Homily by Fr. Danichi Hui
Feast of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Eternal High Priest
Jeremiah 31, 31-34�Psalms 110, 1b-e, 2, 3
Mark 14, 22-25
Biblical: Every Thursday after Pentecost, we celebrate the Feast of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Eternal High Priest. Priests during the time of Jesus were to offer sacrifices and gifts on behalf of the people to reconcile them to God. In short, priests are mediators between people and God. Usually, priests offer animal blood as a symbol of life. To bring back the life of a person who was destroyed by sin.
This is similar to what happened to the Israelites (whose lives were once destroyed) after the Lord took them out of slavery in Egypt. God created a covenant with them (which is the Ten Commandments), but instead of committing, they broke it and turned their backs on God.
Imagine, after saving them and giving them a fresh start. After God trying to give them back their lives, they wasted everything by disobeying God. Mas ginusto nila ang buhay na pagsuway sa Diyos o isang buhay nang makasalanan. Kaysa buhay na may pakikipagkasundo sa Diyos.
They chose sin over God.
But Prophet Jeremiah said in our first reading that God will make a new covenant, not like the first covenant he made (which was written on stone). This time, it will be written in their hearts. God promised that he would replace their sinful hearts with obedient hearts. For God will forgive their iniquities and remember their sins no more.
Reflection: So from people who turned their backs on God, now they are people who turn to God. From being a sinful people to an obedient people. This was the goal of the high priests during that time, and this is the reason for their mediation.
Ito yung goal ng mga pari noon. Ang gawin ang mga tao na namumuhay sa pakikipag tipan sa Diyos; sumusunod sa Diyos at malapit sa Diyos.
But the actualization of Jeremiah’s goal was fulfilled not by the people but by a person. He lived not only in covenant with God but a life with God. He did not only obey God but also taught obedience to God. He did not only become close to God; he is the Son of God. He is none other than Jesus. He is the actualization of the new covenant of God.
He is the ultimate mediator because he is both God and man. He does not only reconcile sinners, but he forgives them to be one with God.
Although we confess that Jesus fulfilled the new covenant in his life and ministry, the promise of the new covenant has not been fully realized in us. (Hindi pa man natin ito lubusang natutupad, patuloy pa din ang pakikipag tipan ng Diyos)
My dear brothers and sisters, the challenge for us is to continue to wrestle with our old sinful hearts. That is why we need preachers and teachers through priests, to help us fulfill the new covenant that God established for us.
21 май 2024
