Daily Reflection Friday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

I’ve already written in past reflections on Mark’s account of the death of John the Baptist, so I will only comment on today’s passage from Hebrews, which is considered the true ending of the letter. The verses that follow, the last of which (the benediction of Hebrews) we hear tomorrow, are basically just the author’s farewell, although they do remind us that, “Here we have no lasting city” and that we are to share our blessings with others who are not as blessed for whatever reason.
 
Hebrews urges us here in today’s reading, its final admonition, first of all, to “Let mutual love continue.” This is no mere aphorism or suggestion. The author rightly considers it the foundation of everything else. For unless we strive to love one another (which was Jesus’ final commandment to his Apostles at the last supper in John’s gospel), then nothing else is either possible or of value (as Paul told the Corinthians in 1Cor 13). It is the first thing we pray for because without love, which is from Christ, no Christian life is possible.
 
Then he urges us to show hospitality to strangers, with the famous verse, “Some have entertained angels without knowing,” by doing so. Hospitality, of course, was very important in the ancient near east, and continues so to this day. We think of Abraham being visited by the three men (angels, actually) in Genesis 18. But hospitality goes to a spiritual level for the Christian, for we are called to welcome everyone in Jesus’ name and we can only truly welcome them when we have welcomed them in our hearts, which means without judgement and with love that never takes their worthiness into consideration. We are to welcome all as our brothers and sisters in Christ no matter who they are.
 
The next passage is not heard often in the New Testament but it is a great reminder that those in prison and the ill treated we are to consider as ourselves in prison and ill treated with them. We cannot but think of Jesus himself imprisoned before his crucifixion as well as John the Baptist in Herod’s prison and so many of the Apostles and countless others in the early Church imprisoned and treated wretchedly for the sake of the Kingdom. Do we feel compassion for the many prisoners today (remembering that there are many kinds of prisons, not just ones made of brick) and for all those everywhere suffering indignities and injustices?
 
Then he pleads for always keeping the sanctity of marriage and that we seek that poverty of spirit of the Lord’s first Beatitude, free of greed and the love of wealth, all of which are spiritual blessings from above that we need to pray for unceasingly. Finally citing Psalm 118 verse 6 that with God as our helper always at our side, what have we to fear? We recall 1John 4:18 where, “Perfect love (God’s perfect love given to us) casts out all fear.”
 
Finally we are told to pray for our leaders always (and all the leaders around the world), whereupon Hebrews reaches its famous climax with, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” That tells a very great mystery. What always remains the same about Jesus? Is it not his absolute love for each of us? His great desire to be intimately close to each of us and give to all of us the very fulness of life, the reason he told us that he came to us. Let us pray each day to know him more and more and unite our hearts with his own more and more where his love for each of us burns so brightly forever.