November 10, 2024, 12:00 PM

The Scriptures tell us about several covenants between God and man. God promises Noah He will never destroy the earth or humanity and places a rainbow in the sky as a sign of the covenant. God establishes a covenant with Abraham and blesses him with land and descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. God promises Moses He would lead them to the Promised Land and gives the people the Ten Commandments. God promised David that he would be the king of all nations and that the Messiah would come from the line of David. Jesus mentions the new covenant in my blood. (I Corinthians 11:25). All the Old Testament covenants point to the perfect covenant in Jesus’ blood. What exactly is this New Covenant and are there things we need to do to hold up our end of this covenant? During the Consecration in Mass, the Priest says, “Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my blood, the blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.” So, in the New Covenant, Jesus sheds His blood, He gives up His life, to defeat sin and death. The Priest ends with, “Do this in memory of Me.” So our obligation in this New Covenant includes believing in Jesus, keeping His commandments, basing our lives on His teachings, and celebrating the Sacraments faithfully with Him. This helps us understand why the Eucharist is the source and summit of our Christian lives. Now you know!