. Why?
What is a
"Covenant?" It is simple but profound.
It is personal, not
verbal and it is not a written agreement.
It is mutual; there
are no orders and there is no force. It's the giving and sharing of life.
It is a commitment
that will determine how we will act toward other people and all our personal
commitments too them.
It is a
relationship; a mutual giving and caring in all things.
This helps us to
understand our own identity and dignity as a Child of God. To be called
"Christian" means that we are part of this Covenant with our heavenly
Father and with each other. We come to believe in God's Word and bring It to
life. God dwells in His us and we dwell in Him. This is the "new
life" which Jesus Christ offers to us. What happens to us then, is our
outer shell made of old, fallen nature must be broken and put to death. In
Baptism our "old nature" of sin is buried with Jesus and we rise as a
"new creation" in Him. Let us remember that death leads to life. When
we die to ourselves we rise to new life in Jesus Christ.
Today's Gospel
theme can be our prayer for today: Let me be wheat sown in the earth, to be
harvested for You. Give me fresh hope and joy in being Your follower throughout
my journey. Amen.