Saturday of the First Week of Lent
CCC: Covenant -Condition- Consequence
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ
Jesus, the readings of the day invite us to reflect our Life in relation to the
Covenant, Condition and Consequence.
1st
Reading
The reading is a clear explanation
and perfect reminder to the people of Israel and to us today, His People
The Covenant :
He is to be your God and you are to be His people. (Deuteronomy 26:17,18)
(Jeremiah 30:22; Exodus 6:7)
The
context was that Moses was preparing the people of Israel before entering into
the Promised Land. Therefore, gathering them all he reminds of the Covenant and
invites them to affirm with firm heart and renew it with absolute conviction.
The Covenant includes:
●
that God is their God
and they are His People
●
He guarantees them
assurance, security and abundant blessings.
●
This covenant is to
remind the will of God
●
This covenant is to
fulfil the purpose of God in Man
●
This covenant is to
enable them to walk, keep and obey the covenant.
Hence,
Moses reminds them of their role and invites their reaffirmation for the
Promise they are making with God.
The Condition :
In
general, when we observe any product, Job or agreement we come across certain
terms and conditions. That is to provide some clarity on a given product or any
other sort.
Verse 17 states “Today you have
accepted the LORD’s agreement: he will be your God, and you will walk in his
ways, observe his statutes, commandments, and ordinances, and obey his voice.” So also Conditions
apply for God’s Covenant, to shed some light on the role and responsibility.
Everything is not over just by saying”Yes'', but there should be a follow up to
enjoy the following benefits. As they unanimously accepted, it is binding
therefore to:
●
Be careful in observing
God’s Statutes, Ordinances and Commandments with all their heart and soul.
Hence, It is an emphasis on total obedience. (Exodus Chapter 19
onwards.)
●
To walk in his ways -
which invites a lifelong Commitment by changing the way of living and always
adhering to the voice of God.
The Consequences : the Blessings
And
in Verse 18 it is stated “And today the LORD has
accepted your agreement: you will be a people specially his own, as he promised
you, you will keep all his commandments, and he will set you high in praise and
renown and glory above all nations he has made, and you will be a people holy
to the LORD, your God, as he promised.”
The
Lord has accepted and promised them that they will be abundantly blessed,
because He is faithful and trustworthy, does not back down on his promises.
Therefore there is fundamentally a blessing attached to the obedience to the
Covenant.
●
They will be his
People, very special and dear to Him
●
Their nation and status
will be elevated to high above all other nations.
●
Their name and fame
will spread far and wide and will be praised. (Jeremiah 13:11 and 33:9)
It’s
Because by accepting the Covenant They will be consecrated to the Lord, so
their way of living, dealing and relating resemble the identity of God and His
Holy Nature.
Therefore,
in their character be it Personal, Social and Religious they will be addressed
people of Praying, loving and Serving not
of Exploitation. This adherence leads to blessings. Everyone can be blessed if
one wants to follow the covenant,
GOSPEL
Jesus, in the Gospel too reminding the
people of the Statutes and Commandments, invites them to learn the true meaning
and keep, and obey the Covenantal relationship with God which pervades their
personal, social and religious life. While speaking of "You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbour and hate
your enemy.” for Jesus there is no room for hatred or retaliation or
insult., etc.
Therefore, Jesus asks us to do two things, to pray and to love.
●
To pray is to be united
with God and to be strengthened in the relationship with others.
●
To love is to express
closeness and care towards the other. It’s a commitment to sacrifice for
another. Jesus is the perfect embodiment of both Perfect Prayer and Perfect
Love.
Jesus
loved those who mocked, rejected him and prayed for forgiveness for those who
were responsible for his crucifixion. He commands us to love and pray for all
even for those who hate, dislike, treat us badly, mock and persecute us ( near and far;
happening in many parts of the world) . It shows that we are children of a
merciful Heavenly Father. A Christian has no personal enemies. If we only love our family and friends, we
are no different from pagans or atheists.
Jesus
concludes by saying that the Father “makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,
and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.” In other words,
God bestows His perfect love and mercy upon everyone equally. But some people
choose to accept that mercy and others reject it.
Dear
friends, from the reflection of both the readings remind us that
★
We are covenant people
through Baptism today, we have promised to be His from the moment of Baptism.
★
The conditions set
forth in the readings are to Love and Pray for all
★
And to walk, keep and
Obey in his commandments
★
Therefore it permeates
our whole life, Personal, Social and Religious
★
The blessings in
abundance flow from God’s Unconditional Love and Mercy.
During
this Lent us pay attention to this aspect and renew our life and reaffirm our
commitment to God, Others and Ourselves once again.
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies
of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light”. - 1 Peter 2:9
God blesses those who obey him; happy the man who puts his
trust in the Lord.Proverbs 16:20
FR. JAYARAJU MANTHENA OCD
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కామెంట్ను పోస్ట్ చేయండి