20230119 JESUS THE PERFECT HIGH PRIEST
19 January 2023 Thursday, Week 2 in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Hebrews 7:25-8:6 © |
He has offered sacrifice once and for all by offering himself
The power of Jesus to save is utterly certain, since he is living for ever to intercede for all who come to God through him.
To suit us, the ideal high priest would have to be holy, innocent and uncontaminated, beyond the influence of sinners, and raised up above the heavens; one who would not need to offer sacrifices every day, as the other high priests do for their own sins and then for those of the people, because he has done this once and for all by offering himself. The Law appoints high priests who are men subject to weakness; but the promise on oath, which came after the Law, appointed the Son who is made perfect for ever.
The great point of all that we have said is that we have a high priest of exactly this kind. He has his place at the right of the throne of divine Majesty in the heavens, and he is the minister of the sanctuary and of the true Tent of Meeting which the Lord, and not any man, set up. It is the duty of every high priest to offer gifts and sacrifices, and so this one too must have something to offer. In fact, if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are others who make the offerings laid down by the Law and these only maintain the service of a model or a reflection of the heavenly realities. For Moses, when he had the Tent to build, was warned by God who said: See that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.
We have seen that he has been given a ministry of a far higher order, and to the same degree it is a better covenant of which he is the mediator, founded on better promises.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 39(40):7-10,17 © |
Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.
You do not ask for sacrifice and offerings,
but an open ear.
You do not ask for holocaust and victim.
Instead, here am I.
Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.
In the scroll of the book it stands written
that I should do your will.
My God, I delight in your law
in the depth of my heart.
Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.
Your justice I have proclaimed
in the great assembly.
My lips I have not sealed;
you know it, O Lord.
Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.
O let there be rejoicing and gladness
for all who seek you.
Let them ever say: ‘The Lord is great’,
who love your saving help.
Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Jn6:63,68 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life;
you have the message of eternal life.
Alleluia!
Or: | cf.2Tim1:10 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Our Saviour Jesus Christ abolished death
and he has proclaimed life through the Good News.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 3:7-12 © |
He warned them not to make him known as the Son of God
Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lakeside, and great crowds from Galilee followed him. From Judaea, Jerusalem, Idumaea, Transjordania and the region of Tyre and Sidon, great numbers who had heard of all he was doing came to him. And he asked his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, to keep him from being crushed. For he had cured so many that all who were afflicted in any way were crowding forward to touch him. And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw him, would fall down before him and shout, ‘You are the Son of God!’ But he warned them strongly not to make him known.
JESUS THE PERFECT HIGH PRIEST
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [HEB 7:25-8:6; PS 40:7-10,17; MK 3:7-12 ]
How is Jesus the perfect high priest? What do we expect of a priest? We know that a priest is supposed to be a bridge to God. He not only offers sacrifices but shows us the face of God. He makes our access to God possible, not just by offering sacrifices but by his very life of love and charity. For this reason, those who have been deeply hurt by the insensitivity of their priests, their harsh words, their lack of care and concern, their lack of compassion, have stopped coming to church altogether, or are no longer able to look at priests with respect and love. Many have stopped going to confession because they felt betrayed by their confessors or hurt by their reprimands. Yet others who suffered injustices at the hands of their priests in the workplace or ministry have become so disheartened that they have given up not just on the ministry but the Church as well. Wounded, it is not surprising that they judge all priests to be hypocrites. In the same vein, just as many Catholics and potential Catholics have given up on the Catholic Church because of bad examples shown by Catholics, especially in their place of work.
In the light of the above, we must then look to Jesus as the model and exemplar of the High Priest; not on fallible human priests because they too are sinners like the rest of humanity. “The law appoints high priests who are men subject to weakness.” Hence, the author says, “To suit us, the ideal high priest would have to be holy, innocent and uncontaminated, beyond the influence of sinners, and raised up above the heavens; one who would not need to offer sacrifices every day, as the other high priests do for their own sins and then for those of the people, because he has done this once and for all by offering himself.” All of us, priests and laity alike, are called to reflect the qualities of a good priest, since all are members of the royal priesthood.
In the first place, “the ideal high priest would have to be holy, innocent.” A priest is one who is expected to be holy. He must be always seeking to be identified with God and become more like Him. In this sense, he must remember that he is called to be apart from the rest of the world. Being apart does not mean he is not connected with the world. But he lives an exemplary life and a life of contradiction in the values that he lives by in contrast to those values advocated by the rest of the unredeemed humanity. To be holy is to be faithful to oneself and one’s calling in life. Our identity is to be a child of God. This means that we must show ourselves to be children of God in the way we live out our lives so that people can recognize us immediately as men and women of God. Holiness therefore remains the fundamental calling of every priest. To be holy is to be a saint, which is to be another Christ to others.
