Memory of the Mother of the Lord
Prayer for the unity of Christians. Particular memory of the Protestant Churches and Ecclesial Communities (Lutheran, Reformed, Methodist, Baptist, Pentecostal, and Evangelical).
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
In this passage, the author of the letter is trying to exhort Christians to grow in comprehension of the mystery of Christ. Despite their sluggishness in listening, the author pushes them to be nourished by more substantial food. He does not spend time on the "basic teaching about Christ, which he identifies with "repentance from dead works." There is a need for a deeper, more perfect understanding. The author then addresses Christians with the severity of a pastor. He asks them how, having tasted the gift of God and the wisdom of the Word, they could now run the risk of rejecting everything. It seems impossible to him that they would turn back to their past lives, before they converted to the Gospel. This would mean denying Christ and crucifying him again. The author is trying to urge them not to stop on the path to perfection, but to keep listening to the Word of God. Disciples can never excuse themselves from listening to the Gospel and making an effort to change their heart. The author hopes that all believers, even the laziest, might become like ground that "drinks up" abundant rain and bears plentiful fruits of holiness. Those who instead harden their hearts become cursed ground that only produces "thorns and thistles." For them all that is left is the destroying fire of terrible justice. In order to reinforce the Christians' hope, the author also notes the works of faith and love that they have performed: "For God is not unjust; he will not overlook your work and the love that you showed for his sake in serving the saints, as you still do." He will not fail to give his help. Believers have Abraham before their eyes, who believed in the Lord's promise, made with a solemn vow, and became its heir, even if only after he persevered through a long period of waiting. And Jesus is even more than Abraham, he entered "the inner shrine behind the curtain," becoming for us a high priest "according to the order of Melchizedek."