Episode 48 | Out of Sight, Not Out of Mind

[00:00:05] Hello, my name is Sally Moriarty-Flask. Welcome to: From His Word to Our Hearts, my weekly Bible Study podcast. [00:00:13] Together we will explore the readings to be proclaimed at the Catholic Mass on Sunday, June 1, 2025, the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. This week's episode is entitled: Out of Sight, Not Out of Mind, and in these readings, Jesus tells his disciples that he is returning to the Father, but that the Holy Spirit will come to help them in their mission. [00:00:41] As we journey through the readings this week, consider the following: The historical record clearly recounts that Jesus lived and was Crucified. Regarding his Ascension, however, history is notably silent as it took place with only his disciples as witnesses. Their testimony serves as the bedrock upon which our faith rests. The question before us is, are we willing to accept their words or not? [00:01:19] So let's begin. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. [00:01:23] Heavenly Father, we praise you and we thank you for the gift of your Son and the great blessing of his return to your kingdom; for the Apostles who stood witness to the Ascension and had the courage to share their experience. Help us also to witness to our faith in your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, the firstborn from the dead, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit for ever. Amen. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. [00:01:57] Last week I explained that every diocese or archdiocese in the United States has the authority to observe the Ascension on its traditional date (which is the 40th day of the Easter season, this year that day fell on May 29) or transfer it to the following Sunday. [00:02:16] My home diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend does transfer Ascension to the Seventh Sunday of Easter, along with 194 other dioceses and archdioceses across the country. [00:02:28] If you happen to be listening from one of the five archdioceses that do not transfer Ascension, my apologies for not covering the readings for the Seventh Sunday of Easter. I will, however, keep that occasion in mind for a possible bonus episode at some time in the future. [00:02:46] Now that we are set on the Scriptures we will be covering in this episode and have opened our hearts in prayer, let's listen to what God is telling us in the Scriptures. [00:02:57] Our Gospel this week is from Luke 24: 46-53. [00:03:04] “Jesus [said to his disciples:] ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.’ Then he led them out as far as Beth’any, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them, and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.” [00:03:59] This passage comes at the very end of Luke's Gospel, volume 1 of his writings and of course, Acts is volume 2. This is Jesus' final appearance to his disciples, his last chance to say goodbye to the men with whom he has spent the past three years of his life and to whom he is entrusting the mission to continue his work, his preaching, and his teaching. [00:04:33] As Jesus speaks to his disciples, he begins… [00:04:37] “Thus it is written,” [00:04:39] Jesus uses those words because they echo the words he spoke to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, even though they didn't know it was him at that time. But Jesus does that to remind his disciples that everything written about him had to be fulfilled. [00:04:58] Ask any child and they will tell you that if a promise isn't kept, it's meaningless. That puts an onus on us - as parents - to make sure we keep the promises we make to our children… but that also goes along with what I'm saying. [00:05:18] If God makes a promise in the Scriptures to his Chosen People and he doesn't keep it, then his promises lose their meaning. Those very promises that God made to his Chosen People in the Hebrew Scriptures, the Old Testament, they had to be fulfilled… and we Christians believe they were fulfilled in Jesus. [00:05:43] And what's one of the promises? “that the Christ should suffer” [00:05:50] That promise came from Isaiah and the Psalms. But there are other references in the Old Testament to the coming of the Messiah and the establishment of his eternal kingdom. [00:06:03] Jesus doesn't stop with the promise of suffering though, right? He goes on… “and on the third day rise from the dead.” [00:06:13] That too was prefigured over and over in the Old Testament. In Genesis 22, Abraham reached Mount Moriah on the third day of his travels, and it was then that his son Isaac was spared from being sacrificed; in Exodus 10, God sent darkness across the land of Egypt for three days so that Pharaoh would release the Israelites so they could go out into the desert and worship (he didn't, but that's a story for another day); in Hosea 6, the