Secondly, he must be innocent. In other words, although a priest is not perfect and has weaknesses like the rest of humanity, he is sincere. Being innocent means that he is without guile and malice. He might occasionally be angry with people, even lose his temper. He might even pass insensitive remarks at times without thinking. He might fall into sin because of the temptations of the flesh. But so long as there is no deliberate intention to do so, he could be said to be innocent. When he is reacting out of his wounds, especially from childhood days, his temperament and character, he could be said to be innocent. Of course, this is not a license to continue in his sinful ways, but the truth is when there is no real consent, even though it is a sin, he is not fully culpable. He sins by human weakness. People can forgive a priest for succumbing to human weakness but they cannot forgive a priest for cheating, conniving, discriminating and hurting people deliberately.
Thirdly, we are told that he must also be “uncontaminated, beyond the influence of sinners, and raised up above the heavens.” A priest must never forget that he has been set apart and therefore he must not live like the rest of the world. This is a great challenge today in a globalized world. In the olden days, when there was no mass communication, no advanced technology and not much migration, society was homogenous. But with rapid globalization and digital communication, we are no longer sheltered by our culture, religion and society. With so much information from the internet, cross cultural exchanges, trans-cultural interaction and inter-religious activities, including the propagation of the secular, materialistic, relativistic values of our times, it is very difficult not to be contaminated by the world. Today, many faith believers and religious leaders of all faiths are also influenced by the secular and relativistic values of our times. We are influenced by the world in the way we live our lives, our entertainment, our enjoyment and in the way we dress. The sense of the sacred is lost and today, the secular values hold sway over our people, particularly the younger generation. This explains why even religious leaders have become worldly in their outlook, relativistic in their moral appreciation. Instead of changing society, we are absorbed by society. As it is said, if you cannot win them, join them. This appears to be the trend of our days. This is the reality of our times. We have one set of beliefs but another set of practices outside our faith community and in our homes.
Fourthly, to be a priest is not simply to offer sacrifices for the atonement of the sins of our fellowmen but more importantly, to make ourselves a living sacrifice. The letter to the Hebrews says that the High Priest must be “one who would not need to offer sacrifices every day, as the other high priests do for their own sins and then for those of the people, because he has done this once and for all by offering himself.” A priest is one who offers himself in service for God and for his fellowmen. His whole life is a sacrifice. The Mass that he offers each day is but an expression and a plea to be more and more a sacrifice for others. Unless, we make ourselves a living sacrifice, we are not yet a true priest. Everyone of us, whether we are parents, leaders, workers or collaborators, must offer ourselves as a living sacrifice for the service of all. Most of all, it means doing His holy will at all times. “You do not ask for sacrifice and offerings, but an open ear. You do not ask for holocaust and victim. Instead, here am I. In the scroll of the book it stands written that I should do your will. My God, I delight in your law in the depth of my heart. ” Living the life of grace in obedience to His will is what the sacrifice of the priesthood entails. Jesus was obedient to God unto death.
How, then, can we be true priests as just described? How can we, human beings with frailties, seek to live such a sublime and lofty life? We need to turn to the Lord who is the leader in our faith. We must imitate Him as our model. As priests of the new covenant, we are inadequate and at most just a copy of the real thing, of which only Christ is the High Priest. The author wrote, “In fact, if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are others who make the offerings laid down by the Law and these only maintain the service of a model or a reflection of the heavenly realities.”
Secondly, like Jesus, we must be close to God in loving intimacy. When the devil confessed Jesus as the Son of God, we must not imagine that he was thinking of Jesus as the Second Person of the Trinity or even that He is God. Although, it is not impossible, it is more likely that he used the term like in the Old Testament, referring to someone who is close to God as anointed by God and representing Him. So when the devil cried out ‘You are the Son of God!’, it was his recognition that Jesus was so closely identified with God. This explains why power flowed out of Him wherever He went.
Thirdly, we cannot grow in holiness without turning to Christ; not just as our model but He is also our mediator. “We have seen that he has been given a ministry of a far higher order, and to the same degree it is a better covenant of which he is the mediator, founded on better promises.” His intercession is efficacious because He is the meeting place of God. “The great point of all that we have said is that we have a high priest of exactly this kind. He has his place at the right of the throne of divine Majesty in the heavens, and he is the minister of the sanctuary and of the true Tent of Meeting which the Lord, and not any man, set up.” In other words, in Christ our mediator, we meet God. In and through Christ, our prayers and sacrifices are offered to the Father. Because it is Christ who prays in and through us, as His Church, we can be confident that His Father will hear our prayers. When Christ is the one who prays on our behalf, our prayers will always be heard. “The power of Jesus to save is utterly certain, since he is living for ever to intercede for all who come to God through him.”
Finally, we come to Jesus because He remains the healer of our souls. “He had cured so many that all who were afflicted in any way were crowding forward to touch him.” He did all these not for His glory or status. Jesus healed simply out of compassion and without self-interest or recognition. We who are broken by our sins and wounded by the sins of others must turn to the Lord for constant healing like the people. We know that Jesus is ever ready to heal us if we ask Him. He came to save us and to heal us. That was how people of all ages experienced God. We too must turn to Him to experience His saving love and grace at work in our lives.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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