Jesus Christ the High Priest

The text from the Letter to the Hebrews provides us with some solid theology as to the nature of Jesus Christ.  We are reminded that Jesus is the priest, altar, and the lamb of sacrifice.  Through what happens on the cross we have access to salvation and peace.  The Eucharist that we celebrate at the Missa is our participation in the sacred meal of the Last Supper, and of the Paschal Mystery.

Towards the end of the first chapter of Mark's Gospel (our reading today) Jesus is invited into the home of Simon and John.  Simon Peter's Mother-in-law is sick.  Now I used to be struck by how amusing this situation was, the guys come home, the woman of the house is sick, so Jesus cures her that she might wait on them.  But there is a powerful statement about Discipleship here

We are baptized as priest, prophet and king, and share in the mission and ministry of Jesus through the sacraments of initiation.   Like the many folks in the Gospel stories when we encounter Jesus Christ, when we healed, forgiven, comforted, our response needs to be stewardship and discipleship.  Jesus comes into our homes in a variety of ways to offer us wholeness and joy.  So how do we respond?  Hopefully by serving the ministry of the Lamb who takes away the Sin of the world.

Our encounter of the Christ must be up close and personal.  There is a real danger of going through the rituals of our religion and never allowing the grace and blessing of Jesus to affect our lives.  In the Gospels Jesus seems to display a frustration with the apostles who are privy to the signs and words of Jesus yet just do not get it.  The blind, leprous, sinful, and broken receive Jesus well, and respond to healing and forgiveness by following him.

It is good to consider the radical kinship we have with Jesus Christ through his passion, death, and resurrection.  Because are united with Jesus Christ we can more easily share in his ministry and eternal life.  May we bring to completion the good things God has begun in us.