WORD AND PRIESTHOOD

 Meditation for Saturday of the First Week of Ordinary Time, Year B
(Heb 4:12-16; Mk 2:13-17)

At the end of the first week of our meditations on the Letter to the Hebrews, the author talks about the strength of the word of God and the quality of the priesthood of Jesus Christ. He says, “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit...discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” This description points to the fact that we are called to have a strong RELATIONSHIP with the word of God. And when we do so, we shall feel its strength like a double-edged sword, piercing through and discerning the secrets of the heart.

As earlier stated, Jesus is the Word of God among us, the one through whom God now speaks to us. He addresses us in words and silence as people who are attentive and in relationship with the word of God. Also, he speaks FOR us as our ‘brother’ before God. That is why the author calls Him ‘our High Priest.’ “For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sinning.” Therefore, we should relate to Him with confidence, “That we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

The strength of His word and the quality of His priestly mediation are immediately evident in the Gospel as He calls the sinful Levi from the tax office, “Follow me.” The word pierced his heart, discerning his secret corrupt work, and pulled Levi to make a choice for Jesus over and above the wealth he was accumulating there. He invited Jesus to his house and called a feast to celebrate the new RELATIONSHIP he discovered. As our high priest, Jesus assures the Scribes and Pharisees, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Think about how the word of God, in its power, meets us at our weaknesses. Alive and active, sharp and piercing through, the word of God draws us to that strong relationship with God where Jesus sympathizes and mediates for us as our High Priest. Amen.

 

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Saturday January 16^th, 2021.
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