Prayer for the unity of Christians. Particular memory of the Churches of the Anglican Communion.

Reading of the Word of God

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

The Spirit of the Lord is upon you.
The child you shall bear will be holy.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Hebrews 6,10-20

God would not be so unjust as to forget all you have done, the love that you have for his name or the services you have done, and are still doing, for the holy people of God. Our desire is that every one of you should go on showing the same enthusiasm till the ultimate fulfilment of your hope, never growing careless, but taking as your model those who by their faith and perseverance are heirs of the promises. When God made the promise to Abraham, he swore by his own self, since there was no one greater he could swear by: I will shower blessings on you and give you many descendants. Because of that, Abraham persevered and received fulfilment of the promise. Human beings, of course, swear an oath by something greater than themselves, and between them, confirmation by an oath puts an end to all dispute. In the same way, when God wanted to show the heirs of the promise even more clearly how unalterable his plan was, he conveyed it by an oath so that through two unalterable factors in which God could not be lying, we who have fled to him might have a vigorous encouragement to grasp the hope held out to us. This is the anchor our souls have, reaching right through inside the curtain where Jesus has entered as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest for ever, of the order of Melchizedek.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Look down, O Lord, on your servants.
Be it unto us according to your word.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

The author of the letter insists on God's oath, that solemn act that God had performed before Abraham and Israel. With that oath, God himself pledged fidelity and the fulfilment of what he had promised, namely the salvation of the people he had chosen as 'his'. The oath made with Abraham was a solemn act, freely established and of imperishable value. We Christians are inscribed in this ancient history that Jesus brings to fulfilment. He does not erase it: he fulfils it in its fullness. This is why the letter insists on the link with Abraham and with the promises the Lord made to the patriarch. Even more: through Abraham, Melchizedek is also included in salvation history, even though he is not a Jew. The letter suggests that all are invited to insert their life, their history, within that which God is building with Abraham, which Jesus extends to all peoples. Sometimes we experience the temptation to consider ourselves unique, unrepeatable, as if everything began and ended with ourselves, no matter if we are individuals or aggregates. But in this way, we lose the joy of being part of a broad history, that of God with the whole of humanity. This history certainly begins with the people of Israel, but it "broadens" with Jesus and everyone can, in a different way, be part of it. There is only one history of salvation, only one destination for peoples: to come to communion with God who is Father of all. Jews and Christians are custodians and servants of this universal mystery of salvation. Let us seize "firmly the hope set before us," so that we too may be bearers of God's promises, of his plan of love for all peoples, of his presence especially where suffering and pain mark the existence of men and women.