The Lesson of the Transfiguration

In today’s Gospel (Second Sunday of Lent – Year B), we read St. Mark’s account of the Transfiguration:

Jesus took Peter, James, and John
and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them,
and his clothes became dazzling white,
such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.
Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses,
and they were conversing with Jesus.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
"Rabbi, it is good that we are here!
Let us make three tents:
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.
Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them;
from the cloud came a voice,
"This is my beloved Son. Listen to him."
Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone
but Jesus alone with them.
As they were coming down from the mountain,
he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone,
except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
So they kept the matter to themselves,
questioning what rising from the dead meant. (Mk 9:2-10)

A significant point about the Transfiguration is the fact that Jesus told His disciples not to tell anyone about what they had see until after He had risen from the dead. Why would Jesus give such a peculiar instruction when He clearly intended for Sts. Peter, James, and John to experience this momentous and glorious occasion?

To understand this, we need to understand a bit of the context.

Six days prior to this, after Peter had affirmed that Jesus was the Son of God, Jesus began to teach them that He was going to suffer and die at the hands of the religious leaders. Peter rebuked the Lord for thinking such a thing saying that it would never happen. It was in the context of this doubt and unwillingness to believe that Jesus must be killed that the Transfiguration took place.

And so, Jesus took the three disciples up Mt Tabor with Him and revealed to them His glory. This showed them that He truly was who He said He was. Then an interesting thing happened. Moses and Elijah appeared and began to talk to Jesus. About what? St. Luke tell us that they were speaking to Him about His pending death in Jerusalem (see Lk 9:31) – the same death that He Himself had been teaching them about; the same death that the disciples were so sceptical about.

The fact that it was Moses and Elijah is significant because they embodied all the teachings that the disciples, as faithful Jews, held as true and authoritative i.e. Moses represented the Law, and Elijah the Prophets.  

But then something of even greater importance takes place. The mountain becomes engulfed in a cloud, and a voice from Heaven declares: “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to Him!” Suddenly, the vision disappears and the disciples are left alone with Jesus in His normal human state, with His glory veiled once again.

What just happened here? Remember, prior to the Transfiguration, the disciples were disbelieving of Jesus’ teaching that He would undergo suffering and death in Jerusalem. Upon hearing Moses and Elijah speak to Jesus of His impending death, it is likely that they would have been more receptive to Jesus’ words because they held Moses and Elijah in a high and authoritative regard. But God removes Moses and Elijah from their sight and leaves them Jesus. This was to show them that as much as they were prepared to listen to the authoritative teachings of Moses and Elijah, Jesus was the fulfilment of all that the Law and the Prophets taught. Even more so, Jesus was greater than Moses and Elijah. Which is why God says: “This is my Son – listen to HIM!” In other words, it is as if God is saying: “You were prepared to listen to Moses and Elijah? Great! Now, here is my Son, the One whom Moses and Elijah prophesied of. Here is my Son, who is greater than Moses and Elijah. You were prepared to listen to Moses and Elijah? Great! Now, listen to my Son!”

Jesus purpose for taking the disciples up on the Mount of Transfiguration was so that they could overcome their doubt and believe what He was telling them about His mission to go and suffer and die in Jerusalem. This is probably why Jesus also told them not to blaze this miraculous event all over the place until after His Resurrection. To do so could have an endangering effect on His mission.

I think that the way this passage concludes shows that Jesus’ intention had its desired effect. Notice that once they had come down from the mountain, the disciples were no longer questioning or disputing Jesus’ teaching that He was going to suffer and die. Now their focus shifted to what Jesus meant by His “rising from the dead”. For the answer to this question, the disciples would have to wait until that magnificent Easter Sunday morning when Jesus would rise gloriously from the grave to claim His victory over sin and death.

Temptation that leads to Victory

 

This past Sunday was the First Sunday of Lent, and the reading (Year B) was taken from Mk 1:12-15:

The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert,

and he remained in the desert for forty days,

tempted by Satan.

He was among wild beasts,

and the angels ministered to him.

