20250123 THE PERFECT PRIEST
23 January 2025, Thursday, 2nd Week 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.
THE PERFECT PRIEST
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [HEB 7:25-8:6; PS 40:7-10,17; MK 3:7-12]
The priest is a mediator between God and man. The Holy Father is also called the Pontiff, which comes from the root word, a “bridge-maker.” The word “Pontiff” is usually reserved for the Pope alone because he is the High Priest of the Catholic Church. But in truth, all priests are “bridge-makers” insofar as he is called to be the bridge between God and man. The task of a priest is to help his fellowmen to be in contact with God. This is because the priest is a trained theologian, supposedly schooled in scriptures and theology, and most of all, a man of prayer and holiness.
But he must be a man, otherwise he cannot be the bridge between God and man. But we know that as man, priests are weak and human. Earlier on, the author to Hebrews wrote, “Every high priest chosen from among mortals is put in charge of things pertaining to God on their behalf, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness; and because of this he must offer sacrifices for his own sins as well as for those of the people. And one does not presume to take this honour, but takes it only when called by God, just as Aaron was.” (Heb 5:1-4) The positive thing about priests being weak and themselves prone to sin helps them to be more compassionate towards those who fail in their commitment to the Lord. Being a sinner himself and subjected to the same trials of life and temptations, it is hoped that he would exercise mercy and compassion for those who come to him for help, advice and prayers. He would be able to help them more effectively because he shares their humanity.
But of course, on the other hand, he can be a scandal to his community as well. Some people expect priests to be all holy and perfect. This was because the Catholic Priesthood in the past was elevated to a high pedestal, as they were the only ones who could celebrate the sacraments, especially the Holy Mass. Before Vatican II, even the laity were not allowed to touch the Eucharist or even receive it by hand. These were the reserve of the priests and deacons. But today, with social media and also the secular encroachment on the priesthood, we receive a lot of revelations about the scandals committed by priests, especially horrific sins like paedophilia and sexual abuse of women. Now we even read of priests committing breach of trust, especially in handling money. All these scandals have shocked the Catholic community who had been so trusting of priests. Today, in many places, priests are looked upon as potential predators of young boys. Also we see so many worldly priests who indulge in high living, expensive dining and lavish holidays, besides dressing. So the pendulum has swung from one end to the other extreme end. We can appreciate, as a consequence, why those who once held the priests in esteem are so shaken that they left the Church.
For this reason, we need to have a perfect priest. Jesus is that perfect high priest because he was not just a man but a perfect man. The first reading tells us that Jesus is holy because He was faithful to God in doing His holy will. The responsorial psalm says, “Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will.” Jesus’ entire life was to offer Himself as a sacrifice for us by doing the way of God. Jesus was holy because of His purity of mind and heart in His devotion to God and to man. He loved without any ulterior motives but simply to show His Father’s love. But we must not think that Jesus was not a man. In fact, He was the perfect man. He was fully a man whereas we are not. We have fallen short of the glory of God, that is to become what we are called to be because of our sins, as St Paul wrote, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Rom 3:23) Gaudium et Spes teaches, “She likewise holds that in her most benign Lord and Master can be found the key, the focal point and the goal of man, as well as of all human history.” (GS 10)
He was also innocent and uncontaminated. Unlike us, Jesus was stainless. He was free from all sins. He had no guilt and He did not hurt anyone. He was not a scandal to those who wanted to grow in holiness, only a scandal to evil people who believed in power, glory and violence. His desire was to love and to heal. There was nothing but goodness in Him. He had a good heart and was sincere in His motives. He was beyond the influence of the world and the temptations of the evil one. Even though the devil tempted Him in the wilderness at His weakest point when he was hungry after fasting for forty days, Jesus refused to use His power for self-interests or for an easy ministry. He only used His divine powers to save people not Himself. So much so, even the Pharisees recognized that when they tried to trick Him into denying God or the authority of the emperor. “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality, but teach the way of God in accordance with truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” (Mk 12:14)
We see the non-violence of Jesus when He was opposed by His enemies. Until this chapter, Jesus was preaching in the synagogue. But He was increasingly opposed by the religious leaders. He could see that His life was in danger as the Pharisees and the Herodians were plotting to kill Him. Hence in today’s gospel, instead of directly confronting the religious leaders as His time was not yet come, Jesus withdrew to the seashore, the wilderness and the mountains and houses to preach to those who wish to hear Him. “Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lakeside, and great crowds from Galilee followed him. Great numbers who had heard of all he was doing came to him. And asked his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, to keep him from being crushed.” Jesus did not seek confrontation whenever possible. He was a man of non-violence and He did not want to start a revolution which could cause the lives of His followers. This explains why when He was arrested on that evening, He told the temple police, “I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these men go.” This was to fulfil the word that he had spoken, “I did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me.” Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?” (Jn 18:8-11)
Consequently, Jesus is the perfect High priest because He is identified with us except in sin. The letter to the Hebrews says, “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.” In the words of Gaudium et Spes, “Such is the mystery of man, and it is a great one, as seen by believers in the light of Christian revelation. Through Christ and in Christ, the riddles of sorrow and death grow meaningful. Apart from His Gospel, they overwhelm us. Christ has risen, destroying death by His death; He has lavished life upon us so that, as sons in the Son, we can cry out in the Spirit; Abba, Father. (GS 22)
This explains why in the gospel, we read that in Him, people felt the touch of God. He came to give life and to heal us all. “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!'” Even the unclean spirits recognized His divinity. Jesus was truly man and truly God. In Jesus, we see the presence of God. To be healed and to be forgiven, we only need to come to Jesus who today continues to heal us through His appointed priests even though they are weak and sinners. But we know that Christ heals and forgives through His priests.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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