Good morning good people,
May the Lord give you peace, health, and happiness in the Holy Spirit.
It is 08th August 2024.
We reflect on Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Matthew 16:13-23. We celebrate the memorial of St. Dominic, Priest.
Are we consistent or conflicting?
The first reading is the climax of the Old Testament and the climax of the history of Israel.
Life is consistent but our living is inconsistent, irregular with all ups and down, failures, success, sins, and sanctity.
Despite all their unfaithful and sinful behaviour, God inscribes the law of love in the hearts of the people of Israel, as Jesus chooses Peter even though he was not a perfect person. God is not interested in remembering our sins but rejoices over our good works.
Even after all their loss and failures in honouring the Law, God renews and rewrites the Law in the heart of everyone individually not on a stone. Our love for the Lord becomes an individual commitment. The bond is between God and the individual. Hence it is through prayer, that our hearts are enlarged, enhanced, and enriched to love. It is through such prayerful moments we all experience healing and forgiveness.
“For I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more.” (Jer.31:34).
God’s forgiveness is final, as God forgave the sin of Israel down the ages.
In the Gospel, we see the repeated failures of the disciples in understanding who Jesus was. Peter’s confession brought him a new name and responsibility to bind and loose. It is in profound moments of prayer and acts of charity; we realise Who Jesus is?
Jesus promises forgiveness when we believe in the person of Jesus.
Jesus is looking for a personal commitment from each one of us just like St. Peter and Dominic. May God bless you.