 

After John had been arrested,

Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God:

"This is the time of fulfillment.

The kingdom of God is at hand.

Repent, and believe in the gospel."

 

There is so much that can be said about this passage, and how it relates to our own Lenten journey as we unite ourselves with Christ through His temptations in the wilderness. However, nothing that I say could ever match what St. Augustine had to say on the matter (which can be found in the Second Reading in the Office of Readings for the First Sunday of Lent). It is so powerful, and has as much relevance for us today as it had in St. Augustine’s day. So here it is:

 

[Jesus] made us one with Him when He chose to be tempted by Satan. We have heard in the Gospel how the Lord Jesus Christ was tempted by the devil in the wilderness. Certainly Christ was tempted by the devil. In Christ you were tempted, for Christ received His flesh from your nature, but by His own power gained salvation for you; He suffered death in your nature, but by His own power gained life for you; He suffered insults in your nature, but by His own power gained glory for you; therefore, He suffered temptation in your nature, but by His own power gained victory for you.

If in Christ we have been tempted, in Him we overcome the devil. Do you think only of Christ's temptations and fail to think of His victory? See yourself as tempted in Him, and see yourself as victorious in Him. He could have kept the devil from Himself; but if He were not tempted He could not teach you how to triumph over temptation.

What St. Augustine has said is so profound. It is one of those passages which one could tirelessly read over and over again, and each time glean eternal spiritual value. It would take ages to unpack all that he has said. Instead, without diminishing anything else he has stated, here are some of the key highlights of this passage for me, which are so rich that they are worthy of meditation in and of themselves:

  

• He suffered death in your nature, but by His own power gained life for you
• He suffered insults in your nature, but by His own power gained glory for you
• He suffered temptation in your nature, but by His own power gained victory for you
• If in Christ we have been tempted, in Him we overcome the devil
• Do you think only of Christ’s temptations and fail to think of His victory?
• See yourself as tempted in Him, and see yourself as victorious in Him.
• If He were not tempted He could not teach you how to triumph over temptation.

In Matt 6:16-18 our Lord tells us that when we fast, we are to do so with a countenance of joy. This makes so much sense when we remember that by truly uniting our fasting to Christ, we experience VICTORY!!! We experience victory in Him, with Him, and through Him.

So, may these words of St. Augustine be to us a constant reminder and source of strength for us as we continue our Lenten journey towards the glorious victory that we experience when we celebrate as Christ’s Body and Bride in the Feast of Easter.

Lent, Fasting, and Abstinence

It seems like it was only just the other day that we were celebrating Christmas, and now all of a sudden Lent is upon us – beginning with Ash Wednesday this week.

Lent is a forty day period of purification and penance in which we imitate our Lord Jesus Christ who, by fasting in the wilderness for forty days and overcoming the temptations of Satan, showed Himself to be the New Adam who remains faithful to the commandments of God, and so He ensures our salvation if we unite ourselves to Him and follow Him in the same obedience. The Catechism reminds us that “by the solemn forty days of Lent the Church unites herself each year to the mystery of Jesus in the desert” – CCC # 540.

Catholics are bound by the precepts of the Church to observe the Lenten season as a time of penance and purification in preparation for the great celebration of Easter. This penance, to be real and meritorious, must first of all be interior; which then is expressed outwardly “in many and various ways.  Scripture and the Fathers insist above all on three forms, fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, which express conversion in relation to oneself, to God, and to others.” (CCC # 1434).

Broadly speaking, this means that during Lent, as we repent inwardly and grow closer to God, we should be showing this outwardly by things such as spending more time in prayer and Scripture. We should be more generous in giving of our time, talents, and possessions to others in need. And we must be prepared to sacrifice things that we enjoy, or even sometimes need, for the purpose of teaching us to rely more fully on God. How this looks will vary from person to person, depending on their own circumstances and commitments to God.