Israelites expect God to raise his people up on the third day; and in Jonah 1, we hear that the Prophet Jonah spent three days in the belly of a fish (we call it a whale - the Bible calls it a fish). [00:07:12] Again, Jesus goes on… “that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached to in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” [00:07:28] Repentance and forgiveness have to go hand-in-hand, don't they? [00:07:34] We can't receive forgiveness of our sins without first being repentant. We're not ready to receive forgiveness of our sins if we're not truly sorry and can't express that through our own repentance. [00:07:53] And Jesus is reminding his disciples at the same time of the beginning of his own public ministry back in Nazareth, when he stood up in the synagogue and read from the great Isaiah scroll. [00:08:10] That passage promised liberty to captives… and what is the forgiveness of sins except liberty from our captivity to sin? [00:08:21] And Jesus fulfilled that promise over and over by forgiving people's sins and healing them. [00:08:31] Now Jesus is telling his disciples that their mission will be to preach that same message, but it will be extended throughout space and - as we know from history - throughout space and time. [00:08:51] That's what he means by all nations. [00:08:54] And it will begin from Jerusalem, because salvation is from the Jews, certainly, but because Jerusalem is also where the disciples will receive the Holy Spirit. [00:09:09] “You are witnesses of these things.” [00:09:12] The disciples were witnesses of Jesus’ life, his words, and his deeds, certainly, but also his Passion, Death and Resurrection… and now they will witness his Ascension. [00:09:30] “And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you;” And of course, we know that promise of the Father is the Holy Spirit. [00:09:40] “but stay in the city, until you are clothed with power from on high.” [00:09:47] Jesus specifically instructs his disciples to stay in Jerusalem until they receive the power of the Holy Spirit that will enable them to carry out their mission. In the modern Church, we - as Catholic Christians - receive the Holy Spirit in the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, although not in nearly so dramatic a fashion as the disciples received the Holy Spirit. And we'll hear their experience in detail next week on Pentecost. [00:10:25] “Then he led them out as far as Beth’any,” [00:10:29] That is a detail we tend to skip over without much thought. So, let's examine it a bit more closely. When Luke says he led them out, he's using the Greek word exagō. [00:10:46] That is essentially the same word that is used to describe the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and the same word that Jesus used when he spoke with Moses and Elijah about his departure - his exodus - during the Transfiguration. [00:11:07] (Well, exagō is actually a verb, and the other word is exodos, which is a noun, but they have the same origin.) [00:11:17] And Bethany, you may remember, is the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus - Jesus’ good friends. [00:11:26] It's about two miles from Jerusalem, just across the Kidron Valley. [00:11:32] Bethany is significant for another reason, however, because it is in Bethany where Jesus began his Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, which makes it a particularly fitting location for his Triumphal Exit from earth, so that he can enter the kingdom of heaven. [00:12:02] “and lifting up his hands he blessed them.” [00:12:07] This sort of completes a bookend in Luke's Gospel. In the beginning of Luke's Gospel, if you remember, Simeon blessed the Holy Family on the occasion of Jesus’ Presentation and Mary's Purification in the Temple. [00:12:24] Now, Jesus blesses his disciples as he takes his place at the Father's right hand in heaven. [00:12:33] “While he blessed them, he parted from them, and was carried up into heaven.” [00:12:40] Jesus' disciples were the only witnesses to this event - by God's design. Only those who knew him best in this life were chosen to witness to the truth of his Ascension… precisely so that we would believe their testimony. [00:13:10] Those who knew him best would be least likely to be confused, to be tricked into thinking that this person wasn't really Jesus. They knew him well, so of course they recognized him. They spent time with him, and when the fullness of time arrived, they witnessed his Ascension. [00:13:34] When we were in Israel, we were taken to the Chapel of the Ascension, which houses the stone said to be the last earthly spot touched by Jesus. [00:13:47] I'll include photos of that on my Instagram this week so that you can see it as well. [00:13:54] Luke concludes his Gospel with the following words… “And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.” [00:14:11] The disciples worshiped