Memory of the Church
Memorial of the death of Gandhi, killed in1948 in New Delhi. With him we remember all those who, in the name of non-violence, are peacemakers.
Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
I am the good shepherd,
my sheep listen to my voice,
and they become
one flock and one fold.
.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Hebrews 10,19-25
We have then, brothers, complete confidence through the blood of Jesus in entering the sanctuary, by a new way which he has opened for us, a living opening through the curtain, that is to say, his flesh. And we have the high priest over all the sanctuary of God. So as we go in, let us be sincere in heart and filled with faith, our hearts sprinkled and free from any trace of bad conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us keep firm in the hope we profess, because the one who made the promise is trustworthy. Let us be concerned for each other, to stir a response in love and good works. Do not absent yourself from your own assemblies, as some do, but encourage each other; the more so as you see the Day drawing near.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
I give you a new commandment,
that you love one another.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Having finished his doctrinal analysis of Jesus as high priest, the author explains to believers what this should mean for them. The union with the "flesh" of Christ, with His body, allows us to enter into the sanctuary that he has already entered. Communion with the Body of Christ is indeed direct communion with God and therefore with all of our brothers and sisters. The author uses the Greek term "parrhesia" that is translated "true heart." In ancient Greece the right of "parrhesia" indicated the right to be full title citizens and be free to speak. In the community of believers, it means having the freedom to speak to God without an intermediary, that is, being able to speak to Him with the absolute trust of son and daughters. This is the "way" that Jesus opened for us and that the Letter urges us to follow without fear: "Let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." Living in the community, participating in the Holy Liturgy, in the communion with our brothers and sisters, loving the poorest, and committing ourselves to making everyone's life more serene, all this means following the path that Jesus opened for us. This is why the Letter urges believers to "provoke one another to love" and to be generous in "good deeds." And those who abandon the meetings of the community are warned that by doing so they are distancing themselves from the sanctuary, that is, from God himself. The danger of apostasy, that is, of abandoning faith, before being a theoretical question, is a problem of the heart. And we should understand that this abandonment does not just happen suddenly: it starts with neglecting the community's meetings and remaining silent, and slowly slips into the breakdown of communion. The Letter warns that in this way "we spurn the Son of God," and "outrage the Spirit of grace."