Youcat commented through CCC – Question n. 335.

YOUCAT Question n. 335 - What significance does the Law of the Old Covenant have? 

(Youcat answer) In the Law (the Torah), and its centerpiece, the Ten Commandments (the decalogue), the will of God is manifested to the people of Israel; following the Torah is for Israel the central way to salvation. Christians know that we can tell by the Law what ought to be done. They also know, however, that it is not the Law that saves us.

A deepening through CCC

(CCC 1964 a) The Old Law is a preparation for the Gospel. "The Law is a pedagogy and a prophecy of things to come" (St. Irenaeus, Adv. haeres. 4, 15, 1: PG 7/1, 1012). It prophesies and presages the work of liberation from sin which will be fulfilled in Christ: it provides the New Testament with images, "types," and symbols for expressing the life according to the Spirit. Finally, the Law is completed by the teaching of the sapiential books and the prophets which set its course toward the New Covenant and the Kingdom of heaven. There were…  under the regimen of the Old Covenant, people who possessed the charity and grace of the Holy Spirit and longed above all for the spiritual and eternal promises by which they were associated with the New Law.

Reflecting and meditating 

(Youcat comment) Every man has the experience of finding that something good is, so to speak, “prescribed”. But one does not have the strength to accomplish it; it is too difficult; one feels “helpless” (see Rom 8:3 and Rom 7:14-25). One sees the Law and feels that one has been handed over to sin. And so precisely through the Law it becomes clear how urgently we rely on inner strength in order to fulfill the Law. That is why the Law, as good and important as it is, only prepares the way for faith in the saving God.

(CCC Comment)

(CCC 1964 b)  Conversely, there exist carnal men under the New Covenant still distanced from the perfection of the New Law: the fear of punishment and certain temporal promises have been necessary, even under the New Covenant, to incite them to virtuous works. In any case, even though the Old Law prescribed charity, it did not give the Holy Spirit, through whom "God's charity has been poured into our hearts" (St. Thomas Aquinas, STh I-II, 107, 1 ad 2; cf. Rom 5:5). (CCC 1981) The Law of Moses contains many truths naturally accessible to reason. God has revealed them because men did not read them in their hearts. (CCC 1982) The Old Law is a preparation for the Gospel.    

(The next question is: How did Jesus deal with the Law of the Old Covenant?)

Youcat commented through CCC – Question n. 334 –Part II.

YOUCAT Question n. 334 – Part II. What connection is there between the “natural moral law” and the Law of the Old Covenant?

(Youcat answer - repeated) The Law of the Old Covenant expresses truths that by nature are evident to human reason yet are now proclaimed and authenticated as God’s Law.

A deepening through CCC

(CCC 1963) According to Christian tradition, the Law is holy, spiritual, and good (Cf. Rom 7:12, 14, 16), yet still imperfect. Like a tutor (Cf. Gal 3:24) it shows what must be done, but does not of itself give the strength, the grace of the Spirit, to fulfill it. Because of sin, which it cannot remove, it remains a law of bondage. According to St. Paul, its special function is to denounce and disclose sin, which constitutes a "law of concupiscence" in the human heart (Cf. Rom 7). However, the Law remains the first stage on the way to the kingdom. It prepares and disposes the chosen people and each Christian for conversion and faith in the Savior God. It provides a teaching which endures for ever, like the Word of God.      

Reflecting and meditating 

(CCC Comment)

(CCC 1981) The Law of Moses contains many truths naturally accessible to reason. God has revealed them because men did not read them in their hearts. 

(The next question is: What significance does the Law of the Old Covenant have?)

Youcat commented through CCC – Question n. 334 –Part I.

YOUCAT Question n. 334 – Part I. What connection is there between the “natural moral law” and the Law of the Old Covenant?

(Youcat answer) The Law of the Old Covenant expresses truths that by nature are evident to human reason yet are now proclaimed and authenticated as God’s Law.

