Jeremiah 31:31-34, Psalm 51:12-15, 18-19, Matthew 16:13-23

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. 

Mt 16:8
Jeremiah 31:31-34, Psalm 51:12-15, 18-19, 
Matthew 16:13-23


Jeremiah 31:31-34

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

You are the New Covenant of Love that God makes with every human being. The Old Covenant was broken by His people over and over again. They were faithless and turned away from Him following their own wicked inclinations. Nothing has changed where we are concerned my Love, we commit the same sins shamelessly, sins that are repugnant to God and which in truth separates us from Him and brings eternal death. The only difference is that You have made atonement for the sins of all mankind from the first to the last until the end of time. Your Sacrifice opens the door to grace, forgiveness, healing, pardon, and restoration of all that we lost through sin.

Jeremiah says it well,

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. All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD, for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more.
Thank You for taking upon Yourself our sin, our shame, and paying the price that was ours so we can enjoy the fruits of the victory You have won for us over sin.

Psalm 51:12-15, 18-19

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

Nothing we could ever do could ever take away our guilt, our shame, our punishment for sins we have committed. We are frail and despite our best efforts, and all our good intentions, and resolutions we could never turn away from sin with our own strength. We have inherited this sin from Adam and Eve. God Himself could not restore what we had so cavalierly lost when man and woman first disobeyed. 

It had to be one like us in every way save sin who could undo what we had done. One like us had to take our punishment and die our death in order that all could be restored to us. The Father so loved us that He did not hesitate in asking You to stand in the breach and save us. You loved the Father so much that You did not hesitate in saying yes to His will.

Thank You my Lord and my God for taking my sin, my death, and my shame and in return giving me new life in You each time I confess my sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

May I never forget Beloved, nor take for granted the price that was paid for my salvation. 

Matthew 16:13-23

My Love, Beloved of my soul,

Sooner or later each one of us has to make a response to the question You put to Your disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." You approved of his answer and You knew that this revelation came directly from Your Father to Peter. Human reason alone would not have enabled him to come to such a profound understanding of who You were. 

Peter's response was also an indication that he was God's choice to represent You on earth after You returned to Your Father. In the presence of all the disciples, and for all time You proclaimed Peter's place in the Church that You were to found. 

"And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

In the days following this proclamation by Peter You began to reveal to the disciples what was to come and now we see how Peter's response is of the flesh and if of the flesh, it is also from Satan. Our natural, human tendency is to avoid what is difficult, what is hard, what will cause suffering and pain. But our way is never God's way. God's way is the way of contradiction. Once we embrace God's way we will experience the peace and joy that passes human understanding.