In addition to the above, the season of Lent itself begins and ends with a more specific and explicit kind of fasting. The beginning of Lent is marked by Ash Wednesday, which is a day of fasting and abstinence. Then, towards the end of Lent, we observe another day of fasting and abstinence on Good Friday. The season of Lent is drawn to a close with the Easter Vigil on the Saturday night before Easter Sunday, when we celebrate the glorious Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The observation of Ash Wednesday and Good Friday as days of fasting and abstinence are also precepts of the Church, which means that as Catholics we are bound to observe them. So, in this regard, I thought that it would be a good idea to touch on what the Church means by the terms “fasting” and “abstinence” to remind us of our obligations as Catholics.

Fasting: To fulfil this obligation, Catholics are required to take in no more than one full meal and two small meals (which together make up less than the one full meal) on the relevant day of fasting. Only those aged between 18 and 59 years are required to fast. Obviously, this is a minimum requirement. Catholics who want to offer up a greater fast can observe a “bread and water” fast; or even an “absolute fast” where no food or fluid is taken in.

Abstinence: This refers to a complete refraining from eating of any meat. This requirement extends to those older than 14 years.

This means that on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, we are required to observe at least the minimum fast, and we are also to abstain completely from meat in any of the meals that we may eat during the course of the day.

One particular detail that many Catholics aren’t aware of is that Sundays are not included in the observation of Lent. This is because it is the celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection – which means that every Sunday is in effect “Easter Sunday”. Because it is the Feast of feasts, it trumps all fasts. Moreover, a simple calculation shows that the number of days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday, minus the Sundays in between, equals forty days.

As a side note, many Catholics are probably not aware that ALL Fridays in the year are days of penance, in memory of the death of our Lord Jesus on Good Friday. In the past, this was strictly observed by each Friday also being a day of abstinence – or what was commonly called “fish Fridays”. Following Vatican II, the Church lifted the requirement for strict abstinence on Fridays; but she never lifted the requirement to observe every Friday as a day of penance. For this reason, the Church still recommends the practice of abstinence on Fridays; but where people choose not to abstain from meat, they are still required to perform another form of outward penance in keeping with the overall nature of Friday as a day of penance.

Another fast that all Catholics are required to observe is the Eucharistic fast – which means that Catholics are obligated to abstain from all food and drink (except for water and medicine) for at least one hour before receiving Holy Communion.

I know that there is a bit of information to digest here, especially for those Catholics who might not be aware of the Church’s precepts in this regard – and for some it might even appear “burdensome”. But I think that if we remember that this is something that we are doing out of love for our Lord in preparation for Easter, then we start to realise that everything we offer is but a drop in the ocean compared with the great price that Christ paid in offering Himself to us on Calvary as the once-for-all Sacrifice for our sins.

[Postscript: It was recently pointed out to me that, despite the Church's lifting of the strict requirement for abstinence on all Fridays of the year, Catholics are still obligated to abstinence on ALL Fridays during Lent.]

The Great Gifts of Jesus and Mary

A little while ago I posted a blog on St. Maximillian Kolbe’s Eucharistic and Marian theology and devotion. As I mentioned previously, he saw these two devotions as inseparable.

I was reminded of this awesome truth last week while watching Mike Willisee's DVD on the Eucharist. The point was made in the DVD regarding three great gifts in the Life and Ministry of our Lord Jesus:

1)  In the Incarnation, the Virgin Mary gave the Lord Jesus Christ the gift of her flesh and blood.

2) During the Last Supper, Jesus gave us the gift of His Body and Blood as the perpetual remembrance and representation of His once-for-all Sacrifice on Calvary.

3) As He hung on the Cross, one of the last things our Lord did before He died was to give us His Mother to be our very own  .

As we contemplate how these three Mysteries are linked together and how they come “full-circle”, we begin to appreciate how intricately united Eucharistic and Marian devotion is. We also begin to realise that Jesus is so completely united with His Mother that they CANNOT be separated. It is for this reason that the Church since her earliest days, especially through the writings of the Saints, reminds us that if we wish to draw nearer to Jesus, the surest and best way is through the Blessed Virgin Mary.

So may we never cease to offer God the deepest gratitude for these immense and inseparable gifts – the gift of His Blessed Mother to intercede for us; and the gift of His Most Precious Body and Blood as food for our souls unto Eternal Life.

