20210122 THE EFFICACY OF THE NEW COVENANT
22 January, 2021, Friday, 2nd Week in Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Green.
First reading | Hebrews 8:6-13 © |
The first covenant is already old
We have seen that Christ has been given a ministry of a far higher order, and to the same degree it is a better covenant of which he is the mediator, founded on better promises. If that first covenant had been without a fault, there would have been no need for a second one to replace it. And in fact God does find fault with them; he says:
See, the days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks –
when I will establish a new covenant
with the House of Israel and the House of Judah,
but not a covenant like the one I made with their ancestors
on the day I took them by the hand
to bring them out of the land of Egypt.
They abandoned that covenant of mine,
and so I on my side deserted them. It is the Lord who speaks.
No, this is the covenant I will make
with the House of Israel
when those days arrive – it is the Lord who speaks.
I will put my laws into their minds
and write them on their hearts.
Then I will be their God
and they shall be my people.
There will be no further need for neighbour to try to teach neighbour,
or brother to say to brother,
‘Learn to know the Lord.’
No, they will all know me,
the least no less than the greatest,
since I will forgive their iniquities
and never call their sins to mind.
By speaking of a new covenant, he implies that the first one is already old. Now anything old only gets more antiquated until in the end it disappears.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 84(85):8,10-14 © |
Mercy and faithfulness have met.
Let us see, O Lord, your mercy
and give us your saving help.
His help is near for those who fear him
and his glory will dwell in our land.
Mercy and faithfulness have met.
Mercy and faithfulness have met;
justice and peace have embraced.
Faithfulness shall spring from the earth
and justice look down from heaven.
Mercy and faithfulness have met.
The Lord will make us prosper
and our earth shall yield its fruit.
Justice shall march before him
and peace shall follow his steps.
Mercy and faithfulness have met.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.2Th2:14 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Through the Good News God called us
to share the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Alleluia!
Or: | 2Co5:19 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
God in Christ was reconciling the world to himself,
and he has entrusted to us the news that they are reconciled.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 3:13-19 © |
He appointed twelve to be his companions
Jesus went up into the hills and summoned those he wanted. So they came to him and he appointed twelve; they were to be his companions and to be sent out to preach, with power to cast out devils. And so he appointed the Twelve: Simon to whom he gave the name Peter, James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom he gave the name Boanerges or ‘Sons of Thunder’; then Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, the man who was to betray him.
THE EFFICACY OF THE NEW COVENANT
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [HEB 8:6-13; PS 85:8,10-14; MK 3:13-19]
In the first reading, we read that “Jesus has been given a ministry of a far higher order, and to the same degree it is a better covenant of which he is the mediator, founded on better promises.” To appreciate the New Covenant and to be convinced that it is better than the Old, we must reflect on the weaknesses of the Old Covenant and the strengths of the New Covenant.
The Old Covenant was based on the Law of Moses given by God to His people, Israel. Obedience to the laws would give them life. Salvation was through the laws. These laws written on the Tablets were meant to guide the people to live a life of wisdom, integrity and harmony with their fellowmen. Moses said to the people, “I now teach you statutes and ordinances for you to observe in the land that you are about to enter and occupy. You must observe them diligently, for this will show your wisdom and discernment to the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and discerning people!’ For what other great nation has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is whenever we call to him? And what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just as this entire law that I am setting before you today?” (Dt 4:5-8)
However, the truth is that because the laws were written on tablets, they were not engraved in their hearts, and so they remained extraneous to them. This was in spite Moses’ command to them, “Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (Dt 6:6-9) The people were unfaithful to the Law. That is why, citing from the prophet Jeremiah, the author of Hebrews wrote, “See, the days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks – when I will establish a new covenant with the House of Israel and the House of Judah, but not a covenant like the one I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. They abandoned that covenant of mine, and so I on my side deserted them.”
Secondly, the forgiveness of sins was symbolically done through the offering of animal sacrifice. In itself, it was a beautiful act of transferring one’s sin to an animal who was sacrificed as a symbolic act of atonement. Today, we symbolize our break from the past through the washing of hands or the burning of our sins written on paper. In offering the animal sacrifice it did involve some personal sacrifice on the part of the penitent because there was a considerable cost in offering an animal. But unfortunately, those who were rich were making the sacrifices without interior contrition and repentance of their sins. They were merely an external offering for show, but without a change of heart.
The New Covenant brought by our Lord is rooted in grace, not good works. St Paul wrote, “But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved – and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God – not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.” (Eph 2:4-10) Indeed, salvation is the work of God and simply because of His mercy and love for us.
This grace of God is received through faith in Him as the Son of God who died for us and saved us. St Paul said, “we know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by doing the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of the law. (Gal 2:16) St Paul reiterated this fact again, “For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.” (Gal 2:19-21)
The New Covenant is also effected not by an animal sacrifice but the offering of Christ Himself to the Eternal Father. “Unlike the other high priests, he has no need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for those of the people; this he did once for all when he offered himself.” (Heb 7:27) Through His sacrificial death for us, Jesus “is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” (Heb 7:25) Of course, it was not only His death that saved us; rather it was His death and resurrection. By dying, He destroyed the fear of death, which is the wages of sins. By rising, He restored us to a new life and gave us the guarantee that life continues in fullness beyond this earthly life.
Most of all, by His life, death and resurrection, He showed us the way to the Truth and to Life with His Father. (cf Jn 14:6f) Christ indeed is the appearance of God’s grace, “bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly … He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.” (Tit 2:11-14)
Yet, the observance of the commandments is no longer through human effort and discipline alone. It is through the work of the Holy Spirit given to us after His resurrection. We are empowered and motivated by the Holy Spirit. This is why Jeremiah prophesied, “when those days arrive – it is the Lord who speaks. I will put my laws into their minds and write them on their hearts. Then I will be their God and they shall be my people. There will be no further need for neighbour to try to teach neighbour, or brother to say to brother, ‘Learn to know the Lord.’ No, they will all know me, the least no less than the greatest, since I will forgive their iniquities and never call their sins to mind.”
The Holy Spirit which is the love of God poured into our hearts (Rom 5:5) leads us to know Jesus intimately in our hearts and fills us with the same spirit, so that we, too, proclaim the gospel in His power. Only when we act from love and in love, can we go beyond mere observance of the law, from the letter to the spirit. As Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” (Mt 5:17) This is fulfilled when they are observed with love. St Paul affirms this when he wrote, “Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.” (Rom 13:8,10)
This New Covenant is also perfect because it is extensive. It saves all regardless of whether we are gentile or Jew. Jesus came to die and save all men irrespective of race, language or religion. “In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” In Christ, all of us are members of His Body with Him as our head. “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.” (Gal 3:29)
In the gospel, Jesus shows that the New Covenant that He came to establish, although new, is in continuity with the Old Covenant.Hence, He purposely appointed the Twelve apostles who came from diverse backgrounds, trades and professions and varied interests. They were all ordinary people but He chose them to show how grace could be at work to transform them from simple ordinary men to be effective preachers and proclaimers of the gospel because of their faith in Him. United with Christ, the apostles, their successors and all Christians can now continue the work of proclaiming the New Covenant based on grace through faith in Christ, which is the basis of our salvation. This New Covenant is celebrated in the Eucharist we offer each day in union with Christ’s sacrifice to the Father for the forgiveness of sins and our salvation.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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