NOTES for Jer 31:23-40

Today the prophet speaks of a future new covenant with God's people. This covenant will be founded on direct knowledge of the Lord, on personal faith, and on each person's personal responsibility before God. The change from the old covenant to the new does not take place automatically. If today we describe ourselves as participants in the new covenant established through Jesus Christ, this unfortunately does not mean that we have already grasped and put into practice the New Testament principles spoken of in Jeremiah's prophecy. Many Christians still live by someone else's faith rather than their own, saying, “I believe what the Church believes,” or, “Let the hierarchs answer before God for all the Church's problems.” Every day we must break through to our own hearts so that we ourselves may love, believe, trust God, and take responsibility for ourselves and for our neighbors. This is incompatible with a consumer's attitude toward God or the Church. It requires personal, person-to-person knowledge of God and His will.