First Reading (Jeremiah 31,31-34)
Reading from the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah.
“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, and they broke it, but I exercised my power over them, says the Lord. This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts; I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbor or their brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord!’; all will acknowledge me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord, for I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more.”
– The word of the Lord.
– Thanks be to God.
Gospel (Matthew 16,13-23)
Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew.
— Glory to you, Lord.
At that time, Jesus went to the region of Caesarea Philippi and asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others Elijah; and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” Then Jesus asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. Therefore I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of Hades will never overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then Jesus ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. Jesus began to show them that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly at the hands of the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid, Lord! May this never happen to you!” But Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of men.”
— Word of Salvation.
— Glory to you, Lord.
Reflecting the Word of God
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Imagine yourself standing in front of a mirror. Not an ordinary mirror, but a magic mirror that reflects not only your physical appearance, but also the state of your soul. What would you see? Who are you really? And more importantly, who does God say you are?
Today’s readings invite us on a profound journey of self-discovery and spiritual renewal. A journey that takes us from the old to the new, from the surface to the core of our being, from who we think we are to who God calls us to be.
Let us begin with the powerful words of the prophet Jeremiah: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.” What an extraordinary statement! God, the Creator of the universe, the Eternal One, is announcing something new. But what is so special about this “new covenant”?
To understand, we need to go back in time. Think back to Mount Sinai, where God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses. That was the old covenant, written on tablets of stone. It was external, a set of rules to be followed. But now God promises something radically different.
“I will put my law within you and write it on your hearts.” Imagine that for a moment. God’s law is no longer an external set of rules, but an integral part of who we are. It’s as if God is saying, “I don’t just want you to follow my rules; I want to transform your very being.”
This new covenant is about internal transformation. It’s about God rewriting our deepest identity. It’s no longer “do this” or “don’t do that,” but “be this”—be love, be compassion, be justice.
And there’s more: “I will be their God, and they will be my people.” This is a declaration of intimacy, of deep relationship. It’s not a distant relationship between a sovereign and his subjects, but an intimate connection between a loving father and his beloved children.
But how does this connect to our lives today? How do we experience this new covenant in the midst of the struggles and challenges of everyday life?
This is where today’s Gospel comes in, offering us a vivid illustration of this inner transformation.
Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” Their answers vary: John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. These are not wrong answers, but they are incomplete. They are external views, based on superficial observations.
Then comes the crucial question: “But who do you say that I am?” This is no longer a question about external opinions. It is an invitation to deep reflection, a call to look beyond the surface and recognize the transforming truth before them.
And it is Peter who answers: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” In this moment, Peter is not just reciting a fact; he is making a profound declaration of faith and recognition. It is as if the eyes of his heart are opened, allowing him to see beyond the carpenter from Nazareth and recognize the Messiah, the very Son of God.
Jesus responds, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.” Here’s the key: this revelation did not come from human knowledge or logical reasoning. It was a divine revelation, a glimpse of the new covenant in action.
It is as if God had written this truth on Peter’s heart, fulfilling the promise made through Jeremiah. Peter experienced a moment of spiritual clarity, an instant when the law written on his heart aligned perfectly with the reality before him.
But the story doesn’t end there. Moments later, when Jesus speaks of his coming suffering, Peter rebukes him. And Jesus responds sharply, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, for you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men!”
What a shocking contrast! The same Peter who received a divine revelation is now called “Satan.” What happened?
This is a powerful reminder that the inner transformation promised in the new covenant is not a one-time event but an ongoing process. Even after moments of profound spiritual revelation, we can still fall into worldly patterns of thinking. Peter was thinking in human terms at that moment. He could not conceive that the Messiah, the Son of God, could suffer and die. This went against all his expectations and desires. How often do we fall into this trap? How often do we try to mold God and His plans into our own limited expectations? How often do we resist the path He has laid out for us because it does not fit our vision of how things should be? The new covenant does not promise a life without challenges or confusion. Rather, it promises ongoing transformation, a process of ever-increasing alignment with the heart of God. Sometimes this means unlearning old patterns of thinking, letting go of ingrained expectations, and embracing a broader view of God’s plan.
Returning to the image of the magic mirror, I ask: What do you see now? Do you see someone in the process of transformation? Someone whose heart is being rewritten by God’s love?
The good news is that, just as with Peter, God does not give up on us when we stumble. Every mistake, every misunderstanding, every moment of worldly thinking becomes an opportunity for more growth, more transformation, more alignment with God’s heart.
Jeremiah gives us another wonderful promise: “For I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sins no more.” This is the foundation of the new covenant: God’s radical forgiveness. No matter how many times we mess up, no matter how many times our thoughts stray from God’s path, His forgiveness is always available, His love always ready to realign us.
So, dear brothers and sisters, what do we do with all of this? How do we live in light of this new covenant?
First, we embrace our identity as new covenant people. We recognize that God is continually writing His law in our hearts, transforming us from the inside out.
Second, we seek out moments of divine revelation, as Peter did. This means creating spaces in our lives to hear from God, whether through prayer, meditation on Scripture, or contemplative silence.
Third, we remain humble, recognizing that even after moments of great spiritual revelation, we can still make mistakes. When this happens, we do not despair, but quickly turn to God, trusting in His forgiveness and guidance.
Fourth, we commit to setting our minds on “the things of God” and not just “the things of men.” This means constantly aligning our thoughts, desires, and actions with God’s will, even when it challenges our personal expectations or desires.
Finally, we live in community. The new covenant is not just individual, but collective. “They shall be my people,” says the Lord. Together, as the Church, we support one another on this journey of transformation.
Brothers and sisters, the new covenant is not just a distant promise, but a living, breathing reality. God is writing His law on your heart right now. He is inviting you into a deeper relationship with Him right now.
May we, like Peter, have moments of divine clarity where we truly recognize who Jesus is. And when we inevitably stumble, may we quickly realign our thoughts with God’s.
May the Holy Spirit continue the work of transformation in each of us, rewriting our identities, renewing our minds, and realigning our hearts with the heart of the Father.
And may one day, when we look into that magic mirror of the soul, we will see reflected not only our own image, but the image of Christ shining through us, fully fulfilling the promise of the new covenant.
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all, today and always. Amen.
