Thursday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

Since through the Blood of Jesus 

we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary
by the new and living way he opened for us through the veil,
that is, his flesh,
and since we have “a great priest over the house of God,”
let us approach with a sincere heart and in absolute trust,
with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience
and our bodies washed in pure water.

This long, beautiful sentence is laced with a dozen threads of meditation. It is an invitation to “approach” the sanctuary of God with absolute confidence, since we have these two assurances: the way he has opened and the priest who speaks for us. 

As human beings we often wonder how shall we approach God. Should we even attempt it? How dangerous might this venture be? Isn’t it better to let well enough alone and keep a safe distance from God? What possible advantage can be gained by entering the sanctuary?

But Hebrews invites us to lay aside all our misgivings and come into God’s presence because Jesus has gone ahead of us. He calls as an intrepid spelunker might invite his buddies through a narrow passage, “Come on through, there’s a spectacular cavern in here!”

And what is that narrow passage. It is his flesh, our human nature. It is afflicted with sin and yet it is beautiful. It is crippled and wasted by our foolishness and yet it is the true way that leads to him. We meet Jesus as we come to terms with our own humanity, in all its potentiality and frailty. We don’t have to be something other than or better than human.

And what is the spectacular chamber? Some might call it heaven but I think it is eternal life. It is that life which is rich and meaningful, capable of intense joy and sorrow, fearless in sacrifice and confident in generosity. It begins when we truly die to ourselves, which is long before our mortal death. 

We can die to ourselves -- forgetting our petty needs and desires, resentments and grievances -- because we have this confidence in Jesus, our high priest who has passed through the veil of death into the Heavenly Temple of Life.