Jesus, meaning they recognized his divinity and accorded him the type of worship that is typically offered only to God. [00:14:27] So they recognized his divine nature before they returned to the city - to Jerusalem - to await the promise of the Father. [00:14:41] And we are told they did so with great joy… this was not a sad and somber ending - it was a joyous new beginning. [00:14:56] As we reach the end of Luke's Gospel, one question remains. [00:15:04] In an age where truth is no longer objective and facts are constantly in question, are we willing to accept the words of the disciples? Can we rely on the testimony of those who knew Jesus best? [00:15:23] Men who followed Jesus, who learned from him, who left their own homes and families to spend three years of their lives traveling with him? [00:15:35] Perhaps it's time to set aside skepticism and accept the simple gift of faith in Jesus, inspired by the words of the men who knew him best. [00:15:51] That takes us to our first reading which is from Acts 1:1-11. [00:15:58] “In the first book, O Theoph’ilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. To them he presented himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days, and speaking of the kingdom of God. And while staying with them he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, ‘you heard from me, for John baptized with water, but before many days you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ So when they had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom of Israel?’ He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know the times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samar’ia and to the end of the earth.’ When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.’” [00:17:50] That passage was the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles, or, if you prefer, Luke Volume 2… welcome to the sequel! [00:18:00] The first thing we notice is the continuity between Luke's Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. Luke says: “In the first book, O Theophilus” so he is referencing his Gospel and addressing the second document to the same individual he addressed his Gospel. [00:18:23] And remember, Theophilus can be translated as friend of God or loved by God. [00:18:31] Luke assures Theophilus that he is still presenting an organized accounting of events, but this time he's dealing with the early Church rather than the events of Jesus' life. At the end of Luke's Gospel, which we just heard, you'll remember that Luke says Jesus Ascended after his Resurrection, but doesn't specify how much time passed between those two events. [00:19:04] In Acts, and only in Acts, we are told that those events took place 40 days apart. [00:19:13] “In the first book, O Theoph’ilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach,” [00:19:22] By “the first book,” again, Luke means his Gospel. And note, Luke says all that Jesus began to do and teach, meaning the work he accomplished in his real physical, Incarnate Body - suggesting that there's more work to be done… there's more to the story… suggesting that this book will deal with all that Jesus continued to do through the work of his disciples - through the work of the Church, his Mystical Body. “until the day he was taken up,” Meaning the day of his Ascension. “after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.” If we look back to Luke 6, we read that Jesus chose his disciples after spending an entire night in prayer… this wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision. [00:20:32] So the men he chose were the absolute perfect witnesses, the ones that God intended to be chosen. [00:20:43] “To them he presented himself alive after his passion by many proofs,” [00:20:50] And with those words, we're right back to the question of whether or not the witness of the Apostles is a valid source of truth. [00:21:00] Luke certainly seems to believe that it is. And remember, by all accounts, Luke did extensive research before he ever set pen to paper. [00:21:13] He spoke to the people who knew Jesus (the disciples, the women who followed him, to Jesus’ mother, Mary), he spoke to those who knew of Jesus (people in and around Jerusalem and Nazareth and Galilee - the Sea of Galilee), he was a companion of Saint Paul who encountered the Risen Jesus on the road to Damascus, he had lots of sources of information to draw upon when he composed his written accounts. So, we have to decide for ourselves if those accounts are trustworthy and truthful. “appearing to them during forty days,” [00:22:07] Again, only Acts lists the number 40. So, do we assume that Luke is presenting an actual number or a symbolic one? [00:22:20] Well, that's a really good question. And the short answer is we don't really know… it could be either one. [00:22:28] What Luke is expressing is that sufficient time passed between the two events