Mass Reading & Meditation for January 19, 2015 Catholic Meditations Meditation: Hebrews 5:1-10 2nd Week in Ordinary Time In the days when he was in the flesh, he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears. (Hebrews 5:7) It’s both wonderful and mysterious how Jesus lived while he was on the earth. We know that as God made flesh, he entered fully into our human condition. He displayed compassion, sorrow, tenderness, and mercy, and he also experienced tiredness, hunger, pain, temptation, and fear. He was human just like us, subject to all the experiences we face. But at the same time, he was fully God, and that meant he never let any of these experiences lead him to sin. Here’s one good side to the mystery of Jesus: he knows what we’re going through because he’s been through it. At the same time he knows that we don’t have the same strength that he had to overcome sin. In other words, he gets it! He doesn’t condemn us; he forgives us. Knowing our weaknesses and not wanting to lose any of us, he is extremely patient with us. He went so far as to shed his blood for us. How did the Father respond to Jesus’ dedication to us? Resurrection! He didn’t relieve Jesus’ suffering or remove the cross from him, but he transformed his Son’s death into new life. So when you feel the challenges of everyday life, when your sin weighs heavily on you, when you feel there is no way out of temptation, you can turn to Jesus, because he never gave up on you! He is still interceding for you, joining his prayers to yours and lifting them up to his heavenly Father. What more assurance can we have than this great high priest, who has ransomed us from sin? He forgives and forgets, then he sends us back out into the world to pass on his message of forgiveness! So come to the Lord with all your “stuff.” He won’t turn you away. He won’t ask, “Why weren’t you strong enough?” He’s only going to say, “Neither do I condemn you. Now, get up and stick with me. We’ve got work to do.” “Jesus, thank you for your prayers, your forgiveness, your patience with me—again! I not only place myself at your mercy, but at your service.” Psalm 110:1-4 Mark 2:18-22
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 11:32:51 +0000
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