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.
The Letter to the Hebrews is all about confidence in Jesus, especially in him as the priest who enters and stands within the Heavenly Sanctuary. There he continually offers himself for our salvation.
We experience that confidence under the aegis of the Church, that protecting shelter from the raging storms. Our confidence is renewed by our habitual sacrifices, daily prayer, and weekly worship; and by the companionship of our sisters and brothers in the faith.
With the recent turbulence in our nation’s capital and the continuing fury of a pandemic, I appreciate that shelter more and more each day. I need my bubble of protection.
Hebrews encourages us to approach “with a sincere heart and in absolute trust, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience.”
Given our history and culture, every Christian must search their own heart expecting to find sinful inclinations, desires, and guilt for sin of commission and omission. It’s like the Covid epidemic: everyone is suspect of carrying the disease whether they are symptomatic or not. Only a fool would suppose, “I am not a carrier because I don’t feel I am.” We must use screening tests to determine if we’re Covid positive, and they're valid for only a few days.
The United States has a history of slavery and racism. Only a fool would suppose, “I have no racist tendencies because I don’t feel like I have them.” Wisdom teaches us to suspect they are there, and to learn what they look like so that we recognize them when they appear. We check for suspicious lumps in sacred places of the body; we do the same with our souls.
Discovering attitudes of fear, suspicion, or hostility toward strangers, especially those of a different race, ethnicity, language, or religion, we do whatever it takes to be rid of them. Confessing them to a priest is a start; followed by more deliberate actions like reading, studying, and searching for opportunities to meet the feared parties.
In the early 1960’s, in Louisville KY, an organization sponsored and encouraged “home visiting” between black and white couples. They wanted to ease racial tensions and promote harmony by matching different-raced families and encouraging them to socialize. My parents joined the movement and I have fond memories of our outings and visits with a family remarkably like ours. (I think this link may be the same people, nearly sixty years later.) It's just not that hard to do.
Not to challenge our innate, systemic sins -- including those we have not yet detected -- is to condone them. No one should hope to stand before God's judgement seat and plead "innocent by reason of doing nothing wrong." Grace invites us to challenge the Original Sin which we have inherited from our ancestors, even our blessed ancestors.
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, let us not miss the opportunity that he has offered us.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.