Reading 1 Heb 7:25—8:6
Jesus 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 main point of what has been said is this:
we have such a high priest,
who has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne
of the Majesty in heaven, a minister of the sanctuary
and of the true tabernacle that the Lord, not man, set up.
Now every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices;
thus the necessity for this one also to have something to offer.
If then he were on earth, he would not be a priest,
since there are those who offer gifts according to the law.
They worship in a copy and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary,
as Moses was warned when he was about to erect the tabernacle.
For God says, “See that you make everything
according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”
Now he has obtained so much more excellent a ministry as
he is mediator of a better covenant,
enacted on better promises.
Gospel Mk 3:7-12
Jesus withdrew toward the sea with his disciples.
A large number of people followed from Galilee and from Judea.
Hearing what he was doing,
a large number of people came to him also from Jerusalem,
from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan,
and from the neighbourhood of Tyre and Sidon.
He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd,
so that they would not crush him.
He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases
were pressing upon him to touch him.
And whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him and shout, “You are the Son of God.”
He warned them sternly not to make him known.
The first reading of today tells us about the superiority of Jesus priesthood. He is the ideal priest because he is holy and perfect; he offered the greatest gift (himself) and ministers at a greater sanctuary (heaven).
The Gospel tells us how Jesus offered his life in service of humanity, he was teaching, healing, setting people free from the unclean spirit and he won’t allow the unclean spirits to advertise him.
Two points today:
- While Jesus was on earth, he spent his life in service of humanity and even now in heaven He continues to intercede for us.
We are called to imitate the life of Jesus. A good life is not necessarily about having wealth, possessions, attaining high positions, having good health. A good life is a life that brings joy, hope, blessing and consolation to others. This is the life that you and I have been called to live.
- Everyone was looking for Jesus.
The people realized their need for Jesus and they travelled from everywhere to look for him. This is the paradox of our time. If there is any generation that needs Jesus more, it is our generation. The proofs are the deep-rooted faithlessness, the lack of sense of the sacred, the constant depression, frequency of suicide, moral confusion, the attraction of atheism, corruption among our youths, crass ignorance of spiritual realities- These are the evidence that we are also spiritually sick and possessed by the demon of carnality.
Unfortunately, the people of our generation are not even looking for Jesus. We do not recognize our need for him. Dear pilgrim souls, let us cry to Jesus, our high priest to save our generation from the path of destruction.
Today we celebrate St Francis De Sales, he was a priest at an age similar to ours, the people of his home district (the Chablis) have gone over to Calvinism just as ours have gone to secularism. His fervent prayers, pious life and powerful preaching won most of them back to God.
Do not say what can I do? Fervent prayer for a spiritual revival and effort at living a good life can do more than expected.
Sermon preached from Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Okami on January 24, 2019