Day 26 · The Nativity Fast
A New Covenant Written on the Heart
“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Juda: not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day when I took hold of their hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; for they abode not in my covenant, and I disregarded them, saith the Lord. For this is my covenant which I will make with the house of Israel; after those days, saith the Lord, I will surely put my laws into their mind, and write them on their hearts; and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people.”Jeremiah 31:31-33 (LXX 38:31-33)
Reflection
Through Jeremiah, God promised a new covenant: not laws on tablets of stone, but laws written on human hearts. The Letter to the Hebrews quotes this promise at length and says it is fulfilled in Christ (Hebrews 8:8-12). At his birth, God's Word does more than speak to us from outside; he takes our nature into himself. And through Baptism, Chrismation, and the Eucharist he comes to live within us. Fasting is one way of letting that inner writing go deeper.
A prayer
Lord, write your law on my heart, not as a burden but as love. Where my heart is stone, make it flesh. Make me truly one of your people, and be my God. Amen.
Carry this with you
Which commandment of Christ do you most need written on your heart right now?