Man is notorious for doing things his own way since the beginning of time. As man's practice of free will gets the better of him, God unconditionally helps to shape his path. God uses miracles to keep man on course while ‘the hope’ for man is his sanctification. These miracles are clustered at key covenantal moments and at times grandiose in nature. As man moves closer to the new covenant, these miracles subside in favor of prophecy, which is a miracle in itself.

Prophesy suddenly comes alive during the miraculous incarnate birth of Jesus Christ bursting into a flurry of miracles during his ministry. Then, almost as quickly as they return, they fade away into more subtle apostolic ecclesial miracles. These miracles give way to deeper mystery and faith that always lead man closer to the holiness that feeds his natural unquenchable need to worship and achieve sanctification.

"Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." 5 [John 20:29]

Is an oath with God a contract or covenant? A contract is a promise bound by a person's signature or word that ends when the considerations defined by both parties are completed. A covenant requires an oath, usually sacred, sworn to God, and from time to time requiring reinstatement. Concisely defined by Scott Hahn:

"A contract is the exchange of property in the form of goods and services ["That is mine and this is yours"]; whereas a covenant calls for the exchange of persons ['I am yours and you are mine"], is creating a shared bond of interpersonal communion." 2

The obvious implication of a covenant is a more intimate personal arrangement with much more at stake than merely goods. A covenant relationship is always fundamental in a union of God and man. This covenant defines a relationship that gives all it can give unconditionally, and then more, without ever expecting anything in return. Exercised in this manner, in time God's graces will surely take over.

God's Old Testament covenants were a process of gradual revelation without ever vacating the previous covenants. Because of this, one can surmise that God's covenants were mostly unconditional and ‘the graces’ were only suspended for man's sake until repentance, confession, and prayer could revitalize them. Pope Benedict XVI proposes the following:

"... the covenant of Yahweh to Israel is a covenant of marital love, which- as in Hosea's magnificent vision- moves and stirs Yahweh himself to his heart. He has loved the young maiden Israel with a love that has proven indestructible, eternal." 3

Adam and Eve are to make a commitment to each other. They are to become one, assuming a bond of marriage between husband and wife, and give everything to each other. This gift of whole self to each other calls for fidelity and a life-long commitment enabling the nurturing of children in an atmosphere of love. God gives a blessing that their union will be fruitful and their offspring will fill the earth and rule over it. This covenantal purpose is to form a friendship, an exclusive sacred bond that is stable and faith inspiring. God imposes only one condition that they must keep to fulfill their obligation. They are not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Moreover, if disobeyed, a curse of death is the penalty of this covenant. The Sabbath a day of rest will be God's sign for this covenant. Pope Benedict XVI states its importance:

"Marriage is the form of mutual relationship between husband and wife that results from the covenant, the fundamental human relationship upon which all human history is based." 3

Old Testament Covenants carry like and unlike principals. The word covenant is used with Noah and all of humanity for the first time. One of God's reasons for ushering in the flood and destroying humankind was the rampant sexual immortality of Noah's time. God tells Noah and his family that he will never destroy man this way again. He signs this covenant with a rainbow in the sky. The blessing is that Noah's family will be fruitful, forming a domestic extended household. The condition they must obey is to not drink animal blood or spill human blood. Anyone who kills a fellow human will forfeit his own life.

With the Chieftain Abraham, God swears to form a great Nation and bless all of his descendants and the nations of the earth. God signs and conditions this covenant with circumcision enforcing Abraham and his descendants to obey in order to form this tribal nation. This covenant, mostly unilateral, requires faithful obedience to determine the timing of its fulfillment. God swears to be Israel's only God. Moses as liberator and judge swears with Israel to worship none other in this covenant. They will be blessed to be God's precious and chosen people, also being held accountable to keep his law and commandments. God signs this covenant with Passover, which is the annual celebration of Israel's birthright. The tribal nation becomes a holy kingdom of priests.

In the final Old Testament covenant, God promises David a kingdom that will last forever. To receive blessings of wisdom, David's heir is to build a temple in God's name. God then promises to make David's son his son and discipline him but never take away his royal throne. All nations will be blessed and David's will endure eternally. God signs this covenant with the Throne and the Temple. The holy kingdom of priests evolves from a family to a royal empire. Scott Hahn elaborates:

": the Old Covenant is administered by God with human mediators who came under oath and then sinned like Adam [see Romans 5:12-21] and Israel [see Heb 3-4] thereby triggering the covenant curses. In contrast, the New Covenant is established by the God-Man, Jesus, but only after, he had fulfilled the terms-and borne the curses- of the Old Covenant. He thus became the mediator of the New Covenant [see Heb 8-9] which he ratified by oath swearing." 2

In man's persistence, he consistently rebels and fractures the covenants. Adam's pride gave way when he chose to eat fruit from the tree of knowledge breaking God's condition and forcing the consequence of death. Pope Benedict XVI determines:

"They do not free themselves, but place themselves in opposition to the truth. And that means that they are destroying themselves and the world. This, then, is the first and most important thing that appears in the story of Adam, and it has to do with the nature of human guilt and thus with our entire existence. The order of the covenant- the nearness of the God of the covenant, the limitations of the good and evil, the inner standard of the human person, creatureliness: all of this is placed in doubt." 3

