Word to the Wise
Friday, February 7, 2025 - Friday in the 4th Week in Ordinary Time
[Heb 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 yourselves, for you also are in the body. Let marriage be honored among all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge the immoral and adulterers. Let your life be free from love of money but be content with what you have, for he has said, I will never forsake you or abandon you....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. [Hebrews]
The Letter to the Hebrews is nearing the end with some admonitions that aim at practical living out of Christian life. Hospitality to others, care for prisoners and others who are oppressed - we will find these in the list in Matthew 25, the scene of the last judgment. [Matt. 25:31-45] Respect for the marital commitment and avoidance of greed are also hallmarks of Jesus' teaching. In short, the high theological reflection from the first part of the letter is brought down to earth with its implications for daily living!
Christian faith is not an abstraction. Yes, we do have the creed with its profound theological profession of faith that we renew every Sunday and Holy Day. But life is not interrupted by liturgical observance or theology. The latter are meant to be part of the energy that "puts skin on faith." Faith must be lived out both individually and collectively - personal, local, regional, national, international! The Letter to the Hebrews is a reminder that faith must be "incarnate," just as God became incarnate in Jesus. Our "high priest" knows what it is like to be human and to be tempted. He is no stranger to blood, sweat and tears. AMEN