Bible
Study: Hebrews 5, 1 to 10 and Mark 2, 18 to 22.
Today’s
readings draw us to reflect on the priesthood. Who is a priest? What does a
priest do? What makes him different from the rest of us? Why do we need
priests? Who is the model priest or say, the greatest priest that ever lived?
These questions are perfectly answered in today’s readings. A priest is first
and foremost a man like every other human being but with a special calling. Like
Samuel, a priest is a human being who sleeps very close to the tabernacle and
thereby hears God’s voice daily; a human being who listens and counsels like
Eli, a human being who points out important things to people like John the
Baptist in yesterday’s Gospel passage who said: “Behold the Lamb of God.”
The
priest’s basic function is to offer sacrifice and every sacrifice involves
death, destruction or fire. In the days of our fathers, the sacrifice was the
blood of an animal; a goat or sheep. But in the case of Jesus (the perfect high
priest), the sacrifice he offered was his own body and blood.
It is not
easy for any priest just as it wasn’t easy for Jesus. The book of Hebrews tells
us “He learnt to obey through suffering… he offered prayers with loud cries and
tears.” In the life of any priest, two of the toughest things he has to deal
with is obedience and prayers. The essence of his suffering, is obedience. To
obey is to forget your will and follow the will of God, the will of the church
and even the will of the people over whom he is a shepherd.
At the
same time, every priest knows how important prayers are. Yet, being faithful to
all his prayers is something that requires a lot of personal sacrifice and even
suffering. There are always so many other things to do. The harvest is rich but
labourers are few so the priest has to perform so many other functions leaving
him no time even for himself. Sometimes as priests we are so consumed in the
work of God that we forget the God of the work; we push personal prayers aside
and postpone our divine offices indefinitely. It is not easy but it is
possible.
In our
Gospel passage, Jesus who is our Great High Priest reveals himself as the
Bridegroom; the one whose presence there is no need for fasting. Jesus is not
condemning fasting but he uses the occasion to reveal his identity as God.
Surely, when we get to heaven, there will be no need for fasting because we
would be in the presence of God. For now, we fast – we deprive ourselves, we
discipline our bodies so as to get our Spirit attuned to God. Our fasting is a
longing for God and not simply a way of getting the things we want from God.
Many of us
only fast when we are trouble, when we are passing through some difficult time
or when we think we need something desperately from God. In other words, we try
to use fasting to bribe God or get him to answer quickly. This should not be
the case as God is not a man who can be bribed or cajoled to act in a
particular manner.
Let us
Pray: Lord Jesus, may my Christian life be more authentic. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith.
It is well with you. God bless you. Happy new week
Fr. Abu.
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