Word to the Wise
Friday, February 4, 2011 - Friday in the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
[Hebrews 13:1-8 and Mark 6:14-29]Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels. Be mindful of prisoners as if sharing their imprisonment, and of the ill-treated as of your yourselves, for you also are in the body.......Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
The Letter to the Hebrews winds down with a basic catechism of Christian life! I recommend reading the whole chapter 13. I've always found the lines about hospitality fascinating and moving. In several Dominican houses, I have served as "guest master." There were times when I might have questioned the possibility that a particular guest might have been an angel, but on the whole I think the advice in Hebrews is wise! The Rule of St. Benedict goes further and exhorts the monks to receive each guest as if he or she were Christ himself!
The lines about the imprisoned are also important and make me feel uncomfortable because I have done very little prison ministry. I live in Texas where the "lock 'em up and throw away the key" policy is very strong! The prior (superior) of the community in Houston where I will be moving in a few days has spent many years working in prison ministry and he has my utmost respect for his dedication to that work! I have also noted in giving retreats to deacons that many of them are drawn to that ministry.
The words about the "ill-treated" are also challenging because they appeal to the common humanity we share with one another and with Jesus Christ! "Love your neighbor as yourself!" The words, not quoted above, about "honoring marriage" are truly challenging in our day. In short, the Letter to the Hebrews provides challenging and encouraging words for thought. They are a stark contrast with the gory story of John the Baptist's beheading. AMEN
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