Jeremiah 11:9-10. "Again the Lord said to me, 'There is revolt among the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. They have turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, who refused to hear my words; they have gone after other gods to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their fathers.'"

When I read just verse 9, I thought God was saying the people dwelling in Jerusalem and the people dwelling outside the city, but still in Judah, were in revolt against each other. But when I went on to read verse 10, I realized He was saying that all the dwellers of Judah, including everyone in the holy city, were in revolt against God Himself. Then He goes on to include Israel, the kingdom to the north, so God is saying all of the Jews, His entire people, are in revolt against Him. It is a family war, in which all the children have turned against their Father, even though they also have severe disagreements among themselves.

In truth, we get these disagreements among ourselves, just like the Jews did, when we turn from our Father. God is the source of order and unity, His rules for our behavior are designed to foster and protect that order. It is when we stop following Him, refusing to hear His words, and relying instead on our own judgment and passions, that the family in-fighting begins. This disorder we create when we turn from God is then handed on to our children, and if we do not also hand on to them the promise of the covenant, they will be lost and fall into further disorder and chaos.

God made covenants with our forefathers, but they were meant for all of us. Jesus made the new and everlasting covenant with us, and we recommit to it at every Mass in which we participate. But if we are not participating, and not bringing our children, nor teaching them the faith, then we are breaking the covenant, often without realizing it. We then leave our children a world in revolt against God. God will eventually fix such a world, He always does, but it is never easy. We should strive to leave our children the promise of the covenant, rather than leading them into our own iniquities and revolt.