# Jesus Is What We Need – Reflections on Jeremiah 31
*2016-03-12*

> Bill Young reflects on Jeremiah 31’s promise of a new covenant and how Jesus fulfills our deepest longings, especially during the fourth week of Lent.

## A New Covenant in Jeremiah

Bishop Robert Barron’s meditation for Lent highlights Jeremiah 31:31‑34, where the Lord promises a new covenant with Israel and Judah. Unlike the covenant made with their ancestors when God led them out of Egypt, this new covenant will be written on our hearts. God will be our God and we will be His people, and He will forgive our iniquities and remember our sins.

## Jesus as the Fulfillment of the Covenant

The theme for this Saturday, the fourth week of Lent, is “Jesus is what we need.” Jesus does not merely call us servants; He calls us friends, revealing everything He has heard from the Father (John 15:15). His life—His care for the poor, His integrity, daily acts of generosity, and total self‑giving—discloses the mystery of His divine life.

## The Gospel Meets Our Deepest Needs

We often forget that the Gospel responds to our deepest needs. A true friendship with Jesus leads us to love our brothers and sisters. When we express that love, we embody the essential beauty of the Gospel, which speaks to the yearnings of every heart. Its treasures of life and love cannot deceive, and its message never disappoints; it penetrates the depths of our souls, sustaining and emboldening us.

## Prayer for Friendship with Christ

Jesus, help me become a better friend to You by imitating Your love and mercy toward others. Amen.

*In the new covenant, Jesus becomes the friend who fulfills our deepest longings.*