for Jesus to adequately prepare his disciples before his final departure from them in the Ascension. [00:22:43] Because Luke neglects to record a specific number in the Gospel, some scholars take that to mean that the number is symbolic. [00:22:53] Now we know that the number 40 is a significant number in the Bible, right? [00:22:59] Rain fell for 40 days and 40 nights when Noah and his family were in the ark, Moses spent 40 days on top of Mount Sinai, the Israelites wandered for 40 years in the desert, Elijah traveled for 40 days to Mount Horeb, and Jesus spent 40 days in the desert preparing for his public ministry. [00:23:32] So, there is certainly symmetry to Jesus spending 40 days in the desert before his public ministry and then spending 40 days preparing his disciples to continue his ministry and mission. [00:23:49] Again, whether that is actual or symbolic, we just don't know. [00:23:56] “and speaking of the kingdom of God.” Meaning that Jesus was still preparing his disciples for the mission that they will take up after his Ascension to the Father. [00:24:11] “And while staying with them he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, ‘You heard from me, for John baptized with water, but before many days you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’” [00:24:32] Luke is reiterating in Acts what was said in his Gospel, that Jesus will send the promise of the Father upon the disciples - meaning the Holy Spirit. [00:24:47] And we know that will take place on the feast of Pentecost. [00:24:52] “So when they had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom of Israel?’” [00:25:00] You can almost hear the excitement in their voice, can't you? [00:25:04] Jesus is the Messiah… that fact is not in question for Christians. [00:25:10] So the disciples - still, unfortunately, thinking in earthly terms - want to know if it is finally time to restore the kingdom of Israel. [00:25:25] Jesus told them many times that he would not be that type of Messiah. So, when the disciples bring up that topic at this time, Jesus doesn't deny the validity of their question; he just doesn't give them any sort of answer they want to hear. [00:25:47] “He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know the times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority.’” [00:25:56] That's Jesus’ way of saying… stop speculating about this, it's pointless. Whatever happens will happen in God's time, not theirs… and according to God's plan, not according to their wishes. “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;” [00:26:20] Jesus is referencing his promise there again, the same one he made in the Gospel. [00:26:26] “and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samar’ia and to the end of the earth.” [00:26:37] Those who were closest to Jesus are the most qualified to carry out this mission, to relate their own experiences, to share the good news of Jesus with everyone… not just in the city of Jerusalem, although that's certainly a good starting point, but throughout the countryside and as promised in Isaiah 49, to the ends of the earth. [00:27:15] “And when he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.” [00:27:24] Jesus doesn't go away - he ascends to the position of power and authority, prepared for him at the Father's right hand in heaven. The cloud that takes him from their sight should recall - for us - Daniel 7, when the Son of Man is carried to the Ancient of Days on the clouds of heaven. [00:27:56] “And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes,” [00:28:04] Those are God's messengers… they are angels who speak to the disciples saying… “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” The angels - essentially - say to the disciples, don't stand around here gawking! [00:28:32] Jesus’ return in the Second Coming at the end of time, bodily and visibly, will mirror his departure from you this day. And that's exactly what we profess in the Creed, right? He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. We're never told how long we will have to wait - as Jesus said: “it is not for us to know the times or seasons” - but the promise is abundantly clear. [00:29:03] And again, are these words we can accept? Is this a promise we are willing to trust? [00:29:14] Because if it is, it's a promise for all eternity. [00:29:20] Our Responsorial Psalm this week is Psalm 47, and here is the refrain: “God mounts his throne to shouts of joy; a blare of trumpet for the Lord.” That refrain, as so many Psalm refrains are, is actually paraphrased. The original verse in the RSV translation says: “God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of trumpet.” And here are the verses: “Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! For the LORD, the Most High, is terrible, a great king over all the earth.” “God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!” “For