Episode Details

Episode 3 – God Expands His Covenant

On this episode of the Understanding Catholicism Series, our presenter, James Seghers, discusses how God expands His Covenant to prepare for advent—the period of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas and also of preparation for the Second Coming of Christ.

After the fall of Adam and Eve and within ten generations, the human race had become so wicked that God determined to create a flood to destroy most of humanity. Only the righteous Noah, Noah’s family, sons, and daughters-in-law, survived the flood. The Lord renews a covenant with Noah and his descendants. The flood was a prefiguration of the sacrament of baptism. Baptism now saves humankind as an “appeal to God for a clear conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:21).

Sin, however, rears again when Noah’s son Ham has an incestuous relationship with his mother (Leviticus 20:11) and the son of their illicit union, Canaan. Subsequently, some of the worst enemies of the Jewish people descend from the Canaanites. Ham’s sin shows how sin reverberates.

James takes us through the generations of our Lord’s genealogy up to the birth of Christ, explaining how some honored their covenant with God while others strayed following their will, not the Lord’s, and the subsequent blessings and chastisements transpired. It was through the birth of Christ that humankind was promised new life, new hope, and a chance at redemption.

This is the third episode in the (20 Episode Series) of Understanding Catholicism.

Jimmy Seghers was born in New Orleans. Jimmy has devoted much of his life to the pursuit of learning, teaching, and mentorship. Jimmy has taught Sacred Scripture and Apologetics (that is, the defense of the Catholic faith). Jimmy frequently gives retreats, parish missions, and talks on biblical subjects. He is seen on FOCUS with Lisa Flood discussing biblical and religious topics. His classes are approved by the Archdiocese of New Orleans for certification credits for religion teachers. Each week, Jim is heard on the Radio Maria network. He can also be heard each morning on Catholic Community Radio as he gives the daily Gospel reflection. His essays have been published in This Rock, the Clarion-Herald, and he contributed to a catechetical series published by Ave