Fr. Voigt, "Commandment, Conspiracy and Counsel"

Fr. Voigt, "Commandment, Conspiracy and Counsel"

"I am the Lord, thy God, thou shalt not have strange gods before Me."  It is the first commandment and the bottom line commandment.  Once this is broken then every other commandment becomes fair game.  If God is God, then His commandments are not options but rather the rule of life for His creation.  Now if a chosen people desire to continue in a unique relationship with the God of all gods, then that people must do as Moses did.  I and my family will obey the Lord, you and your families must decide.  It is either obedience to the Law of God or I will make my own law.  Once this takes place the God Who has always been faithful must now release that bond which commits Him to our unique relationship.  The Covenant is broken and there must be a new covenant with a people who will be faithful to His Law.  



Let us consider the nation of Israel and their covenant relationship with the Triune God.  They had received the prophets.
They knew Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezechiel and they were very familiar with John the Baptist.  Repeatedly they were told to return to their former love.  Israel paid no heed and went their own way by choosing to worship the false gods of Baal or Aseroth.  Once the first commandment goes then all the rest will follow.  Israel began to sacrifice their own sons and daughters to these false gods.  They lusted after foreign women.  They lied through their teeth and treated their day laborers with contempt.  They came to the point in which they conspired to take the life of the only begotten Son of God. 


Pharisees and Herodians joined forces to seek to confuse and condemn our Lord with the question of politics.  Pharisees had no desire to pay tribute to a foreign despot while the Herodians bought into the peace of Rome and its pleasures.
The dutiful religious persons wanted to kill the goodness that was in flesh among them.  The worldly persons wanted to eliminate anyone who could claim by his popularity to divide the well established order.  Hypocrisy does not find a patient God-Man.  Their false admiration of His independence only sought to lull Him into their trap.  What fools they
were!  Imagine that the One who created the eye could not see into their hearts and expose their evil intent.  What an answer to conspiracy ... to coin of tribute has an image of Caesar so give it to Caesar but you were created in the image and likeness of God and look how you have responded.  They seek to kill God.


From the expression of their hearts the Jews broke their covenant and would kill the Son of God, the Heir apparent.
In doing so they open a new covenant in the Blood of the Lamb for all nations.  Now if the Jew wishes to enter eternal life and happiness each one must turn to the One they murdered and seek forgiveness through the Blood He shed.
The old testament is dead with the breaking of the first commandment and hence every other commandment.  Now the new testament is open for all nations.  For those who love God this is a moment of rejoicing.  We can be saved in and through the Blood of the Lamb.  We will give to God what belongs to God...our very self.  From the Commandment to 
love God exclusively to the conspiracy to rid the world of divine Goodness we come to the counsel of the Lord Himself to give to God all that we are and all that we can become.


May God help us live the New Covenant in His Blood.  


In the hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph,


Fr. Richard Voigt