ARE YOU PROUD OF GOD?

 TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2023.

ST ANTHONY, Abb. (MEMORIAL)


First Reading. Hebrews 6: 10-20

Psalm. 111: 1-2, 4-5, 9 and 10 (R. 5b)

Gospel. Mark 2: 23-28

TOPIC FOR REFLECTION 

LAW AND COVENANT 

😆 😆 😆 😆 😆 I laugh in the Spanish language. 

There is a chorus song that goes thus: 

He (God) has promise, He will never fail.

I will follow, I will follow Him 

He has promised He will never fail, 

His faithfulness is forevermore. (2ce)

Now, analyze the song theologically, below are the implications of the above songs. 

1. I will follow God because of His promise; ask yourself, is that true love? 

***If someone promises to love you because of the promise you make, can you say such a person truly loves you? 

2. If you follow God because He is faithful to His words; now, are you faithful to God in return as a sign of love for Him? 

***Imagine somebody loving you because you are faithful, but the person remains unfaithful to you, will you say the person truly loves you? 

This has made many often say, I love God because He His faithful, He has promised He will never fail... 

So my questions are... 

--Do we truly love God unconditionally? 

--Does our love for God depend on His covenant with us or out of conviction? 

--Let us assume that God never makes any covenants, does it mean no one would have loved God? 

--In fact, who among us can naturally be proud of God? 

Well, with the above rhetorical questions, one might wonder, why did God make covenants and laws? 

Anyway, Law (commandments) came as a result of the disobedience of man to God. In short, let me ask you, If all men were obedient, would there be anything like law?

Let us now examine the two concepts. 

So, according to an online dictionary... 

LAW 

It means the body of binding rules and regulations, customs, and standards established in a community by its legislative and judicial. 

COVENANT 

It means an agreement to do or not do a particular thing.

Invariably, laws are sets of rules and regulations to guide one in the right part of life, while a covenant is an agreement, a promise made to someone or people 

Therefore, according to today's liturgy, from both the first reading and the Gospel. 

The first reading emphasized God's covenants, while the Gospel emphasizes Law. 

Law is not to punish, but to checkmate one's excess, and to help one conform to God's status quo. Meanwhile, covenants are a reassurance that God's love for us has never and will never end. 

Psalm 110: 4 and Hebrews 7: 21 said: 

"The LORD has sworn an oath that he will not change His mind... “

So, our lesson for today is that, when we make a promise to obey God's law, we should try to keep it, because He, God keeps His covenants with us. 

Similarly, Jesus made it clear today that the Sabbath is meant for man, and not man for the Sabbath, which means the law is meant for man, and not man for the law. 

If a man keeps the law, the law will keep him, and God's covenant of love shall come to fulfillment upon him. 

Finally, I will like to conclude with the letter to the Hebrews which encourages us to say:  God is not so unjust as to overlook your work and the love which you showed for His sake in serving people, the saints. So, be imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises of God by keeping His laws. 

The best way to love God in return is to keep His commandments and be good to one another which pleases God according to today's first reading. 

It is good to know that St. Anthony, the father of monastic life kept the commandments of God and He inherited the kingdom of God. 



Let us strive by the grace of God to inherit the kingdom of God. 



Peace ✌️ be with you. 

Rev. Fr. Segun Oladeji, CRS. 

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