Word to the Wise
Thursday, January 23, 2025 - Thursday in the 2nd Week in Ordinary Time
[Heb 7:25—8:6 and Mark 3:7-12]Now he [Christ] has obtained so much more excellent a ministry as he is mediator of a better covenant, enacted on better promises. [Hebrews]
The Letter to the Hebrews was most likely to have been addressed to Jews outside Palestine who had accepted Jesus as the Messiah. They were becoming tired of the rejection and persecution they were enduring, especially from fellow Jews. The primary analogy in the letter is the temple in Jerusalem and its rituals, especially those rituals connected with the forgiveness of sins. The temple sacrificial worship was governed by the Law of Moses. The Letter to the Hebrews presents Jesus as a new "high priest" whose priesthood was not determined by descent from the tribe of Levi. Jesus was from the tribe of Judah, and a descendant of David. He is the high priest of a new and "better covenant," founded on promises made after Moses received the covenant on Mt. Sinai. Theological reflections of this depth can lose force in the face of human weariness at the challenges of maintaining one's faith under fear of persecution. The Letter to the Hebrews is a kind of theological "pep talk."
What possible concern would that have for us? Yes, there could be some application to the "new sacrifice" which is offered in the sacrament of the Eucharist. But the point of the Letter to the Hebrews is to encourage readers who are weary and losing perseverance. In our own time, in the USA, surveys are showing that the second largest Christian denomination in our country is former or "lapsed" Catholics!!! The reasons they give are varied for no longer practicing the faith. There are those who feel excluded by Church law or moral teaching, and others who protest that exclusion. Poor preaching is another prominent catalyst. Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI promoted a "new evangelization" aimed at reaching Catholics!!! Pope Francis, in his post-synodal exhortation, Amoris laetitia, urged outreach and "accompaniment" to those who have been "excluded" for whatever reason. The task is immense but it starts with each of us who are baptized and call ourselves "Catholic." Canon Law and the Catechism cannot replace love of neighbor, motivated by the example of Jesus. The Letter to the Hebrews can serve as a reminder of this. AMEN