Covenant relationship is a major theme in our faith. It is a major theme in the Old Testament. God comes to us. God makes a Covenant with us.
God said to Noah and to his sons with him:
“See, I am now establishing my covenant with you
and your descendants after you . . . .
A “covenant” is an unbreakable bond. What is fascinating about this Divine bond is the disparity between the two sides of this covenant. They are not equal. On the one hand there is God; Almighty Creator of the Universe; All love, who loves us unceasingly. On the other side of the Covenant is us, humans, made in his image and likeness. He offers us eternal friendship and eternal life.
God invites us to enter into Covenant Life with Him. We are free to either accept God’s Covenant, or reject it. To ignore God’s Covenant is to reject it.
Our response to the Covenant from God is to acknowledge that we received it, “I have received it, Lord. I love you, Lord. I am here. I accept it. You can count on me!”
What would be some examples of our response to this Covenant?
Baptismal promises are one of the ways we accept God’s Covenant. When we say the Creed at Mass, we are actually saying our Baptismal promises.
Keeping God’s Commandments is another way of responding to God’s Covenant: The Ten Commandments; all of them. Jesus told the Apostles,
“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
His Commandments include keeping Holy the Lord’s Day, our “Sabbath”, Sunday, the seventh day, and loving God and others.
Our Marriage Covenants are a mirror image of God’s Covenant with us. Throughout the Bible, scripture uses the theme of the marriage covenant as an image and example of our faithfulness to God, as we are to be to our marriage partners.
Covenant relationship is also reflected in our faithfulness to the Church. In the Church we serve one another. We respond to this Covenant by accepting Church teachings, adoring and praising God together in assembly and supporting the Church.
Our tithes are a form of living in Covenant relationship. Our tithe says to God, “I have received your promise. I accept it. Count on me!
PLEDGE CARDS: When we use these pledge cards to make our annual tithing pledge, we use them as a reminder of our faithfulness to His Covenant, and our response to his faithfulness to us.