Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens,
Jesus, the Son of God,
let us hold fast to our confession.
As I understand alligators have a remarkable ability to see above water and below water at the same time. With the water line straight across their eyeballs, they can see things moving in the murky depths, while they keep an eye on you and your toy poodle walking the shore.
This week’s series of readings from the Letter to the Hebrews and the Gospel of Saint Mark offers a similar view of Jesus. Above our conventional world of tax collectors and sinners where we find Jesus feasting with friends, appears the same “great high priest who has passed through the heavens.” If the ever-suspicious Pharisees in this lower world don’t know what to make of him, we understand perfectly because we see him with the eyes of faith in an entirely new dimension.
That dual vision informs everything about our way of life, especially as we approach and receive the Sacraments. What appears as bread and wine is the Body and Blood of the Lord. What appears as a quiet conversation in the confessional room is a miracle of reconciliation. The baby carried from the baptistry only resembles the one who was brought into it minutes before; they have entered a new domain of reality.
Faith with its multidimensional vision also has a long vision of time, as the Letter to the Hebrews so clearly demonstrates. Jesus walked in the line of Melchizedek, the ancient priest of the pre-Davidic age when Jerusalem was known as Salem. Our priests still evoke that prehistoric figure as they bless in the Holy Name. Jesus was always present in the world although he only appeared in that transitional moment between the Old and New Testaments. His physical presence is palpable in priests and bishops.
Because we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens we practice religion without apology, for we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin.
So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.
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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.