Adam, where are you?

One of the things I love about reading Sacred Scripture is that there are often hidden gems – some hard to find, and some not so hard. To find them, we often have to read passages that are familiar to us with a fresh set of eyes, so to speak.

There is one such gem contained in the account of the Fall in Genesis 3. After Adam and Eve had eaten of the forbidden fruit, their eyes were opened and they knew they were naked. And when God came walking through the Garden in the cool of the day, they hid. At this point in the story, God does something very interesting. As He walks, He calls out to Adam and Eve: “Where are you?”

“What is so interesting about that?” you may ask. Well, consider this....if God is omniscient (knowing everything) and omnipresent (present everywhere) then He already knew that Adam and Eve had sinned, that they were now hiding...and He even knew WHERE they were hiding. So why would an omniscient and omnipresent God ask “Where are you?”

One possible reason could be that God was calling for Adam and Eve to take ownership of their disobedience – which I think is a perfectly plausible explanation. But, I wonder if God’s question isn’t even more theologically loaded.

Think about it this way. God was obviously not asking the question for His own benefit.  Which means that He was asking the question for the benefit of Adam and Eve. I think that was God was saying to Adam and Eve is that they were now LOST.

Then, upon finding them, God provides a way of hope and a promise of redemption in what is commonly called the Protoevangelium (first pronouncement of the Gospel):

“I will put enmity between you [the serpent] and the woman, and between your seed and hers; she will crush your head, and you will lie in wait for her heel.” – Gen 3:15

This redemption is brought to fruition with the Advent of our Lord Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary. I think that it is possible that the Lord Jesus, the New Adam, had Genesis 3 in mind when He said in Lk 19:10:

“For the Son of Man [i.e. the Son of Adam] came to seek out and save the lost.”

Just as God walked through the Garden of Eden seeking out Adam who was lost, so now, God the Son came in the Incarnation to seek and to save the sons and daughters of Adam who were lost by the sin of their first parents.

The Gospel reading in Mass today (5^th Sunday of Ordinary Time) also has some bearing on this subject; because we are told that when the disciples told Jesus “Everyone is searching for you” (Mk 1:37); Jesus responds in a way that implies that it is in fact He that is looking for them:

“Let us go on to the neighbouring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” – Mk 1:38

Jesus’ mission of seeking the lost race of Adam didn’t end when He ascended into Heaven. The mission is continued through His Body, the Church – which is why we are told in the New Testament reading today that St. Paul felt such a great compulsion to be a slave to all so that by any means possible He might win some by His preaching of the Gospel (see 1 Cor 9:16-23).

So, following the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, His Apostles, and all the Saints throughout history, may we never be ashamed of proclaiming the Gospel – remembering that once we too were lost. And now that we have been found by God’s grace, may we also be found worthy to be called Christians; preaching the Gospel often...and if necessary, using words.

When did the Catholic Church Apostatise?

Earlier this week, I was engaged in another interesting discussion – this time with a Protestant friend who claimed that the Catholic Church is apostate, and it all started going wrong from 325AD with the edict of Emperor Constantine when he declared Christianity as the State religion. From that time forward, he claims, the Church became more and more nominal until it ultimately became so debased that it ultimately became apostate i.e. it rejected the truth of the Gospel for superstitions, lies, and heresies.

This is not an uncommon argument from Protestants, who claim that with the edict of Constantine, the Church fell away from the truth taught by the Apostles; and that this state of apostasy prevailed until the Church was rescued by men like Martin Luther during the time of the Protestant Reformation.

If this view is correct, then it means that the Church was in a state of apostasy for almost 1200 years before Martin Luther came on the scene; and it ends up making a liar of Jesus who said that the Holy Spirit would lead the Church into ALL truth (Jn 16:13).

This lie would be compounded by the fact that Jesus said the Gates of Hell would not prevail against the Church (Matt 16:18); whereas, according to their claim, the Church that Christ founded ended up being apostate for about three quarters of the time that had elapsed between Christ’s founding of the Church and the time of Protestant Reformation.