God is the king of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.” [00:30:25] That is a Psalm of Praise for the Kingship of God, in case you hadn't guessed. The verses tell us that God is king over all the nations of the earth and his people are invited to shout for joy and sing hymns in celebration of his glorious reign, not just over the tribes of Israel but over all nations. [00:30:49] When the Psalmist says: “God has gone up” in verse 5, he's probably referring to the Ark of the Covenant going up to the Temple on Mount Zion. Christians, however, see the Ascension of Jesus in those words… which is one of the reasons why this particular Psalm is used for the Ascension. [00:31:11] And the phrase: “God sits on his holy throne” fulfills the promise, made in 2 Samuel 7, that David's throne shall be established forever. Because Jesus is descended from the line of David, Christians see this also as referring to Jesus, since his throne is eternal in heaven. [00:31:38] Now, one other word I want to point out… when the Psalm says: “for the LORD, the Most High, is terrible” they don't mean bad… the Psalmist does not mean bad. [00:31:50] What the psalmist means is he is mighty, he is tremendous, and we should stand in awe of his great majesty. That's what the Psalmist means. [00:32:08] So that takes us to our Second Reading, and this week we have a choice between two readings: Ephesians and Hebrews. [00:32:15] My home parish has chosen Hebrews as the New Testament reading for Ascension, but I will cover both of them here. Again, choice A is from Ephesians 1: 17-23. [00:32:28] “[Brothers and sisters:] May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe, according to the working of his great might which he accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come; and he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the Church, which is his body, the fulness of him who fills all in all.” [00:33:47] Some scholars doubt that Paul actually wrote the letter to the Ephesians because the literary style and word choice are different from some of his other letters. However, the author clearly identifies himself as Paul. [00:34:07] One other thing I want to point out. [00:34:10] As a Lector, we come to affectionately call Saint Paul the patron saint of the run on sentence… and I want to point out that that entire passage from Ephesians is one long sentence! Passages like that become quite challenging to proclaim. [00:34:35] We, as lectors, have to parse it out for ourselves before we can ever begin to step up to the Ambo in a Church and hope to make it intelligible to those who are seated and listening to our voice. [00:34:51] So thank you, Saint Paul, for yet another example of why you are the patron saint of the run on sentence. So, for those who accept Paul as the author, this letter would be considered one of his Captivity Letters, likely written when he was a prisoner in Rome between 61 and 63 AD. [00:35:11] For those who maintain that Paul is not the author, those same scholars have suggested that the letter was likely written by one of his followers - by one of Paul's own disciples - possibly as late as 80 to 100 A.D. [00:35:28] The church has declared that this letter to the Ephesians belongs in the Pauline corpus of writings, so that's good enough for us. Just understand that there is some controversy surrounding it. [00:35:45] So, let's go back and read through it again… [00:35:49] “[Brothers and sisters:] May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,” [00:36:01] Hosea 6, Isaiah 11, and Jeremiah 31 all recounted that knowing God was key to Covenant fidelity. As Christians, we believe that knowledge of God involves getting to know him, reading his Scriptures, and recognizing and receiving all the blessings bestowed upon us through his Son, Jesus Christ. [00:36:36] “having the eyes of your hearts enlightened,” That is such a beautiful and poetic phrase, and it sounds a little strange to our modern ears. But we need to understand that - in biblical times - the heart was seen as the center of a person, the seat of knowledge and will. [00:36:59] So having the eyes of one's heart enlightened would have meant a growth in knowledge and a strengthening of the will. Of course, in our times, we see that as the mind, but in biblical times, that was seen as the heart. [00:37:19] One other point, the early Christians described the Sacrament of Baptism as the Sacrament of Enlightenment. [00:37:29] “that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe, according to the working of his great might which he accomplished in Christ” [00:37:52] Those are all blessings God has granted to us in Christ: hope in our call, the riches of the inheritance in the saints, and the greatness of his power for those who believe… those blessings have all been granted to us in Christ. [00:38:13] But you'll notice then that Paul adds a