Piety
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to
sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every
way, yet without sin. So let us
confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for
timely help. Hebrews 4:15-16
“Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus
heard this and said to them, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but
the sick do. I did not come to call the
righteous but sinners.” Mark 2:16B-17
Study
Some religions make their
supreme being inaccessible – a name which cannot even be uttered. Not so our faith. Our confident access to God is made possible
by the priestly work of Jesus right here as an earthy human being. From the cold nativity of his birth to the
lonely cross of his execution, Jesus was the bridge between heaven and earth to
make possible our ability to “approach the throne of grace.”
Our “high priest” is head
and shoulders above everyone who calls themselves a high priest. However, his work is not accomplished by
mingling with his priestly peers. Jesus
accomplishes his work – as we see in today’s Gospel – only by eating with the
tax collectors and sinners.
Action
The lesson for us is to do
the same – our work should not be focused on those who are already saved. A national Cursillo leader once remarked, “We
have to fish outside the bowl.”
Pope Francis provides
another vivid example for us to stand with the poor in his trip to the Philippines. Rather than spending his time with the rich
and powerful, here is an account of an episode in this trip detailed by the National
Catholic Reporter:
“Braving
pouring rain and 60-mile an hour winds to stand with those most affected by a
typhoon that left thousands dead and millions homeless, Pope Francis said
Saturday he did not know what he could say to address their pain.
"I
don't know what to say to you," said the pontiff in a strikingly heartfelt
and personal homily at a Mass in Tacloban, an area some 500 miles southeast of
the Philippines capital that was struck hardest by 2013's Typhoon Haiyan.
"Many
of you lost part of your families," the pope continued, setting aside his
prepared English text for the occasion to speak in his native Spanish.
"All I can do is keep silence. And I walk with you all with my silent
heart."
The Pope is walking with
people who have been “tested in every way.”
They survived the typhoon and this trip is marked by another massive
storm. However, he reminds them to turn
to Jesus on the cross for hope.
Evincing
the pain of those who suffered so much from the event, Francis he had come to
Tacloban "to tell you that Jesus is Lord" and that he "never
lets us down."
"Father,
you might say to me, 'I was let down because I've lost so many things, my
house, my livelihood; I have illness,'" said Francis.
"It's
true if you would say that," he continued. "And I respect those
sentiments. But Jesus is there nailed to the cross and from there he does not
let us down."
"For
this we have a Lord who is capable of crying with us, who is capable of walking
with us in the most difficult moments of life," said Francis.
How can you walk with the
poor this weekend in how you eat, live, shop, play and work?
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