Covenants
theophilus October 11th, 2008
For some reason, I’ve been doing a great deal of reading recently on covenants; specifically the covenant between God and man.
Adam & Eve was the first covenant; Noah was the second; Abraham was the third. And it is this third covenant that led to Moses’ and David’s covenants. which in turn set the basis for the fulfillment of God’s covenant with us, through Christ.
The Covenant is God’s promise to us. It is a staple of the Old Testament, especially the Psalms. It is a staple of the New Testament. It is God’s promise to us that we will always be his people and he will always be our God.
And this covenant belongs to all of us.
For St. Paul says in today’s First Reading (Galatians 3) that -
“For through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus.
For all of you who were baptized into Christ
have clothed yourselves with Christ.
There is neither Jew nor Greek,
there is neither slave nor free person,
there is not male and female;
for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants,
heirs according to the promise.”
And then the Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 105) reminds us that -
“The Lord remembers his covenant forever.”
We are descendents of Abraham and beneficiaries of the covenant God made with him. It’s been that covenant that has seen its way through to the modern age. We are God’s people and he is our God.
But it’s up to us to live up to our end of this covenant. Do we live the way God wants us to live; do we follow the path Christ sets before us; do we measure up to the standards expected of us as those created in the image of God? Do we truly embrace our divine filiation and consider ourselves rightly as the sons and daughters of God, and brothers and sisters of Christ?
The Liturgy of the Hours is filled with references to the promises that God has made to us. It is these promises that should complete our souls and embolden us for the work expected of each of us. It is these promises that should shine the light for us to follow and the path for us to trod.
God’s covenant with us; is there anything that can provide any more hope to those of us trying to build his kingdom here on earth?