caveat, of sorts> “when he raised him from the dead and made him sit at his right hand in the heavenly places,” [00:38:27] By those phrases, Paul means the Resurrection and the Ascension of Jesus. So, raised him from the Dead is Resurrection; and made him sit at his right hand is the Ascension. [00:38:39] Why does Paul add that caveat? [00:38:43] Well, we get a hint of that from Jesus’ own words to Mary Magdalene after the Resurrection in John 20. [00:38:53] If you remember, Mary goes to anoint the body of Jesus and she doesn't find him. And she sees a man there, and she thinks it's the gardener. [00:39:05] And so she asks this man: “Sir, where have you taken my Lord?” And when Jesus addresses her by name, she finally is able to recognize him. [00:39:18] At that point, Jesus tells her not to hold onto him, for he has not yet ascended to the Father. [00:39:29] When Jesus ascends to the Father, he will be glorified, and he will send the gift of the Holy Spirit from his throne in heaven, certainly, that is the first part of that promise… but when he is in heaven, he will also be accessible to all people at all times. [00:39:59] There is not one person that can HOLD ON TO him that would preclude another person from REACHING OUT TO him. So that's what the fullness of that promise really indicates for us. [00:40:13] And when Jesus is in the kingdom of heaven, he will be, Paul tells us… “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion,” [00:40:25] Now we, in our modern sensibilities, think of that as temporal authorities, but that's not what Paul means. [00:40:36] Those are all names for choirs of angels. So, he's using those four choirs of angels to represent invisible beings. [00:40:45] Then he goes on… “and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come;” [00:40:54] By those words, Paul then encompasses all of God's visible creation. [00:41:02] So, that too we profess in the Creed, right? Of all that is seen and unseen… there we go. [00:41:10] “and he has put all things under his feet” Meaning that everything is subject to Jesus’ power and authority, everything in heaven, everything on earth… all that is seen and unseen. “and has made him head over all things for the Church” [00:41:33] So, Jesus reigns supreme… not just over the cosmos but over the Universal Church as well, which is his Body - his Mystical Body. [00:41:46] And Paul concludes with… “the fullness of him who fills all in all.” Meaning the fullness of Christ who fills all things in every way throughout all time and space. As Christ was raised and seated in heaven, so Christ is filled with all the fullness of God the Father and will - in turn - fill all believers in the Church. [00:42:19] That passage from Ephesians is a picturesque spiritual vision of what the Church should be…. not always what she is, but what the Church should be… and what she must continually strive to be in all humility. [00:42:44] As any Catholic well knows, we are all sinful people, and sinful people make up the Church. [00:42:52] So we must always strive to do better, and to be better, and to be holy, as Jesus said: “to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect.” [00:43:07] The second choice for the New Testament reading is from Hebrews 9: 24-28, 10: 19-23. [00:43:17] “For Christ has entered, not into a sanctuary made with hands, a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor is it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the Holy Place yearly with blood not his own; for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way which he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near 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. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” [00:44:59] The author of the letter to the Hebrews is unknown. Origen of Alexandria (3rd century scholar and theologian) said of Hebrews: “But who wrote the epistle, in truth God knows.” [00:45:14] Some scholars have suggested that it may have been written by either Barnabas or Apollos, but the author never names himself. [00:45:23] Neither is the date of the letter certain, it could have been written anytime between 50 and 100 A.D. [00:45:32] Hebrews also has a focus that is a bit different from a number of other New Testament writings, because it concentrates on the Priesthood of Jesus and on Covenant Theology - more so on those two topics than on any other. [00:45:51] Beyond that, it reads more like a homily than a letter and may very well have been preached and widely repeated before it was ever written down. [00:46:04] So let's begin… [00:46:06] “For Christ has entered, not into a sanctuary made with hands, a copy of the true one,” [00:46:14] What the author is saying here is that at the Ascension, Jesus did not go into something LIKE the Tent of Meeting that the Israelites erected in the desert or something LIKE the Holy of Holies in the Temple in