Daily Readings - Mon Jan 16 2023
Hebrews
1For every high priest, having been taken from among men, is appointed on behalf of men toward the things which pertain to God, so that he may offer gifts and sacrifices on behalf of sins2he is able to commiserate with those who are ignorant and who wander astray, because he himself is also encompassed by infirmity3And because of this, he also must make such offerings for sins even for himself, in the same manner as for the people4Neither does anyone take up this honor himself, but rather he who is called by God, just as Aaron was5Thus, even Christ did not glorify himself, so as to become High Priest, but instead, it was God who said to him: "You are my Son. Today I have begotten you.6And similarly, he says in another place: "You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.7It is Christ who, in the days of his flesh, with a strong cry and tears, offered prayers and supplications to the One who was able to save him from death, and who was heard because of his reverence8And although, certainly, he is the Son of God, he learned obedience by the things that he suffered9And having reached his consummation, he was made, for all who are obedient to him, the cause of eternal salvation10having been called by God to be the High Priest, according to the order of Melchizedek
Mark
18And the disciples of John, and the Pharisees, were fasting. And they arrived and said to him, "Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?19And Jesus said to them: "How can the sons of the wedding fast while the groom is still with them? During whatever time they have the groom with them, they are not able to fast20But the days will arrive when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they shall fast, in those days21No one sews a patch of new cloth onto an old garment. Otherwise, the new addition pulls away from the old, and the tear becomes worse22And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the wineskins, and the wine will pour out, and the wineskins will be lost. Instead, new wine must be put into new wineskins.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the nature of priesthood, sacrifice, and the newness that Christ brings to our lives. In the first reading from Hebrews, we hear about the role of the high priest, who is chosen by God to offer sacrifices for the sins of the people. The author emphasizes that the high priest must be able to empathize with the weaknesses of others because he, too, is human. This sets the stage for understanding Jesus as the ultimate High Priest, who, though sinless, humbled himself and learned obedience through suffering. His priesthood is not like that of the old covenant but is eternal and rooted in the order of Melchizedek, a mysterious figure who prefigured Christ’s priesthood.
In the Gospel, Mark presents Jesus responding to the question about why his disciples do not fast. Jesus uses the image of the groom and the wedding to explain that as long as he is with them, it is a time of joy, not fasting. He then uses parables about patching old clothes with new cloth and putting new wine into old wineskins to illustrate that the old ways cannot contain the new life he brings. This teaching challenges us to embrace the fresh and transformative nature of the Kingdom of God, rather than trying to fit it into outdated practices or mindsets.
These readings remind us that our faith is not about clinging to the past but about embracing the newness of life in Christ. Jesus, as the High Priest and the Bridegroom, calls us to live in the present with hope and openness to the Spirit. In our daily lives, this means being willing to let go of old habits or ways of thinking that no longer serve us, and instead, to trust in God’s plan to renew and transform us. Let us ask for the grace to be open to the new wine and new cloth that Christ offers, so that we may live as people of hope and joy, reflecting the eternal salvation he has won for us.