I will make a new covenant with them, a covenant that will be unlike the old one, for I will place my law within their hearts. In the Vat II document Gaudium et Spes, we are reminded that God can reach each person and speak to him/her in the depths of his/her heart, in his/her conscience. It was an assertion that served as a reminder, not only of the accessibility of God but also of the responsibility that each individual bears when it comes to the morality of the decisions that we make. The responsibility borne by each individual stems from the fact that God has put within each individual God’s law: “Always summoning [one] to love good and avoid evil, the voice of conscience can, when necessary speak to [one’s] heart more specifically: do this, shun that” ( Gaudium et Spes 16). In other words, the inaccessibility of God’s law should no longer be an excuse. This is the very point that we hear in our First Reading today.
The Lord through the prophet Jeremiah talks of a covenant to be made between God and God’s people. The Lord says it is going to be a new covenant, one that will differ from the old covenant(s). Unlike the old covenant(s) that were sealed “exteriorly,” the new covenant will be sealed from within, in the hearts of men and women. The “seal” will be the accessibility of God’s laws by each and every man, for the Lord will be the teacher of these laws. Unlike the old covenant(s) in which God’s laws had to be “interpreted” by men, in the new covenant, there will be no need for interpreters, for the Lord will speak to each in his/her own language, and in a version that can be understood by him/her. The making of this new covenant will mark the dawn of a new day, a new beginning in the relationship between God and God’s people. It will be a relationship marked by obedience to God’s law. It is this obedience to God’s law that ultimately leads to forgiveness of sins.