421. Where does one find the New Law? (part 1)
(Comp 421) The New Law is found in the
entire life and preaching of Christ and in the moral catechesis of the
apostles. The Sermon on the Mount is its principal expression.
“In brief”
(CCC 1986) Besides its precepts the New Law includes the
evangelical counsels. "The Church's holiness is fostered in a special way
by the manifold counsels which the Lord proposes to his disciples in the
Gospel" (LG 42 § 2).
To deepen and
explain
(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" (Rom 12:9-13). This catechesis also teaches us to deal with
cases of conscience in the light of our relationship to Christ and to the
Church (Cf. Rom 14; 1 Cor 5-10).
Reflection
(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 (Jn 15:15; cf. Jas 1:25; 2:12; Gal 4:1-7. 21-31;
Rom 8:15). [IT CONTINUES]
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