The 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time, November 3, 2024

Hebrews 7, 23–28

Brothers and sisters: The levitical priests were many because they were prevented by death from remaining in office, but Jesus, because he remains forever, has a priesthood that does not pass away. Therefore, he is always able to save those who approach God through him, since he lives forever to make intercession for them. It was fitting that we should have such a high priest: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, higher than the heavens. He has no need, as did the high priests, to offer sacrifice day after day, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did that once for all when he offered himself. For the Law appoints men subject to weakness to be high priests, but the word of the oath, which was taken after the Law, appoints a Son, who has been made perfect forever.

The Letter to the Hebrews ranks among the best written works of the New Testament in terms of its organization and the quality of its Greek, the language in which it was written.  It was written to Jews or to Jewish Christians at a time when the worship in the Temple in Jerusalem was still carried out, so before 70 A.D.  The Letter comes in the form of a short treatise on the Priesthood of Jesus Christ, showing that it far surpasses the priesthood of Aaron.  This had great significance for the Jewish Christians who still worshipped in the Temple even while celebrating the Mass secretly in their houses.  The old priesthood was a sign of the new, for “it is impossible that with the blood of oxen and goats sin should be taken away” (Hebrews 10, 4).  The Sacrifice made by Jesus Christ of himself on the Cross alone forgives sins: “We are sanctified by the sacrificial offering of the Body of Jesus Christ” (Hebrews 10, 10).  

“He lives forever to make intercession for them.”  That is, for all of us.  This verse is illustrated for us in Revelation 5, 6: “And I saw: and behold in the midst of the throne [of God the Father] and of the four living creatures and in the midst of the elders, a Lamb standing, as it were slain.”  (The “living creatures” and the “elders” signify the Church in heaven.)  The Son stands before his Father as one who has been slain and is risen.  The Father looks upon his Son and his wounds with great love and bestows mercy on those for whom his Son pleads.  This intercession is not occasional but continual and will not cease until the last of the saints has arrived in the heavenly halls.

The Lord Jesus, our High Priest, is “holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, higher than the heavens.”  It is not a priest laden down with his own sins who intercedes for us but one who is utterly without sin.  

“He did that once for all when he offered himself.”  That is, our High Priest offered sacrifice for the sins of the people when he offered himself to the Father on the Cross.  Because his Sacrifice has infinite merit, he only needs to do this once.  He freely willed his Death for our sins: He “bore our sins in his Body upon the tree: that we, being dead in sin, should be justified” (1 Peter 1, 24).  He did this out of obedience to the Father and his passionate love for us.

“For the Law appoints men subject to weakness to be high priests, but the word of the oath, which was taken after the Law, appoints a Son, who has been made perfect forever.”  The Law of the old Covenant decreed that those who served in the old priesthood be taken from the descendants of Aaron.  This gives way to the new Priesthood inaugurated by God when he appointed his Son as Priest: “The Lord has sworn [an oath], and he will not repent: You are a Priest for ever.” (Psalm 110, 4).

We rejoice in the salvation won for us by our Savior and give him heartfelt thanks.  He has entirely given himself over for us.  Let us give ourselves entirely to him and his holy will for us, whatever that may be.