A deepening through CCC

(CCC 1961) God, our Creator and Redeemer, chose Israel for himself to be his people and revealed his Law to them, thus preparing for the coming of Christ. The Law of Moses expresses many truths naturally accessible to reason. These are stated and authenticated within the covenant of salvation. 

Reflecting and meditating 

(CCC Comment)

(CCC 1962) The Old Law is the first stage of revealed Law. Its moral prescriptions are summed up in the Ten Commandments. The precepts of the Decalogue lay the foundations for the vocation of man fashioned in the image of God; they prohibit what is contrary to the love of God and neighbor and prescribe what is essential to it. The Decalogue is a light offered to the conscience of every man to make God's call and ways known to him and to protect him against evil: God wrote on the tables of the Law what men did not read in their hearts (St. Augustine, En. in Ps. 57, 1: PL 36, 673).

(This question: What connection is there between the “natural moral law” and the Law of the Old Covenant? is continued) 

Youcat commented through CCC – Question n. 333 – Part VII.

YOUCAT Question n. 333 – Part VII. Is there a natural law that everyone can know?

(Youcat answer - repeated) If people are to do good and avoid evil, certainty about what is good or evil must be inscribed within them. In fact there is such a moral law that is, so to speak, “natural” to men and can be known in principle by every person by reason.

A deepening through CCC

(CCC 1960) The precepts of natural law are not perceived by everyone clearly and immediately. In the present situation sinful man needs grace and revelation so moral and religious truths may be known "by everyone with facility, with firm certainty and with no admixture of error" (Pius XII, Humani generis: DS 3876; cf. Dei Filius 2: DS 3005) The natural law provides revealed law and grace with a foundation prepared by God and in accordance with the work of the Spirit.   

Reflecting and meditating 

(Youcat comment) The natural moral law is valid for everyone. It tells men what fundamental rights and duties they have and thus forms the real foundation for life together in the family, in society, and in the State. Because our natural knowledge is often troubled by sin and human weakness, a person needs God’s help and his Revelation in order to stay on the right path.

(CCC Comment)

(CCC 1978) The natural law is a participation in God's wisdom and goodness by man formed in the image of his Creator. It expresses the dignity of the human person and forms the basis of his fundamental rights and duties.

(The next question is: What connection is there between the “natural moral law” and the Law of the Old Covenant?)

Youcat commented through CCC – Question n. 333 – Part VI.

YOUCAT Question n. 333 – Part VI. Is there a natural law that everyone can know?

(Youcat answer - repeated) If people are to do good and avoid evil, certainty about what is good or evil must be inscribed within them. In fact there is such a moral law that is, so to speak, “natural” to men and can be known in principle by every person by reason.

A deepening through CCC

(CCC 1958) The natural law is immutable and permanent throughout the variations of history (Cf. GS 10) it subsists under the flux of ideas and customs and supports their progress. The rules that express it remain substantially valid. Even when it is rejected in its very principles, it cannot be destroyed or removed from the heart of man. It always rises again in the life of individuals and societies: Theft is surely punished by your law, O Lord, and by the law that is written in the human heart, the law that iniquity itself does not efface (St. Augustine, Conf. 2, 4, 9: PL 32, 678).

Reflecting and meditating 

(Youcat comment) The natural moral law is valid for everyone. It tells men what fundamental rights and duties they have and thus forms the real foundation for life together in the family, in society, and in the State. Because our natural knowledge is often troubled by sin and human weakness, a person needs God’s help and his Revelation in order to stay on the right path.

(CCC Comment)

(CCC 1959) The natural law, the Creator's very good work, provides the solid foundation on which man can build the structure of moral rules to guide his choices. It also provides the indispensable moral foundation for building the human community. Finally, it provides the necessary basis for the civil law with which it is connected, whether by a reflection that draws conclusions from its principles, or by additions of a positive and juridical nature.

(This question: Is there a natural law that everyone can know? is continued)