AN IDEAL HIGH PRIEST

PRAYER PAUSE

Thursday 19 January 2017

AN IDEAL HIGH PRIEST

Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.

Reading: “An ideal high priest would have to be holy, innocent and uncontaminated … we have a high priest of exactly this kind.” (Hebrews 7:15 – 8:6)

Reflection. Caiaphas was pretty contaminated yet John, in his gospel, does credit him with a prophetic statement: “one man must die for the people” (11:50). Hebrews takes up this theme reflecting at length on the role of Jesus as the one who offers himself once and for all for the whole human family. The letter describes the faith of their Hebrew ancestors and invites the Jewish converts to the Christian faith of his day, and we are included, to follow the example of Jesus in an offering of self for this great work.  This is the one most meaningful purpose of life: to give oneself for others and so find oneself.

Prayer. Lord, help us to join in your one great offering to the Father for the world. Amen