a covenant - 16th week saturday 2013

After God gave the ten commandments and after Israel agreed to observe them, God made a covenant with Israel symbolized by the blood of young bulls.  A covenant is unlike a contract.  In a contract when one party violates the terms, this violation frees the other party from his obligations.  A covenant however is different. 
In a covenant if the other party does not remain faithful to the agreement, if the other party does not abide by the terms, the other party shall remain faithful, the other party shall still fulfil his end of the bargain.  If the other party becomes unfaithful, the other party will still choose to be faithful.  This is what God has entered into with Israel and this is also the same with us.  In baptism we receive a permanent character which can never be erased even if in the future we will deny God, even if we have become great sinners.  The mark of baptism will still be there, we remain children of God despite of and in spite of because God can never take back what he has already given.

In the gospel God permits the wheat and the weeds to grow together.  There was a time when he could have pulled out the weeds, but he did not, for fear that he might pull out also the wheat.  Again we see the commitment of God.

Today let us thank the Lord for his faithfulness to us.  There are permanent things, there are things not even sin can erase because God is faithful.