Now we know that God cannot lie, so this position held by many Protestant falls flat on this point alone.

However, to further prove how untenable their position is, it must be remembered that significant points of orthodox theology were officially declared only AFTER Constantine’s edict e.g. Arianism (rejected in 325AD); the New Testament Canon (declared after 325AD); Pelagianism (rejected in 416AD); Nestorianism (rejected in 430AD); Monophysitism (rejected in 451AD); Monothelitism (rejected in 680AD) – to name just a few.

Such monumentally important theological decisions could never have been upheld correctly by a Church that had become apostate; unless, the Church was divinely protected by God from teaching error on these points – which is exactly what the Catholic Church has held all along i.e. the Catholic Church can never become apostate because she is led, and always has been led, by the Holy Spirit ever since she was established by the Lord Jesus Christ.

In addition, we can see that their position is even less tenable when examined in light of the Church Fathers before 325AD. I have provided several quotes from the Church Fathers below which clearly show that they held doctrines which are unreservedly Catholic – the same doctrines which Protestants often claim only crept in AFTER 325AD once the Church had “slipped into apostasy”.

The Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist:

“They [people with heterodox opinions] abstain from the Eucharist...because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the Flesh of our Saviour Jesus Christ, Flesh which suffered for our sins and which the Father, in His goodness, raised up again.” – St Ignatius of Antioch, AD110

“We call this food Eucharist; and no one else is permitted to partake of it, except one who believes our teaching to be true and who has been washed in the washing which is for the remission of sins and for regeneration, and is thereby living as Christ has enjoined. For not as common bread nor common drink do we receive these; but since Jesus Christ our Saviour was made incarnate by the word of God and had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so too...the food which has been made into the Eucharist by the Eucharistic prayer set down by Him, and by the change of which our blood and flesh is nourished, is both the flesh and the blood of that incarnated Jesus.” – St. Justin Martyr, AD128
[Please also notice the reference to baptismal regeneration].

The Eucharist as Sacrifice:

“He [Jesus] took from among creation that which is bread, and gave thanks, saying, “This is My Body”. The cup likewise, which is from among the creation to which we belong, He confessed to be His Blood. He taught the new sacrifice of the new covenant of which Malachi prophesied [Mal 1:10-11]. By these words He makes it plain that the former people [Israel] will cease to make offerings to God; but that in every place sacrifice will be offered to Him, and indeed, a pure one.” – St. Irenaeus, AD180

“Also in the priest Melchisedek we see the Sacrament of the Sacrifice of the Lord prefigured...when He offered sacrifice to God the Father, He offered the very same which Melchisedek had offered, namely bread and wine, which is in fact His Body and Blood!” – St. Cyprian, AD252

The Primacy of Rome:

“But since it would be too long to enumerate the succession [from the Apostles] of all churches, we shall here point out the successions of the bishops of the greatest and most ancient Church known to all, founded and organised at Rome by the two most glorious Apostles, Peter and Paul....For with this Church, because of its superior origin, all Churches must agree, that is, all the faithful in the whole world; and it is in her [the Church of Rome] that the faithful everywhere have maintained the Apostolic tradition.” – St. Irenaeus, AD180
[In the very next verses, St. Irenaeus lists the Apostolic Succession of Rome from St. Peter onwards...the same succession which leads to Pope Benedict XVI today.]

Apostolic Succession:

“But what is his error, and how great his blindness...who does not remain on the foundation of the one Church which was founded upon the rock by Christ, can be learned from this, which Christ said to Peter alone: “Whatever think you shall bind...[Matt 16:19];” and by this: “Receive the Holy Spirit: if you forgive any man his sins, they shall be forgiven...[Jn 20:22-23]. Therefore the power of forgiving sins was given to the Apostles and to the Churches which these men, sent by Christ, established; and to the bishops who succeeded them by being ordained in their place.” – Firmillian of Caesarea, AD255

[Also note the reference to the forgiveness of sins, as well as the inference of the primacy of St. Peter and his successors].

