Today’s reading from Hebrews reminds us that Jesus lives forever to make intercession for us. The source of our faith and our daily sustenance and living must lie in our unwavering belief that the Son of God knows our greatest needs. Indeed he knows our struggles and trials, and he knows the perils we face as a people.
In all honesty, there have been plenty of times in my life when I was tempted to stop believing or to believe there was no hope. It’s a common human thing to have doubts, especially given the times we live in. Having Christ in heaven as our true intercessor before the throne of God must continually be the object of faith that we look toward. In him is our salvation; in him is the power to transform the face of the earth.
Our concern should never stop just with our individual needs and concerns—although certainly Christ our God knows each one of us intimately. However, it is toward the entire human people, which he came into the world to save, that his intercession before the Father is directed. Our Lord has not brought us this far to abandon us or leave us. With our faith in the Son of God nothing is impossible. Thus we direct our prayer to our Lord Jesus Christ in heaven sitting at the right hand of the Father, knowing, trusting, and believing that all things will come to pass—all will come to an everlasting kingdom where God is praised eternally. If our faith is strong we may even see a world of peace on earth where we are all at one with God.
The reading from Hebrews today is one that has impacted the message that I typically deliver at the liturgy of the Vigil for the Deceased, although the reading is not part of that liturgy. However, I find that there is a certain hope that all may draw from the knowledge that it is our Lord who advocates for our eternal souls. We have Christ as our intercessor—the mediator of a sure covenant and of certain promises. In Christ Jesus hope never dies and love never ends.
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