10 January 2023 - Tuesday of the 1st week of Ordinary Time - Hebrews 2:5-12, Psalm 8

     This week, our first readings in our weekday Masses come from the Letter to the Hebrews. This letter is located in the New Testament at the end of the letters of St Paul and right before the letters from other authors. In Early Church tradition, its authorship was attributed to St Paul, but many Early Church Fathers doubted that Paul wrote this letter, including Origen and Clement of Alexandria. Many of its characteristics differ from St Paul’s other letters, such as the lack of the usual Pauline greeting and introduction.  Its inclusion in the canon of Scripture was ratified by the Council of Trent in 1546, but the Council chose not to state categorically that this letter was written by Paul. The Pontifical Biblical Commission in 1914 also refused to assign definite authorship to Paul. However, the Biblical Communion believes it is most likely that Paul is the indirect author of this letter, as it was probably written in the scope of Paul’s teachings by one of his companions. 

        Our reading today addressed Jesus’ nature to those early Christians who had trouble understanding Jesus’ humanity and suffering alongside his divinity and sonship. Our reading emphasizes the dignity of humanity, saying the it was humanity not angels who were brought here by God to earth. Our psalm today echoes this common theme, stating the insignificance of humanity compared to God, but also noting humanity’s stewardship of the rest of God’s creation on earth. In recent times, we in the Church have become more conscious of the importance of the theme of stewardship of creation, especially as we gain greater understanding of our impact on the environment. It is indeed a mystery that the glory of God and our salvation are brought about by the son of God made incarnate and through his passion and death on the cross. This is our proof of Christ’s love for us, and ultimately, the Father’s love for us as well.  We as human beings often see suffering as punishment from God.  However, the author of Hebrews sees suffering as a source of God’s grace. Indeed, that is a mystery that is not easy for us to comprehend.