New Covenant:
Grace brings power to prevail over sin

		Living the Scriptures  with St. Paul University  Catholic Center  John Campbell

A new covenant? Why? Was there something wrong with the old one?

Well, yes, kind of. The Old Covenant was a covenant of law and is sometimes referred to in Scripture simply as "The Law." The New Covenant is a covenant of grace and its outcome is as superior to the covenant of law as heaven is superior to earth.

What do we know about "The Law"?

It is subdivided generally along lines of ceremonial and moral laws. The ceremonial laws are regarded, with few exceptions, as "a shadow of the good things to come." I think we can say they are binding, but are carried out differently. That is, we access their virtue through faith in the redemptive acts of Jesus

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Sunday, June 18, 2006) Ex 24:3-8 Ps 116:12-13, 15-16, 17-18 Heb 9:11-15 Mk 14:12-16, 22-26

The moral laws remain worthy of obedience, for they flow from the primordial goodness of God.

And what are these laws? Start with the Ten Commandments. By them we may know goodness; we ought, therefore, to know and understand them. We ought also to carry them out, yet because all fail, our righteousness is not gained through obedience to them.

Even so, the nearer we come in obedience to the law, which "is holy, righteous, and good," the better off we are and the better off everyone around us is. But we are not under law, but under grace (Rom 6:14-15).

What do we know about grace? Grace is favor, good will, the disposition to oblige another. It is the free, unmerited love and favor of God, Who is the spring and source of all the benefits men receive from Him.

The parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15 is perhaps the greatest parable of grace. The son certainly did not come for justice. He came to receive his father's mercy - "make me like one of your hired men." Instead, the love of the father reached all the way to grace and restored full son-ship.

Grace is God's solution to our impotence in overcoming sin and evil. The covenant of grace is God's solution to our inclination to sin. The grace of God brings salvation from our slavery to sin.

Grace brings us the power to prevail over sin in our lives. Through grace we are forgiven of our sins, and gloriously saved from our sin through the process of sanctification.

	Reflection questions • Has grace ever seemed unfair to you? Do you think God's grace is ever unfair? • How can you more readily and consistently cooperate with the action of God's grace in your life?

So let us come to understand the source of grace and the means of grace. God is the source of grace, and He gets His grace to us through many means. Among these are His word, prayer, and the sacraments.

Now it remains for us to turn by grace unto the source of grace, in order to avail ourselves of the means of grace.

It is a glorious covenant, this Covenant of Grace!

John Campbell is a special education teacher in the Verona Area Schools. He and his wife lead a couple's Bible Study. He is also involved in retreats through St. Paul's and the diocese.

St. Paul's Web site is www.stpaulscc.org

Faith Alive!

In a Nutshell The family, like the church, is a community. The family is called the "domestic church" in church documents. A sense of belonging, a willingness to forgive and forget hurts, common memories and traditions, and an appreciation for the interesting and colorful differences among family members: These make for a vibrant community. Love -- giving and receiving it -- is what makes any community strong. Catholic News Service 3211 Fourth St NE Washington DC 20017 202.541.3250 cns@catholicnews.com	Food for Thought   What's the secret of family life? That's a hard question to answer, since all families are different. Certain kinds of activities together that strengthen one family as a community might be all wrong in another family. I suspect that in families that are strong communities, however, the family is considered a priority by its members. Furthermore, someone in that family -- a parent; a child; perhaps more than one family member -- has ways of reminding the others of this priority and finds ways for the family to spend time together and do things together. I don't know of a written recipe for families to follow when they sense that their home life needs attention -- that they could do better as a family. Probably they have to create their own recipe of respect, love and common action. full story   The kind of community the family is By H. Richard McCord Catholic News Service It must have been a touching moment. Pope Benedict XVI was about to baptize 10 babies in January 2006. He laid aside the prepared text of his homily and spoke spontaneously to the assembled families about the sacrament. He said: "Through baptism each child is inserted into a gathering of friends... . This family of God ... will always accompany him, even on days of suffering and in life's dark nights. It will give him friendship, it will give him life. And these totally trustworthy companions will never disappear." full story  Five ways to build the family as a community By Mary Jo Pedersen Catholic News Service I have five suggestions for families who want to foster a spirit of community at home. My suggestions respond to this question: How can households become "intimate communities of love and life" (Vatican II, "Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World," No. 48) when they are so busy they don't have time to work, play, eat or hang out together? full story  Talking points for families By Father David K. O'Rourke, OP Catholic News Service From the time I first knew them, Tom and Betty Varna (not their real names) were adventurous spirits. Both worked hard and were goal-oriented. But they also saw themselves as the centers of the family, and they worked together at giving their family a center. Tom kept things secure and orderly. Betty made peace and nursed wounded spirits. Both insisted that everyone be treated decently. full story
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