Scripture for the day: August 10, 2006

Scripture: Jeremiah 31:31-34; Psalm 51; Matthew 16:13-33

Is God's covenant with all of us the same as the one that began with the Hebrew people? This is a question that many in dialogue groups wrestle with. Theologians and Scripture scholars likewise struggle with it. Is salvation possible for all of us though we belong to different religions? These are perennial questions and I have only my personal opinion about them, but I do think that God's covenant(s) are everlasting and that the first covenant continues in a renewed way each day. God's covenant fidelity is always there; it is ours that may need some renewing. So, today, we hear from Jeremiah one of the most beautiful and profound expressions of what God's covenant is all about. Both Jews and Christians cherish this text and apply the prophesy to their own concept of covenant with God respectively. But first let us honor it by looking at it again: "I will put my Teaching (Torah) within them, and I will write it on their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other , 'Know the Lord,'for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord."

I think the Jewish interpretation is that this text explains the "how" of the covenant, namely, there will be a new teaching given by the Lord to those who are faithful believers and doers of the covenant; our Christian interpretation is more the "what" or the content of the covenant since we see in it the covenant we have with Jesus as being new. Yet, it is the same covenant that is renewed, made new in both of these interpretations. God is the faithful one and we are the ones who are called to respond in new and faithful way to the covenant that is expressed here in such intimate terms. They are terms of the heart and terms of the flesh, a covenant of interior intimacy with God that is so intimate that we are led to know, that is, to experience God within our heart. God's Torah, that is, his teaching and law are not on commandments of stone, but in the interior of our person which in Hebrew thought is the "heart." This means we are in communion with God and are instructed by God interiorly. It is a covenant of loving-kindness (HESED) and that is the inner life of God's covenant always.

The Psalm Response is perfect for it comes from a prayer that asks for forgiveness from the bottom of the Psalmist's heart (possibly David's heart who is the Beloved of God). Through the response we ask for a renewed heart, "Create a clean heart in me, O God." Blessed William Joseph Chaminade, the founder of the Marianist congregation, tells his followers, "The essential is the interior." He means the same thing that Jeremiah is sharing with anyone who reads his prophetic passage. I am reminded of Shakespeare's expression, "To thine own heart be true." That is solidly spiritual and covenantal.

Peter is involved in a covenant in today's Gospel. He is inspired to declare that Jesus is the Son of the living God and Jesus confirms the statement as coming to Peter from God. He then is given his part of the covenant to live up to. Will his trust and faith in Jesus continue in good times and bad times? We know his story and it is part of our own, but God's covenant can be returned to each day by our asking for forgiveness and then starting up anew with hope and love in what we do for others, for God, and for ourselves. This trinity of relationships is necessary for good healthy living and sound spirituality. Today's readings are all about living with God. We have this covenant within our hearts. Let us then live in the the love and presence of God who is already there present in our hearts. Amen.