Tag: <span>Covenant</span>

June 6, 2021June 4, 2021

The Blood of the Covenant

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

The blood of the covenant–this is a standout theme of all three readings today, as well as the psalm.

Given the feast we are celebrating today, the theme could be different. It is the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. The theme could be His continued presence among us: “And behold, I am with you always, unto the end of the age.” (cf. Mt. 28:20)

Or, the theme could be the sacrifice re-presented in the Eucharist–the sacrifice Jesus makes on the altar every time the Body and Blood are consecrated, the re-presentation of the one sacrifice of Calvary.

But repeated over and over again in today’s readings is the theme of blood poured out in establishment of a covenant.

And indeed, the whole point of Jesus’ Incarnation, life, passion, death, Resurrection, and Ascension was to establish and consummate a definitive covenant with human beings collectively, and each human being individually, within the Church.

That covenant is union with Him, union with the Trinity, based on the fulfillment on a promise of a mutual gift of self.

Said differently, it is Communion. And it is paid for with a high price: Jesus’ very blood poured out, the blood of the covenant.

And indeed, when we contemplate the Eucharist, we are contemplating two closely related realities, corresponding to the two climaxes of the Mass: The sacrifice of the Body and the Blood, and the covenant of Communion.

The Eucharist is the entire effective dynamic of Jesus’ self-gift and self-sacrifice, perpetually encapsulated in two physical realities: The Body and the Blood, in the forms of bread and wine.

At every Mass we enter into a concentrated real-life presentation of the entire saving mystery, and its effect within us. We behold the blood poured out, and we enter into the Covenant.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Ask Jesus for the gift of a deeper penetration into the mystery of the Eucharist, and more saturating experience of this saving mystery at every Mass.

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January 22, 2021January 13, 2021

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.

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January 19, 2021January 12, 2021

The Pledge

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

Life is overwhelming; if we take its responsibilities seriously, it is more than we can handle. But while remaining diligent, we need to take our responsibilities in stride. Because Jesus has pledged to take care of us, and this extends to our responsibilities as well.

Today’s first reading from the letter to the Hebrews points out what perhaps should be obvious: That God is always faithful to His oaths. He fulfills what He promises to do. He swore on Himself to provide descendants as numerous as the stars for Abraham, despite the apparent impossibility. Even though it didn’t seem to make sense, Abraham believed God, and patiently waited for the promise of the birth of his heir to be fulfilled.

But then, what has God promised to us? In the Gospel, Jesus promises us the care of the Father when He talks about how much more valuable to the Father we are than the exquisitely-attired lilies of the field, how we are much more valuable than many sparrows, how every hair on our heads is counted (cf. Mt. 6:25-34)… And He sealed this oath with His own blood.

So, God has promised, with the same solemnity of His promise to Abraham, to look after our every need. Sometimes we look at the world around us, at the apparently random tragedies and misfortunes that befall people, and we become scared. Perhaps we doubt God’s Providence, or perhaps we allow ourselves to think that God does not take care of some people because they have not earned His care with a good life.

This is a cruel lie. We do not earn His care. Rather, He wants to give it as a free gift; we either allow Him, or we do not. Many do not; they shut Him out of their lives. Now, the act of allowing Him to care for us is our obedient “yes” to Him. And, that is a “yes” given to Him in both our prayer and our life. But in the end, we earn nothing.

If we place our relationship with God as our top priority, the providential gift of His care will exceed all our desires and expectations–we can rely on it. It is not that difficulties, misfortunes, even tragedies will not befall us. Rather, these will come from the providential story He has written for our lives, fitting right in as key elements for bringing us to fuller happiness in Him.

As today’s psalm says, “The Lord will remember His covenant forever.”

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Talk to God about the ways you have not completely relied on His Providence in the midst of life’s ups and downs, but have been carried away by the fear of the moment. Ask Him to give you the only thing He asks from you: Trust, complete trust in His Providence.

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