In today's first reading, Deuteronomy 26: 16-19, Moses reminds the people that they have made a covenant with the Lord. "Be careful, then," he reminds them, "to observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. Today you are making this agreement with the Lord; he is to be your God and you are to walk in his ways and observe his statues, commandments and decrees, and to hearken to his voice. And today the Lord is making this agreement with you: you are to be a people peculiarly his own, as he promised you; and provided you keep all his commandments, he will then raise you high in praise and renown and glory above all other nations he has made, and you will be a people sacred to the Lord, your God, as he promised."
Take note of the seriousness of this covenant and that it is a mutual agreement between the Chosen People and God Himself. You and I have entered into that same agreement with God at our baptism. It was then that we were made "sacred to the Lord," our God. If we are faithful to our part of the agreement, that is, keeping God's commandments, statues and decrees and heeding God's voice, then, God Himself " will...raise [us] on high in praise and renown and glory" now and when we enter eternal life. Note: God does the raising, not us in boastful pride of our accomplishments. Furthermore, it is not about our accomplishments, though those please God, but that we are made children of God and rich in grace, through our Lord Jesus Christ, who took our sins upon Himself and restored us to our right relationship with God. We rose on high with Him in His resurrection from the dead.
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