The Israelites repeatedly had broken the covenants God made with them, and yet in today’s Old Testament Reading He promises a new covenant. This one, however, will not be based on the external Law of God; by pure grace, it will be written on the hearts of God’s people. To do that, God sent His Son, who paid for all sin by offering Himself as both priest and sacrifice. Although we are all imperfect, knowing that we have been forgiven only by the grace of God, we have the desire to love one another. As we recall our Lord’s Passion in the coming weeks, we will recognize that love means forgiving, giving oneself for others. Jesus puts it bluntly in the Gospel: The greatest in the kingdom of God is the one who serves all the others. And, of course, the greatest is our Lord Jesus, who loves us to death.