Raissa Maritain
notes in her writings that the New Testament covenant presents a
higher standard than the Old Covenant. (Testament means Covenant, so
I could write Old Covenant and New Covenant for Old and New
Testament. One testifies to a covenant, even a marriage covenant, the
hesed.)
That the New
Covenant demands a higher level of the life of virtue simply follows
the fact that now the graces bound by Original Sin flow through the
Church to us in Christ, through His Passion, Death, and Resurrection.
We are called to
greater holiness than the Hebrews in the desert of Sinai. We have
grace, the sacraments, baptism for adoption as sons and daughter of
God, confession for purification, Eucharist for endurance. We have
the witnesses of 2,000 years of those who chose Christ, His Mother,
His Church over sin and error. The sons of Aaron who perished only
had to stop complaining, stop murmuring against God's chosen leader
and obey him. They only had to become humble and leave prideful
thoughts, leave the pursuit of power among the chosen ones.
Things have not
changed, except we have more grace, more chances to turn to Christ
and be saved.
Pray that those who
have fallen away will respond to those graces the Lord gives them to
return to Him.