Episode 3228: From Prophecy to Reality: The Covenant Uniting Jeremiah and Peter

From Prophecy to Reality: The Covenant Uniting Jeremiah and Peter
Host (Sharon):
Welcome, everyone, to today’s episode! We’ll be delving into two profound passages, one from the Old Testament and the other from the New, which reveal God’s plan for a New Covenant with His people. From Jeremiah 31:31-33, we’ll hear the Lord’s promise of a new and everlasting covenant. In Matthew 16:18-19, we’ll see Christ build His Church on Peter, establishing it as the rock that will withstand the gates of hell. Through the words of the saints and the wisdom of Church theologians, we’ll explore what it means to be a people of this New Covenant, living within the Church Christ founded.
But lets start with a prayer.
Heavenly Father,
We come before You with hearts open to Your Word and grateful for the gift of Your New Covenant. You, who promised through the prophet Jeremiah to write Your law upon our hearts, have fulfilled that promise in Your Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Church He established upon Peter. We thank You for the sacraments, which nourish and strengthen us to live as Your people, bound to You in grace and love.
Through the intercession of St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, and all Your holy saints, help us to live fully as people of the New Covenant.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
Amen.
So, let’s start by grounding ourselves in these two beautiful verses and then dig into how they’re linked by a promise and fulfillment of God’s divine plan.
Segment 1: Jeremiah 31:31-33 :The Promise of a New Covenant
Walt:
Let’s begin with Jeremiah 31:31-33, where God speaks to Israel about a new kind of covenant. Here’s the passage:
“Behold the days shall come, saith the Lord, and I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers, in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt: the covenant which they made void, and I had dominion over them, saith the Lord. But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel, after those days, saith the Lord: I will give my law in their bowels, and I will write it in their heart: and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
In these verses, God promises to renew His covenant with His people, not like the one given on Mount Sinai. This time, the law will be internalized written on the hearts of the people. God is declaring a shift from an external covenant based on the law of Moses to an internal one, pointing to a transformation of heart and soul.
St. Augustine’s Perspective:
St. Augustine, one of the Church’s greatest minds, often reflected on the nature of this New Covenant. In De Spiritu et Littera, he says that only the New Covenant can truly bring salvation because it’s not a mere outward law but a grace that changes us from within. Augustine saw this promise as a foreshadowing of the work of the Holy Spirit, poured out into our hearts to fulfill the law not just outwardly, but with love.
St. Thomas Aquinas on Divine Law and Grace:
St. Thomas Aquinas takes this a step further. In the Summa Theologica, he describes the New Covenant as grace itself, gifted through Christ, which perfects the law given by Moses. Aquinas points out that God’s promise to “write [the law] in their hearts” indicates a union with God’s grace. Rather than being bound by the law alone, we now have Christ as the law within us, guiding us through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Modern Reflection:
This prophecy encourages us to live the law of God not as something external, but as part of our very being. Through the sacraments, particularly the Eucharist, God renews this covenant with us, feeding us with His grace. Just as He promised to write the law on our hearts, He has now come to dwell within us, fulfilling that promise every time we receive the Blessed Sacrament.
Segment 2: Matthew 16:18-19: The Establishment of the Church on Peter
Sharon:
Now let’s move to Matthew 16:18-19, where we see how Christ takes the promise of Jeremiah and brings it to fulfillment in the establishment of His Church. Jesus speaks these words to Peter:
“And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.”
In this passage, Christ, who is the mediator of the New Covenant, establishes His Church with Peter as the foundation. This Church will be the means through which God’s law is taught, lived, and spread across the world, fulfilling His promise of an everlasting covenant with His people.
St. John Chrysostom on Peter’s Role:
St. John Chrysostom, the “golden-mouthed” preacher, describes this moment as Peter’s elevation to a unique authority given by Christ. He emphasizes that Peter’s role as the rock signifies the firmness of the Church, secured by divine authority. Chrysostom calls Peter the “foundation” on which all Christians stand firm, signifying how God’s people now enter the New Covenant through the Church and are safeguarded by its teachings.
St. Leo the Great on Apostolic Authority:
St. Leo the Great reinforces this by explaining that the “keys of the kingdom” symbolize the authority given to the Church, particularly in Peter, to govern, teach, and sanctify God’s people. St. Leo saw Peter as the living witness to the New Covenant, entrusted with passing on Christ’s law to the faithful and binding the Church together through unity in faith. This authority reflects the “binding and loosing” Christ gives Peter, ensuring that the Church will always safeguard the truth of the New Covenant.

Segment 3: The New Covenant Fulfilled in the Church
Walt:
Together, these two passages Jeremiah’s prophecy and Christ’s commissioning of Peter show the continuity of God’s plan from the Old Covenant to the New. In the Old Covenant, God’s law was external; in the New Covenant, His law is now a grace we carry within us. And through the authority of the Church, Christ has given us the sacraments to feed this grace, especially the Eucharist, the heart of this New Covenant.
St. Augustine on the Church and the New Covenant:
Returning to St. Augustine, we see his belief that the Church is the “city of God,” the place where the New Covenant is preserved, protected, and given to us. In the Church, Augustine says, we are constantly invited to live as people of this New Covenant, with the sacraments as our spiritual nourishment.
St. Thomas Aquinas on the Eucharist as Covenant Renewal:
St. Thomas Aquinas teaches that the Eucharist itself is the “New Covenant in His Blood.” When Christ instituted the Eucharist, He gave us the ultimate means of uniting ourselves with God’s law written on our hearts. Each Mass is a renewal of this covenant, binding us to Christ through the sacrificial love He offered once on the Cross. In the Eucharist, we are reminded of Christ’s promise: “I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
Segment 4: Living the New Covenant as Traditional Catholics
Sharon:
For us, as Catholics, this New Covenant means we live as part of the Church Christ founded upon Peter. We receive the grace of the sacraments and the truth taught by the Magisterium. Traditional Catholic devotion to the Mass, to the Rosary, and to the saints strengthens this union, helping us keep God’s law alive within us.
The saints show us what it means to be people of the New Covenant, living fully within the Church. Through their examples, we learn to honor Christ’s sacrifice, submit to the authority of the Church, and seek to grow in holiness.
Conclusion and Prayer
Walt:
In these two verses, we’ve seen God’s promise of a New Covenant fulfilled through Christ in the Church. Jeremiah’s vision of God’s law written on our hearts finds its completion in the grace Christ gives us through the sacraments. And with Peter as the rock, Christ has given us a Church that stands firm, preserving this New Covenant across generations.
Let’s close in prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, we thank You for fulfilling the promise of a New Covenant. You have built Your Church upon the rock of Peter and have given us the sacraments to live in Your grace. Help us to live faithfully within this New Covenant, with Your law written in our hearts, and guide us through the intercession of St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, and St. John Chrysostom. Amen.
Sharon:
Thank you for joining us today. May you be strengthened in faith, guided by the wisdom of the Church, and blessed with God’s grace as you live out the New Covenant each day. Until next time, may God bless you.