A heart worthy of the Covenant

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

August 4, 2022 - Remembering St. John Maria Vianney
Jeremiah 31: 31-34; Matthew 16: 13-23

The day will come when you will not have to teach your loved ones to know God...for every one will know God in those days, promises the Lord. Jesus applauds Peter, saying his knowledge of Christ was exceptional, because it was God given! The day had come when Peter would know who the Lord was, as we read in Jeremiah.

The reality is that, God reveals Godself to us and we get to know God so intimately. But our memories are so very fickle and short lived. We give into our human tendencies so easily and readily as if there were nothing so great between us and God! Our memories may be thus short, but not God's. God forgives, waits and and readily renews the covenant that God made with us.

John Maria Vianney, remained a great reminder of this fact to his people. Not just his parish of Ars, but the whole region in and around that small little village, came to know the immeasurable love of God through the sacraments and the life of the holy pastor Vianney.  Today too, we are called to be the signs of the promises of the Lord, and challenge humanity towards a heart worthy of the Covenant, beginning right from ourselves. 

The Lord promises to give us a new heart, a heart of flesh, a heart that takes after the sensibilities of God, a heart that sees as God does, a heart that hears as God does, a heart that feels as God does, a heart that loves as God loves... a heart that is worthy of the covenant that God has made with us.