Infallibility of the Church (i.e. the Church cannot teach doctrinal error):

“For the Lord received anointing on His head in order that He might breathe incorruptibility on the Church. Do not be anointed with the evil odour of the teachings of the prince of this world...” – St. Ignatius, AD110

“Grant, then, that all have erred [as Protestants suggest]; that the Apostle was mistaken in bearing witness; that the Holy Spirit had no such consideration for any one Church as to lead it into truth, although He was sent for that purpose by Christ, who had asked the Father to make Him the Teacher of truth; that the Steward of God and Vicar of Christ neglected his office, and permitted the Churches for a time to understand otherwise and to believe otherwise than He Himself had preached through the Apostles: now, is it likely that so many and such great Churches should have gone astray into a unity of faith?” – Tertullian, AD200

And just for icing on the cake, here’s a couple on prayers for those who have died:

“We offer sacrifices [talking about the Eucharist] for the dead on anniversary of their death.” – Tertullian, AD211

“A woman, after the death of her husband...prays for his soul and asks that he may, while waiting, find rest; and that he may share in the first resurrection. And each year, on the anniversary of his death, she offers the sacrifice.” – Tertullian again.

The above quotes are just the tip of the iceberg from the Church Fathers. The more we read the Fathers, the more we will see that what they were taught by the Apostles, and what they were martyred for, was nothing less than the True Faith which the Catholic Church continues to hold to this day.

One final point, in respect of the accusation of nominalism that crept in after 325AD...

Whilst it may be true that more Christians were becoming nominal after 325AD, this does not disprove the validity of the Catholic Church. To paraphrase what Fr. Barron said in a recent video: Finding sin and abuse in the 2,000 year history of the Catholic Church is like shooting fish in a barrel. It really isn’t difficult. After all, the Church is filled with sinners...and sinners sin.

Additionally, we also need to remember that as nominal, and oftentimes wicked, as Old Testament Israel was, she was still considered the people of God. In fact, if we are talking about the Protestant Reformation, a Scriptural equivalent to Martin Luther would arguably have been King Jeroboam who ended up severing the Northern Kingdom from Israel and subsequently changed the way that the Northern Kingdom believed and worshipped (sounds very much like what happened in the Protestant Reformation). As a result, Jereboam became responsible for leading the people further away from God.

However, the difference between Old Covenant Israel and the New Covenant Church is that God promised that, under the New Covenant, His people would never again fall away in apostasy (contrary to what Protestants may claim happened following 325AD). [For more on this, see the blog I posted recently which touches on this very topic.]

In summary, it seems quite evident that Protestants either have to admit that the Church was never apostate – the doctrines post 325AD were very much the same as pre 325AD (albeit that they had developed, as theology does); or they have to amend their position and hold that the Church became apostate well before 325AD, and even within the first century – making Jesus Christ an even bigger liar than mentioned above. Surely we should be able to see that there is only one viable option...

Purgatory and the New Covenant

This blog is inspired by a conversation I had with a friend recently. He mentioned that non-Catholics sometimes bring up Jer 31:34 (and it’s counter-quote in Heb 8:12) when trying to refute the doctrine of Purgatory. Personally, I have never come across this exact argument, but I have come across similar arguments. So, I thought that it would be a good opportunity to blog on the topic.

The verse that is raised says:

“...for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.”

Based on this verse the argument basically claims that Purgatory goes against the Bible because in Purgatory there is a “remembering of sins”.

There may be a few ways to refute this “anti-Purgatory” argument, but really the argument fails on two basic levels:

1) Firstly, Jer 31:31-34 must be read in context. The book of Jeremiah was originally intended for the remnant of Israel (i.e. the Southern Kingdom of Judah). Just like the Northern Kingdom had gone into exile under the Assyrians because they were unfaithful to God; now God was about to do the same to the Southern Kingdom because they had broken His covenant (particularly by the sins of idolatry and false worship). The prophecy was fulfilled when the Babylonians invaded Jerusalem, destroyed Solomon’s Temple, and led the people into captivity.

