Today’s reading from the Letter to the
Hebrews & the Psalm mention the priestly name of Melchizedek, to whom
Christ, our High Priest forever, is compared.
Melchizedek was a Canaanite priest who is first noted in the Old
Testament when he blesses Abraham after his victorious return from battle. The book of Genesis implies that the order of
Melchizedek is the order of patriarchal priesthood that functioned for many
centuries in the land of Canaan before the priestly ordination of Aaron and his
sons took place on Mount Sinai. Although
Melchizedek was not a Jewish priest himself, he was significant to the Jewish
audience in ancient Israel because of his association with Abraham. And like Melchizedek, Jesus also did not have
a direct tie to the Levetical priestly heritage of Aaron. Jesus is our high priest forever, he is the
fulfillment of the new covenant God makes with his people.
On this day that our reading tell us about
Melchizedek, as we think about Jesus as our high priest forever, we recognize
St. Agnes, a young woman who died at the age of 12 or 13 for her commitment to
Jesus. Agnes, who lived in the late
third century, was an important saint in the early church. Agnes committed her life to virtue &
chastity, vowing to remain a virgin bride for Christ. She was killed by Roman authorities at a time
of great persecution. Agnes remained an
example of great faith to many of our early Church fathers, so much so that the
daughter of the Roman emperor Constantine built a basilica in Rome in her
honor.
St. Agnes remains an example of faith
in our modern era. May her courage be an
inspiration to us all. As she honored
Christ with her virtue and her life, may we honor Jesus as the Chief priest
forever.
No comments:
Post a Comment