Jerusalem… no, no, no! What the author is saying is that Jesus went directly into heaven, right? The author tells us he entered… “into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.” [00:46:53] Christ, the true High Priest, continues to exercise his priestly ministry in heaven, interceding always for us. [00:47:04] “Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the Holy Place yearly with blood not his own;” [00:47:12] The author of Hebrews is referring here to Yom Kippur described in Leviticus 16. [00:47:19] “for then he (Christ) would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” Jesus’ Crucifixion, his sacrifice on the Cross, occurred once in all of history – “once for all.” [00:47:46] The author placed the Crucifixion “at the end of the age” which then inaugurated the beginning of a new age, the Age of the Church. [00:47:59] By appearing before God the Father in the heavenly sanctuary with his own blood, rather than the blood of an animal, Jesus brought about total purification of sins through his own perfect sacrifice of himself. [00:48:17] “And just as it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time,” [00:48:32] While the Crucifixion was an historical event that occurred at one specific time and in one specific place, it should never be considered solely as an event relegated to the distant past. [00:48:51] As long as the Church celebrates the sacrifice of the Holy Mass, as long as Catholic Christians continue to liturgically remember Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross, and as long as priests continue to make present again - to re-present (the Greek word there is anamnesis) - to re-present Jesus’ bloody sacrifice in an unbloody manner on the altars of Churches around the world, Jesus will continue as High Priest in heaven. [00:49:30] The Age of the Church will last until the Second Coming… when Jesus comes again. It will not be, Hebrews tells us… “to deal with sin” That was already done once on the Cross. “but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” Eagerly awaiting the fulfillment of the salvation won through Christ's Sacrifice on the Cross. [00:50:00] “Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus,” The very same Blood that was freely given on the Cross, the Precious Blood that is offered at every Catholic Mass in Holy Communion! [00:50:19] Saint John Chrysostom wrote in his Catecheses the following words: “If you desire further proof of the power of this blood, remember where it came from, how it ran down the cross, flowing from the Master's side.” “by the new and living way which he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,” The humanity of Christ, his own Flesh and Blood, grant us entry into the celestial temple, the new and eternal Jerusalem. [00:51:00] “and since we have a great priest over the house of God,” The person of Jesus, our great High Priest, who continues his priestly service in heaven. “let us draw near 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. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” [00:51:33] The end of that passage is a two-fold appeal to everyone who reads or hears the letter to the Hebrews… (1) approach God with faith and be baptized - that's what sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water, that's what that means… that's Baptism; so, approach God with faith and be baptized, and (2) to persevere in faith and hope once we are baptized. [00:52:06] To those of us that are already baptized, we're halfway there. [00:52:10] Now we need to take up the second half of that appeal and persevere in faith and in hope. [00:52:19] That brings us to the end of our readings for this week and takes us full circle back to the beginning of our episode. After everything we've heard, we're still left with a burning question… are we willing to accept faith in Jesus or not? [00:52:40] The men who really knew Jesus wrote about him so that we could come to know the Jesus they knew. So, are we willing to believe the stories that they tell us? [00:52:55] In a world where truth has become relative and facts are declared by whoever shouts the loudest, can we still accept the unequivocal truth written in Sacred Scripture? [00:53:16] If you would like to reach out to me with questions or comments, send me an email at [email protected] Thank you for spending this time with me and until next we meet, may God shower his blessings upon you like a soft and gentle rain and may he hold you, safe and secure, in the palm of his hand. From His Word to Our Hearts is produced by SFS Audio Solutions. The content of the show was assembled by me, Sally Moriarty-Flask. Our music was composed by Jimmy Flask and is used with the permission of the composer. All rights reserved. Information regarding references used in preparing the exegesis for this podcast is available upon request. Thank you for listening and God Bless.