YOUCAT Lesson 336
YOUCAT the catechism for Catholic
youth
336 How did Jesus deal with the Law of the Old
Covenant?
“Do not think,” says Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, “that
I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish
them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17). [1965-1972,
1977, 1983-1985]
The Water of Life Discourse between
Jesus and the Samaritan Woman at the Well by Angelika Kauffmann , 17–18th
century. …..336
Jesus, being a faithful Jew, lived according to the ethical
ideas and requirements of his time. But
on a series of issues he departed from a literal, merely formal interpretation
of the Law.
“You are a child of grace.
If God gave you grace, because he gave it freely, then you should love
freely. Do not love God for the sake of
a reward: let God be your reward!” St.
Augustine (354-430)
[1965-1972, 1977, 1983-1985]
III. THE NEW LAW OR THE LAW OF THE GOSPEL
1965 The New Law or the Law of
the Gospel is the perfection here on earth of the divine law, natural and
revealed. It is the work of Christ and is expressed particularly in the Sermon
on the Mount. It is also the work of the Holy Spirit and through him it becomes
the interior law of charity: "I will establish a New Covenant with the
house of Israel. . . . I will put my laws into their hands, and write
them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my
people."( Hebrews 8:8, 10; compare Jeremiah31:31-34 .)19 –Catechism of the Catholic Church,
Second Edition
If anyone should meditate with devotion and perspicacity on the
sermon our Lord gave on the mount, as we read in the Gospel of Saint Matthew,
he will doubtless find there . . . the perfect way of the Christian
life. . . . This sermon contains . . . all the precepts
needed to shape one's life.( St.
Augustine, De serm. Dom. 1,1:Patrologia Latina 34,1229-1230.)20 –CCC
1967 The Law of the Gospel "fulfills," refines, surpasses,
and leads the Old Law to its perfection.( Compare Matthew 5:17-19.)21 In
the Beatitudes, the New Law fulfills the divine promises by elevating and orienting them
toward the "kingdom of heaven." It is addressed to those open to
accepting this new hope with faith - the poor, the humble, the afflicted, the
pure of heart, those persecuted on account of Christ and so marks out the
surprising ways of the Kingdom. –CCC
1968 The Law of the Gospel fulfills the commandments of the Law. The Lord's Sermon on
the Mount, far from abolishing or devaluing the moral prescriptions of the Old
Law, releases their hidden potential and has new demands arise from them: it
reveals their entire divine and human truth. It does not add new external
precepts, but proceeds to reform the heart, the root of human acts, where man
chooses between the pure and the impure,( Compare Matthew 15:18-19.)22 where
faith, hope, and charity are formed and with them the other virtues. The Gospel
thus brings the Law to its fullness through imitation of the perfection of the
heavenly Father, through forgiveness of enemies and prayer for persecutors, in
emulation of the divine generosity.( Compare Matthew 5:44,48)23 –CCC
1969 The New Law practices the acts of religion:
almsgiving, prayer and fasting, directing them to the "Father who sees in
secret," in contrast with the desire to "be seen by men."( Compare Matthew 6:1-6; Mt 6-18.)24 Its prayer is the Our Father.( Compare Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4)25 –CCC
1970 The Law of the Gospel requires us to make the decisive choice
between "the two ways" and to put into practice the words of the
Lord.( Compare Matthew 7:13-14,21-27.)26 It
is summed up in the Golden Rule, "Whatever you
wish that men would do to you, do so to them; this is the law and the
prophets."( Matthew 7:12; compare Luke 6:31.)27 --CCC
The entire Law of the Gospel is contained
in the "new
commandment" of Jesus,
to love one another as he has loved us.( Compare John 15:12; Jn 13:34.)28 –CCC
1971 To the Lord's Sermon on the Mount it is fitting to add the moral
catechesis of the apostolic teachings, such as Romans
12:15, 1 Corinthians 12-13, Colossians 3-4, Ephesians 4-5, etc. This doctrine hands on the Lord's teaching with the
authority of the apostles, particularly in the presentation of the virtues that
flow from faith in Christ and are animated by charity, the principal gift of
the Holy Spirit. "Let charity be genuine. . . . Love one another
with brotherly affection. . . . Rejoice in your hope, be patient in
tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints,
practice hospitality."( Romans 12:9-13.)29 This
catechesis also teaches us to deal with cases of conscience in the light of our
relationship to Christ and to the Church.( Compare Romans 14; 1
Corinthians 5-10.)30 –CCC
1972 The New Law is called a law of love because it makes us act out of the
love infused by the Holy Spirit, rather than from fear; a law of grace, because it confers the strength of grace to
act, by means of faith and the sacraments; a law of freedom, because it sets
us free from the ritual and juridical observances of the Old Law, inclines us
to act spontaneously by the prompting of charity and, finally, lets us pass
from the condition of a servant who "does not know what his master is
doing" to that of a friend of Christ - "For all that I have heard
from my Father I have made known to you" - or even to the status of son
and heir.( John 15:15; compare James 1:25; James 2:12; Galatians 4:1-7,21-31; Romans 8:15.)31 –CCC
IN BRIEF
1983 The New Law is the
grace of the Holy Spirit received by faith in Christ, operating through
charity. It finds expression above all in the Lord's Sermon on the Mount and
uses the sacraments to communicate grace to us. –CCC
1984 The Law of the
Gospel fulfills and surpasses the Old Law and brings it to perfection: its
promises, through the Beatitudes of the Kingdom of heaven; its commandments, by
reforming the heart, the root of human acts. –CCC
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