Thursday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time
Readings for Thursday of the 2nd Week in Ordinary Time
Commentary:
Reading 1 Heb 7:25—8:6
We hear a summation of the comparison between the Hebrew faith embodied in its priesthood with Jesus. The Lord has approached us as our intercessor and he represents a new covenant and a new promise, superseding the covenant and promise of Moses.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 17
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
Supporting the new covenant, the psalm selection tells us that the animal sacrifices and sin offerings of the Hebrews are not what the Lord wants – he would rather have a humble and contrite heart.
Gospel Mk 3:7-12
Matching the summary of arguments we hear in Hebrews we hear in the Gospel of Mark a similar summary of the activities of Jesus whose healing ministry has caused a great crowd to follow him. It is interesting that the recognition of his true nature comes from those sent by the evil one.
Homily:
Today in scripture we hear two distinct messages, the first in the Hebrews reading we hear a summary of the arguments we have been hearing for the past several days; We have a Great High Priest in Jesus, who came as our intercessor that we might have a new promise and new hope for salvation.
The second message is from the Gospel according to Mark. Here we again see a summary of what has been happening for the past several days, Jesus continues his healing ministry and people see that he is indeed the Son of God. Sometimes, in spite of our best efforts we forget what it means to have the Son of God as our intercessor.
I am reminded of a young child who wants to build a birdhouse for the yard. He goes first and asks his mother if it would be OK and she tells him; “Sure, but perhaps I should help you a little.” The mother supervises closely as the little boy gets the pieces of wood together and asks her to help with cutting it – that’s a hard part. She coaches him through the process, watching over each step and when it’s all done – the little boy runs to his father and says; “Look what I have made.”
The Lord is revealed to us with this same character and involvement in our lives. We frequently get involved in activities that are noble and good. And when we finish these tasks we think, wow look what I have accomplished. We probably even started with a prayer that said; “God, help me to get this done.” But in the end, we forget that the Lord waked with us and pushed the barriers out of the way. Just like the little boy in the story whose mother “did some of the hard parts”, Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, allows us to accomplish otherwise impossible things.
While we sometimes forget, today let us remember and rejoice that God gave us this help. He sent us life and hope in the person of His Son and we should always give thanks that he is there to help and support us in all we do for the Father’s greater glory.
Pax
Readings for Thursday of the 2nd Week in Ordinary Time
Commentary:
Reading 1 Heb 7:25—8:6
We hear a summation of the comparison between the Hebrew faith embodied in its priesthood with Jesus. The Lord has approached us as our intercessor and he represents a new covenant and a new promise, superseding the covenant and promise of Moses.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 17
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
Supporting the new covenant, the psalm selection tells us that the animal sacrifices and sin offerings of the Hebrews are not what the Lord wants – he would rather have a humble and contrite heart.
Gospel Mk 3:7-12
Matching the summary of arguments we hear in Hebrews we hear in the Gospel of Mark a similar summary of the activities of Jesus whose healing ministry has caused a great crowd to follow him. It is interesting that the recognition of his true nature comes from those sent by the evil one.
Homily:
Today in scripture we hear two distinct messages, the first in the Hebrews reading we hear a summary of the arguments we have been hearing for the past several days; We have a Great High Priest in Jesus, who came as our intercessor that we might have a new promise and new hope for salvation.
The second message is from the Gospel according to Mark. Here we again see a summary of what has been happening for the past several days, Jesus continues his healing ministry and people see that he is indeed the Son of God. Sometimes, in spite of our best efforts we forget what it means to have the Son of God as our intercessor.
I am reminded of a young child who wants to build a birdhouse for the yard. He goes first and asks his mother if it would be OK and she tells him; “Sure, but perhaps I should help you a little.” The mother supervises closely as the little boy gets the pieces of wood together and asks her to help with cutting it – that’s a hard part. She coaches him through the process, watching over each step and when it’s all done – the little boy runs to his father and says; “Look what I have made.”
The Lord is revealed to us with this same character and involvement in our lives. We frequently get involved in activities that are noble and good. And when we finish these tasks we think, wow look what I have accomplished. We probably even started with a prayer that said; “God, help me to get this done.” But in the end, we forget that the Lord waked with us and pushed the barriers out of the way. Just like the little boy in the story whose mother “did some of the hard parts”, Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, allows us to accomplish otherwise impossible things.
While we sometimes forget, today let us remember and rejoice that God gave us this help. He sent us life and hope in the person of His Son and we should always give thanks that he is there to help and support us in all we do for the Father’s greater glory.
Pax
No comments:
Post a Comment