THE COVENANT BETWEEN GOD AND MAN

SAINT FRANCIS DE SALES, BISHOP, DOCTOR

Heb 8:6-13; Ps 85:10-14; Mk 3:13-19

A New and Better Covenant

The letter to the Hebrews has established the superiority of the priesthood of Jesus Christ, which rests on the two unalterable things that situate his ministry right before the heavenly throne of God and the Temple made by God. The total and unique access he has to God the Father places him above every earthly priest and ministry in earthly and man-made temples. Since the author is comparing Christianity to Judaism, established through the covenant God made with his people on their way to the Promised Land, he compares that covenant to the new covenant that established the Christian religion. Moses, who led the people of Israel from Egypt, mediated the old covenant. In contrast, Jesus Christ—the new Moses—who leads the Christian people to heaven, established the new covenant. The superiority of the Son to the steward of the House of God already points to the fact that the new covenant established through the Son is greater and superior to the old covenant established through the steward. “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.” The two religions operate on different degrees or orders, though established by the revelation of the same God.

The difference in the constitutions of both religions is not from the divine end, for God remains the same forever; the difference is from the human end that receives the revelation of God. The author already made this clear when he states that God had communicated to us through imperfect media before now but has now communicated to us unmediated through his Son. Thus, the purity of his humanity assures the purity of the communication and perfection of the new covenant established by the Son. The author speaks of the imperfection of the old covenant: “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.” The basis of the fault he finds with them is their lack of attention to his word and will. Therefore, the new covenant through the Son takes care of this cause of imperfection of the old because he speaks into the pure human nature that the Eternal Word assumed. “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.” The Incarnation of the Word gives us direct access to the will of the Father.

Furthermore, the fact that the two natures—the divine and human natures—belong to the Person of the Son of God is the reality of the new covenant. In the covenant, the two natures are consecrated to each other for our salvation. The blood shed by human nature is the symbol of human consecration, and the resurrection granted by divine nature is the symbol of divine consecration. The covenant and the consecration hold for all who profess faith in the mystery of the Incarnation. The covenant, simply put, is that the Eternal Word would raise us if we lay down our lives to do the will of the Father. The Psalmist proclaims this covenant when he says: “Mercy and faithfulness have met; justice and peace have embraced. Faithfulness shall spring from the earth and justice look down from heaven.” He appointed the twelve apostles to share and proclaim this divine alliance between God and man established through the Incarnation. “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.” The forces of evil deceive us and do everything in their power to hide the implications of this divine alliance or covenant from us. But the Lord wants us to proclaim it day and night, by words and deeds, as the eternal salvation of man. The Church celebrates this covenant daily and puts it before us in the Eucharistic celebration for us to pattern our lives on it.

Saint Francis de Sales, born in 1567 near Annecy, Savoy, France, dedicated his whole life to proclaiming this holy covenant between God and man. He studied law and was ordained a priest without the consent of his father. His mission was to re-evangelise his home district that abandoned the Catholic faith for Calvinism. His effective preaching in words and deeds won almost all his people back to the Church. He was subsequently appointed the bishop of Gevena. The remaining part of his life was busy with the reformation and reorganisation of his diocese, caring for the souls of his people through preaching and spiritual guidance. Love characterised his preaching and writing. We learn from him, to always live and preach with love in our hearts for maximum effect on our audience. He is invoked as the patron of writers and journalists.

Let us pray: O God, who for the salvation of souls willed that the Bishop Saint Francis de Sales become all things to all, graciously grant that, following his example, we may always display the gentleness of your charity in the service of our neighbour. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.