2nd Week in Ordinary Time (Year A) : Monday 16th January 2023

When Hebrews was written, Jewish Christians were undergoing intense persecution. It was written to reassure them that Jesus was indeed the Messiah (the Christ, the Anointed One of God); and to encourage them to persevere in their Christian faith.

The Hebrews text for today gives us an understanding of the priesthood of Jesus Christ. It was not Christ, Who gave Himself the glory of becoming a high priest but God, Who called Him and said to Him, “You are a priest of the order of Melchizedek, and forever” (vv 5-6). It was an eternal priesthood (like Melchizedek’s, which has no beginning or ending Gen. 14:18-20).

How did Christ live out His priesthood? Hebrews said, “He offered up prayer and entreaty, aloud and in silent tears” (v7) – immediately bringing us into the Garden of Gethsemane (Mat. 26:36-46) where He was praying to the Father and was “sorrowful to the point of death” (Mat. 26:38).

Was His prayer heard? Yes, it was heard because He chose to obey God’s Will, and therefore Hebrews says, “He submitted so humbly” (v7) and “learnt to obey through suffering” (v 8).

His obedience to the Father, as a Son (v 5), made Him “perfect” (v 9), that is, matured and completed Him to the point that He is now our “source of salvation”.

Christ showed us how to live and die by His life. Live in obedience to God. Die daily to self, so as to live!

Lord, the way of the cross is indeed the way to holiness.