The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to be open to the Spirit in the Word of God to clarify our needs and mission of service.
The reading from the Letter to the Hebrews proclaims Jesus as the Great High Priest.
* [4:14–16] These verses, which return to the theme first sounded in Heb 2:16–3:1, serve as an introduction to the section that follows. The author here alone calls Jesus a great high priest (Heb 4:14), a designation used by Philo for the Logos; perhaps he does so in order to emphasize Jesus’ superiority over the Jewish high priest. He has been tested in every way, yet without sin (Heb 4:15); this indicates an acquaintance with the tradition of Jesus’ temptations, not only at the beginning (as in Mk 1:13) but throughout his public life (cf. Lk 22:28). Although the reign of the exalted Jesus is a theme that occurs elsewhere in Hebrews, and Jesus’ throne is mentioned in Heb 1:8, the throne of grace (Heb 4:16) refers to the throne of God. The similarity of Heb 4:16 to Heb 10:19–22 indicates that the author is thinking of our confident access to God, made possible by the priestly work of Jesus. (Hebrews, CHAPTER 4, n.d.)
Psalm 19 praises God’s Glory in Creation and the Law.
* [Psalm 19] The heavenly elements of the world, now beautifully arranged, bespeak the power and wisdom of their creator (Ps 19:2–7). The creator’s wisdom is available to human beings in the law (Ps 19:8–11), toward which the psalmist prays to be open (Ps 19:12–14). The themes of light and speech unify the poem. (Psalms, PSALM 19, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus calls Levi.
* [2:14] As he passed by: see note on Mk 1:16–20. Levi, son of Alphaeus: see note on Mt 9:9. Customs post: such tax collectors paid a fixed sum for the right to collect customs duties within their districts. Since whatever they could collect above this amount constituted their profit, the abuse of extortion was widespread among them. Hence, Jewish customs officials were regarded as sinners (Mk 2:16), outcasts of society, and disgraced along with their families. He got up and followed him: i.e., became a disciple of Jesus.
* [2:15] In his house: cf. Mk 2:1; Mt 9:10. Lk 5:29 clearly calls it Levi’s house.
* [2:16–17] This and the following conflict stories reflect a similar pattern: a statement of fact, a question of protest, and a reply by Jesus.
* [2:17] Do not need a physician: this maxim of Jesus with its implied irony was uttered to silence his adversaries who objected that he ate with tax collectors and sinners (Mk 2:16). Because the scribes and Pharisees were self-righteous, they were not capable of responding to Jesus’ call to repentance and faith in the gospel. (Mark, CHAPTER 2, n.d.)
Eileen Burke-Sullivan comments that we are invited to move more deeply into the mission of Christ – to become more practically one with Him in saving the created order.
You and I are each called to attend to the Word of God to know good from evil - to embrace God’s plan and God’s way of accomplishing that plan in large and small ways. To do this we need to know the real world around us – how it works, how all creation collaborates in existence in order to accomplish God’s plan. Thus, the presence of Christ and the meaning of his spoken word is always growing in us.
The second point that emerges for me today as foundational for living more deeply in Christ, is the dual call of today’s Gospel passage. Like Levi, we are called to make everything secondary to following Christ – to coming and seeing what he has in store for us. Saint Ignatius of Loyola calls this invitation the capacity to discern what God is doing and to join God in that doing.
Like Levi we are also called to bring our friends and acquaintances close to Jesus. To share our goods with them and with him and to experience the community of nonjudgmental love. The Church accomplishes its mission most perfectly when, like Jesus, we share compassionate relationship with sinners as easily as we do the saints in our lives. Jesus (and we) answers the call to serve the sinner, the ill, the broken; not those who do not want or need God’s help. (Burke, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “No physician can avoid the arena of sickness,” by Gregory of Nazianzus (330 - 390 AD).
"When Jesus is attacked for mixing with sinners, and taking as his disciple a despised tax collector, one might ask: What could he possibly gain by doing so? (Luke 15:2) Only the salvation of sinners. To blame Jesus for mingling with sinners would be like blaming a physician for stooping down over suffering and putting up with vile smells in order to heal the sick." (excerpt from ORATION 45, ON HOLY EASTER 26) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Hebrews 4:12-16 comments that Scripture is filled with assurances of God’s deep love for us and his never-ending mercy. But sometimes Scripture can cut us to the heart as well. It can convict us of sin and warn us of the dangers of disobedience. That’s why God’s word is “able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). Once our eyes are opened to our true motivations, we can begin to make the necessary course corrections in our thinking and in our actions.
This is the power of God’s word! It can lead you from resentment to forgiveness, from fear to trust, and from slavery to sin to freedom in Christ. It can change your heart in all the ways it needs changing.
Try it yourself. Read the Gospel passage for today slowly and carefully. Does a phrase or an image stand out? Ponder it and see what God wants to reveal to you. Then, if necessary, act on it, and watch how God’s word becomes “living and effective” in your own life!
“Lord, open your word to me!” (Meditation on Hebrews 4:12-16, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the Hebrew understanding of the actualization of the Word of God. We speak the Word that has the power to recreate the world in God’s image. Friar Jude asks about our outreach in table fellowship with the alienated and those in need of healing.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that “Here I am, Lord. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8) was Isaiah’s response to God’s call. He invites us to try this simple “Here I Am” prayer from spiritual director and writer Teresa Blythe as a way to become available to God.
Resolve to be in prayer for at least five minutes. Do not answer the phone or allow yourself to be distracted from your goal.
Be seated and say to yourself, “Here I am seated, doing nothing. I will do nothing for five minutes” (or longer, depending on the time you set for yourself).
Begin noticing your own bodily presence—how your body feels next to the chair; how your feet feel against the floor. Relax your body. Notice what you feel inside.
Now notice the presence of all that is around you. Say to yourself, “Here I am in the presence of the room (garden, chapel, wherever you are).” Be aware of the furniture, walls, and any pets or people in the room. Just be present and silent in your environment. Relax even more.
Now say to yourself, “Here I am in the presence of God.” Repeat silently to God, “Here I am.” Bask in the presence of the Holy One until your time goal has been reached. (Rohr, 2019)
We contemplate our relationship with Jesus and how the healing of our wounds points to our role in helping others.
References
Burke, E. (n.d.). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved January 14, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/011423.html
Hebrews, CHAPTER 4. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved January 14, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/hebrews/4?12
Mark, CHAPTER 2. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved January 14, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/2?13
Meditation on Hebrews 4:12-16. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved January 14, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/01/14/584326/
Psalms, PSALM 19. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved January 14, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/19?8
Rohr, R. (2019, September 26). Responding to the Call. Daily Meditations Archive: 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/responding-to-the-call-weekly-summary-2023-01-14/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Many Sinners Were Sitting with Jesus. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved January 14, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=jan14
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