Until the beginning of February, the first readings on normal weekdays will be taken from the Letter to the Hebrews. The Church does not know who wrote the letter to the Hebrews; for many years, a certain verse of chapter 13 seemed to point to Saint Paul, but the jury is still out. Nevertheless, the letter has been esteemed by the Church since the beginning; quotations from it appearing in the Church fathers as early as Pope St. Clement I, one of Peter’s earliest successors at the end of the first century.
This Letter is addressed “to the Hebrews”; that is to the converts from Judaism to Christianity. So when we read this letter, familiarity with the religious world of our Jewish-Christian ancestors is an important key to unlocking many of this letter’s theological and spiritual insight.
Very early on the Jewish Christians were persecuted for their new belief in Jesus Christ. The letter itself states: they "endured mockery, scourging, even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, sawed in two, put to death at sword's point". With any persecution, there is the temptation to abandon the faith. So the author of Hebrews writes to encourage the persecuted to persevere in their faith and even to accept martyrdom. For Jesus had already won an irreversible, total, final victory over all the persecutors of the faith
We hear today, the author encouraging the persecuted to keep their eyes fixed on Jesus. The world persecutes you and persecutes the Church, so fix your eyes on Jesus! See him, victorious over sin and death! As baptized we share in his victory! So amidst all the mockery, torture, imprisonment, and trial. Fix your eyes on Him!
When we keep our gaze fixed on the Lord, we begin to be filled with his strength, his patience, his generosity, his submission to the Father’s will.
During peaceful times, ordinary time, we do well to build up the habit of focusing on Christ, so that when the storms of life hit, instead of focusing so much on the storm, we focus on the one who gives us power to overcome the storm.
We do this by building up habits of reading, reflecting, and praying with the Scriptures, seeing the life of Jesus lived out in the lives of the saints, kneeling in prayerful adoration before the tabernacle or the monstrance, and serving Him in the poor through charitable service.
In the words of our patron Saint Clare: “Gaze upon Him, consider Him, contemplate Him, as you desire to imitate Him.” For the glory of God and salvation of souls.
For the grace to faithfully endure our earthly trials. We pray to the Lord.
For the grace to encourage those who are overwhelmed by the storms of life and to give hope to the hopeless. We pray to the Lord.
For the grace to love the poor and afflicted with the heart of Christ. We pray to the Lord.
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