A Covenant, in the
simplest sense, is a Sacred Promise. It is more than a simple contract. A
contact is a legally binding document between two or more people. If one of the
persons involved breaks the contract, the other is not bound to fulfill their
end of the deal. A Covenant, on the other hand, does not become null and void
if one member of the deal fails to fulfill their agreement. The Covenant
remains. In the ancient world, a Covenant was used to create family, so to speak.
That is, in case of a marriage, a regular contract was not enough. For two
people unrelated by natural means to become family, a divine intervention was
needed. A Covenant, then, and the intervention of God were required for this
deal. I explain to my student that this is why names often change when people
get married, a husband and wife are now considered legally related, and, in the
Catholic Church, no human can break that bond, just like no human can break the
family bond between father and son, mother and daughter, or brother and sister.
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| St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Ballyvaughan, Co. Clare, Ireland. The Cross, more specifically, the Crucifix, is a sign of the Covenant that Jesus makes with the Father on behalf of the entire human race. Like most other Covenants, the family of God is increased, including all humans (photo P. Smith) |
Historically,
Covenants were used to increase the size of a family. Two families or tribes,
previously unrelated, are now joined by the power of God. They are one family,
and, if God is involved, they are all considered in relationship with God.
Marriage was not really about Love between two people as much as it was about a
universal vocation to relationship between people and God. My students don’t
necessarily like to hear this, but it helps them to better understand what I
will later teach them about Catholic Marriage and Sacraments, in general. What
they remember the best will be the details about sacrifice, blood, and vows.
That will be in the next blog.
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