Since the conclusion of the Christmas season, the ordinary first readings from weekday Mass have been taken from the letter to the Hebrews. The letter was written to Christian converts from Judaism. For embracing Christ, they had been expelled from their synagogues, shunned by their families, and now also experienced persecution for being Christian in the Roman Empire.
The letter seeks to embolden those who were wavering in their faith or tempted to return to their old way of life.
Much of Hebrews focuses on deep theological truths that serve to embolden the Jewish Christians—how Jesus is our eternal High Priest, the fulfillment of the Old Covenant, and the one true mediator between God and man.
Today’s passage comes from the final chapter of the letter, and pivots from theological excursus to practical morality, showing that true faith is not just a matter of theological understanding but must be lived out through brotherly love, hospitality, compassion, sexual purity, detachment from material goods, and trust in God’s providence.
The passage concludes with the powerful affirmation: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” This declaration ties back to the earlier chapters of Hebrews, which emphasize: Christ’s eternal priesthood and the unchanging nature of God’s promise.
And in doing so, this passage bridges the doctrinal and practical. After spending so much time explaining who Christ is and what He has accomplished, but this passage reminds us that knowing Christ should change how we live.
Similarly, as we gather for Eucharistic adoration, adoring Christ for his sacrificial self-giving for us, we recall that we are called to go forth and live out that love—showing hospitality, caring for the suffering, embracing purity, and trusting in His providence.
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." He is our foundation, our strength, our constant companion. In the stillness of this Holy Hour, let us ask Him to transform us, that we, like Him, may love more deeply, to serve more generously, to live more faithfully. May this time set our hearts afire with the desire to make His presence known in the world, so that through us, others may come to know the One who never forsakes or abandons His people, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.
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