Noah's son Ham uncovers his father's nakedness and has incestuous relations with his mother. His motive was to take his father's familial power, thus sinning against the very reason of the covenant. In Abraham's covenant, Israel continues in sin as a nation. God would have destroyed her but by his covenantal agreement he extends his mercy on this nation. Moses’ mostly conditional covenant with God has many daily laws to obey. Obedience would be the means by which the Israelites would reveal their faith in the Abrahamic covenant. As tergiversation continues, covenant blessings begin to disappear. In David's covenant, his sin with Bathsheba shows a clear violation but has no effect in stopping the outcome that God has prescribed. This implies that the covenants are predominately unconditional. God always demonstrated His faithfulness in spite of His covenanted people’s unfaithfulness. Pope Benedict XVI realizes:

"The first thing is not the denial of God but rather doubt about his covenant, about the community of faith, prayer, the commandments-all of which are the context for living God's covenant. There is indeed a great deal of enlightenment when one doubts the covenant, experiences mistrust, demands freedom, and renounces obedience to the covenant as a straitjacket that prevents one from enjoying the real promises of life." 3

Miracles direct and enforce covenantal principles. Herbert Lockyer reflects:

"The gruesome fact of the flood is that there are limits even to the mercy of God, and that the laws of nature are so framed that they utter loud and sometime awful portents against breaches of divine mercy and against those laws which are the expression of God's moral government." 4

In both the unconditional and conditional principals of his covenants miracles are used by God to direct, shape, and reinforce the guidance of man. In any deviation of obedience, a drying up of graces would be the norm. These periods of change, primarily in the Old Testament, would be triggered by the display of miraculous curses or blessings providing man moral shaping, training his conscience to be well formed in preparation for the coming of the Messiah. From the miracle a positive or negative reinforcement of behavior results, a brand in memory. Although the following quote from Scott Hahn does not necessarily refer to miracles one can see how miracles could be used as a vehicle to support covenant enforcement.

"The terms of a covenant call for certain actions to merit rewards or benefits, while the breach of a commitment results in specific penalties and damages." 2

Following the chain of events that take place during the nation of Israel's captivity in Egypt, one can see the constant directional management of the covenantal agreement. Although constant and over a period of years it is quite a condensed flurry of miraculous activities that occur. From the miracle of the burning bush through the ten plagues to the Red Sea and on into the desert and the miracle of the manna, miracles were designed by God to tweak man. With persistence, God forgave mans rejection of covenantal principles and communion by repeatedly shaping and conditioning him, leading him back to an opportunity of trust. Grandiose miracles disappeared once the church was firmly placed. Old Testament miracles established God's supremacy over idols. In contrast, the New Testament miracles enforced Christ's deity. The evolving apostolic miracles further enforce the Church as a divine establishment.

"For we know partially and we prophesy partially, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away." 5 [1Corinthians 13:9-10]

Larger mystery, more subtle miracles and deeper sacramental faith paved the way in the New Testament while in the Old Testament miracles were needed to establish a motive of credibility to believe. These happenings were designed for that age. This is a condition based on a lesser faith aided by the facts of natural reason in man's observance of these grand miracles. Greater supernatural faith is a transitioning plan designed by God as man embraces the cross. Jesus solidly formed the Church after his resurrection on the "Rock" Peter. Now, lesser visible ecclesial miracles of present day are observed. Punishing miracles of the Old Testament are replaced with Healing and loving miracles in the New Testament as Pope Benedict XVI alludes:

"God's divinity is no longer revealed in his ability to punish but in the indestructibility and constancy of his love." 3

Sacraments prophesied, such as baptism through miracles like the flood and the Eucharist through the manna in the desert, are received with sacramental graces by Catholics often. Jesus, the Royal High Priest, fulfills the Old Testament Covenants with the final New Testament Covenant. This covenant states that men are to believe in Jesus, be baptized, eat, and drink his flesh and blood in the Eucharist, and live by all that he has taught. Jesus signs this covenant with his unending presence in the Eucharist thereby offering himself as often as man wants to be nourished. Through this final covenant, God establishes His family in the body of the Church, his bride. In closing, the last supper signified the Christian belief of the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. This celebration is the grandest timeless miracle that has carried on into our present day for over 2000 years. One will find that reading through the Old Testament attests to the prophecy of the sacraments followed by the unfolding of the associated miracles in Jesus' ministry that gave way to the Christian faith. In the Old Testament, discipline was needed to shape behavior, so God used miracles. In the New Testament, Jesus needed to cement his divine nature, so he used miracles. In this age of the church man is beyond the burning bushes and the parting of the red sea. He is now in the age of mysterious miracles, but a deeper faith. This does not however mean that man can deny the apparitions of this age that include, the communion of Saints, Lourdes, Fatima, Guadalupe, the tsunami of Christmas 2004, harsh weather, African plagues, and the twentieth century culture of death to name a few. If man believes in the complete deposit of faith, Scripture, Tradition, and Authority, he will experience that burning bush or parting of the Red Sea miracle daily.

"Again and again you offered a covenant to man, and through the prophets taught him to hope for salvation." 6 [Excerpt Eucharistic Prayer IV]



Bibliography

1] http://archive.salvationhistory.com/online/intermediate/covlove.cfm
2] "A Father Who Keeps His Promises"; Scott Hahn, Servant Books 1998
3] "The Essential Pope Benedict XVI, His Central Writings and Speeches", John F. Thornton and Susan B. Varenne, Harper Collins 2007
4] "All the Miracles of the Bible", Herbert Lockyer, Zondervan 1961
5] "New American Bible" ; World Bible Publishers 1987
6] "Eucharistic Prayer IV", International Committee on English in the Liturgy, 1973