January 23, 2013

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Wednesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 313

Reading 1 from St. Paul's epistle to the Hebrews
Heb 7:1-3, 15-17

Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God Most High,met Abraham as he returned from his defeat of the kingsand blessed him.

Melchizedek's blessing bestowed upon Abraham the High Priestly blessing of the Patriarchs.  This was normally bestowed upon the Semites by their own fathers.  But Abraham's father had become a pagan and therefore could not bestow the blessing upon Abraham.  Melchizedek, who is the first born son of Noah, and thus Abraham's great, great, great grandfather, otherwise known as Shem, bestowed that blessing upon Abraham in the place of his own father.

And Abraham apportioned to him a tenth of everything.
His name first means righteous king,
and he was also “king of Salem,” that is, king of peace.

Apparently, the very name "Melchizedek" means King of Righteousness.  And this King was the King of a city known as Salem.  This  city would later be known as Jeru-salem or City of Peace.

Without father, mother, or ancestry,
without beginning of days or end of life,
thus made to resemble the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.

This verse contrasts the Patriarchal High Priesthood to the Levitical.  The Levites had to prove their ancestry when they went to serve at the Temple.  They had to provide proof of their father and mother, ascertaining that they were of the Levite clan.  Thus they had to prove their ancestry.  They also had to provide proof of age.  And their term as priest had a beginning and an end.  It was not everlasting.  After their service as priest, they were free to go home and tend to their home life.

But the Patriarchal High Priesthood was bestowed to the First Born Son.  Jesus being an only child, was by definition a First Born Son.  Jesus thus brought back the original priesthood which God had instituted.  And the Levitical Priesthood was set aside.

It is even more obvious if another priest is raised up
after the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become so,
not by a law expressed in a commandment concerning physical descent
but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed.
For it is testified:
You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

And that sort of confirms in a very concise manner, what I just tried to explain.

Responsorial Psalm
ps 110:1, 2, 3, 4

R. (4b) You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.

The LORD said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand
till I make your enemies your footstool.”

R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.

The scepter of your power the LORD will stretch forth from Zion:
“Rule in the midst of your enemies.”

R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.

“Yours is princely power in the day of your birth, in holy splendor;
before the daystar, like the dew, I have begotten you.”

R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.

The LORD has sworn, and he will not repent:
“You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.”

R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.

Jesus being the first born of many brothers, is the Priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.  The Catholic ministerial priesthood is His Priesthood.  All Catholic Priests are extensions of Jesus Christ.  That is why it is said they are in "persona Christi".

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Mark
Mk 3:1-6

Jesus entered the synagogue.
There was a man there who had a withered hand.
They watched Jesus closely
to see if he would cure him on the sabbath
so that they might accuse him.

The Pharisees continued to conspire against Jesus.  Watching His every move in order to catch Him in an error or sin.

He said to the man with the withered hand,
“Come up here before us.”
Then he said to the Pharisees,
“Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil,
to save life rather than to destroy it?”

Jesus was not afraid of them and asked them outright, "Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath, or not?"

But they remained silent.

The wouldn't answer because they wanted to trap Him.

Looking around at them with anger
and grieved at their hardness of heart,

Jesus was very angry at their lack of sympathy for this man's ailment.

Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”
He stretched it out and his hand was restored.
The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel
with the Herodians against him to put him to death.

So Jesus cured the man before their eyes, on the Sabbath.  And the Jews then went and made allies with Herod's minions, in order to find a charge and put Jesus to death.