So, what does this have to do with Jeremiah’s words in Jer 31:31ff? Basically, Jeremiah is saying that because Judah had been unfaithful by not remembering God’s covenant, He was about to impose the covenant curses upon them by “remembering their sins” and sending them into exile (Jer 31:32). In exile they would be free to worship the false gods that they had forsaken the true God for (cp Ezek 20:32).

But Jeremiah’s words are not all doom and gloom. Part of God’s message to His people is that there is hope. In His rich mercy, God does not completely forsake His people. Instead He makes the promise of a New Covenant (Jer 31:31ff) which would by far surpass the Old Covenant. And part of what would make the New Covenant better than the Old was that under the New Covenant, God’s people would no longer break covenant with Him because He would inscribe His law on their hearts (v33).

The New Covenant came into effect with the Crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ, and was formally instituted on the night before His death when, in the Eucharist, He gave His Body and Blood to His Twelve Apostles (as representatives of the New Twelve Tribes of Israel). And so it is that the Church, built upon the foundation of the Apostles, is the New Covenant people that Jeremiah was talking about. And what Jeremiah is saying in Jer 31:31-34 is that the New Covenant Church would never break covenant with God again by virtue of the fact that His law would be inscribed on their hearts (which St. Paul tells us is the work of the Holy Spirit e.g. 2 Cor 3:3). In this way, God would never have to “remember the sins” of His people again. Our Lord Jesus said the same thing but in different words when He said that He would send His Spirit to guide the Church into all the truth (Jn 16:12); and elsewhere that the Gates of Hell would never prevail against His Church (Matt 16:18).

2) Secondly, in light of the above, the argument fails because Purgatory is not for individuals who have broken covenant with God (e.g. through mortal sin); rather, the Catechism tells us that Purgatory is for those who “die in God’s grace and friendship” but are still not completely or perfectly purified. So, whilst we haven’t broken covenant with God, there may still be venial sins that haven’t been confessed (or that we aren’t even aware of – because sins of ignorance are still sins despite the fact that culpability is lessened).

In addition, there is also the issue of making reparation for our sins. Forgiveness of sins is one thing, but reparation is still necessary. For example, if someone confessed to me that they had stolen $20 out of my wallet, I would gladly forgive them, but justice requires that they would still need to make amends by restoring the $20 to me. The forgiveness precedes the restoration of the money, but it doesn’t negate it. In this sense Purgatory is also about making reparation for sins which have been confessed and forgiven, but complete reparation has not yet been made.

If we acknowledge that God is so completely holy that He cannot look upon sin, then it follows that it is necessary to have some form of purgation after we die to cleanse us completely from sins that haven’t yet been confessed before our death and/or to make reparation for the demands of God’s righteous justice where we haven’t sufficiently done so whilst alive on earth.

Purgatory is thus a complete purification so that we “may attain the beatific vision of God”. Even C.S. Lewis, an Anglican theologian widely renowned by Protestants of all denominations, believed in Purgatory saying that any Christian who had a right understanding of the holiness and justice of God, and our own unworthiness because of our sin, would gladly welcome the doctrine of Purgatory as a preparation and purification so that we could enter the Most Holy Presence of God.  

In summary, an anti-Purgatory argument based on Jer 31:31-34 and Heb 8:12 does not stand because it misrepresents what the Catholic Church ACTUALLY teaches about Purgatory, and it also fails to take into context what Jeremiah was actually saying.

On the contrary, Jer 31:31ff actually proves to be one of the many passages of Sacred Scripture which affirms that the Catholic Church is the true Church which will NEVER fall because it is the New Covenant Church founded by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. And, unlike Israel of old, the New Israel of God will especially never break covenant with God by idolatry and false worship (despite what Protestants have to say about Catholic worship and devotion).

So let us thank God for His Holy Catholic Church which has stood through the ages by His good grace; and let us never cease to praise Him for the wonderful gift of gathering us into this Glorious Body of Christ so that He can continue to pour His grace into our lives by means of the Sacraments.