My goodness. There is a saying about “lining all your ducks up” or “have all your ducks in a row.”
They both amount to the same thing.
The letter to the Hebrews is doing just that; it is getting all of the theology, all of the ideas, and all of the meanings so carefully lined up so as to strengthen and solidify our faith and our understanding of the meaning of the Christ in our lives.
But having said that, understanding that Christ as the High Priest and our connection with our loving God, Father, creator and source of everything, Jesus the Christ confronts once again the hard hearts, close minds, and emptiness of the Pharisees.
Here in front of their eyes is a person with a withered hand.
Jesus looked at him, and Jesus saw compassion and love.
Jesus saw the need for healing. Jesus saw that someone was there standing in need.
Before Jesus healed, he asked a question to open the hearts of all who were there standing in sight and sound of this withered person: “Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?”
But — and this is rare that we get a glimpse into the feelings of Jesus — he was, “looking around at them with anger and grieved at their hardness of heart.”
+ The anger and grief both with the Pharisees and with us is that we could see a person in need of healing and might think anything less than love, compassion, or concern. How can I help?
This Gospel is a plea on our behalf to seek out the good, seek out love and compassion, and seek out a response that will bring life!
+Today, let us put an end to hardness of heart and seek to open our hearts to compassion and love.
Father Perry D. Leiker is the 14th pastor of St. Bernard Catholic Church. Reach him at (323) 255-6142. Email Father Perry at perry.leiker@gmail.com. Follow Father Perry on Twitter: @MrDeano76.
