Out with the Old, In with the New

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

In today’s first reading, the author of the letter to the Hebrews makes a case to Israel for the New Covenant established in Jesus Christ, the one eternal High Priest. The author make an argument for the need of a New Covenant, indicating that the original covenant with Israel was temporary and imperfect.

This would have been a new message to many in Israel, who foresaw the coming of the Messiah as the crowning of the old covenant, rather than the establishment of a new one. But as we understand from the letter to the Hebrews, the old covenant, while foreshadowing the new, was itself ultimately inadequate and destined to be replaced. It was fundamentally different from the New Covenant, because the human side of the bargain was to live by the laws God gave to Moses. The basis for the New Covenant is fundamentally different: It is the merit of the human blood poured out as a sacrifice for the atonement of sins, effective in washing away those sins because the human making the sacrifice is also God.

So, where the fundamental basis for the old covenant is the faithful fulfillment of the Law, the fundamental basis for the New Covenant is mercy and grace brought by Christ. The part each of us plays in the New Covenant is therefore also fundamentally different. Our role is not a legalistic one–compliance with the Law–but rather the continual gift of ourselves to our Savior in loving acceptance of, and gratitude for, His unmerited grace and forgiveness.

Once again, we see in today’s gospel all these heady concepts made wonderful, concrete reality. Jesus is in the midst of laying the groundwork for the embodiment of the New Covenant, the Church, by calling his first apostles, who will be the foundations stones of that structure.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Ask Jesus to help you not to become confused, thinking that His Covenant is still one of servile compliance. Ask Him to help you make a sincere and total gift of yourself, in your prayer and in your action and life.