It is intriguing and rather exciting to peek into the past to see how God’s plan of salvation slowly unraveled itself from the beginning in Genesis all the way through to the unveiling of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In today’s first reading it mentions that the King of peace came to Abraham Father of all nations bearing gifts of bread and wine, can we still not see that this a foreshadowing of our high priest Jesus; our Prince of Peace who will later offer Himself as a sacrifice from which the bread of life (Body) and wine of our salvation (Blood) will be offered up to redeem the World and grant us eternal life!
Jesus reminds us in today’s Gospel that there is no ‘good and appropriate time’ to exercise mercy and love. For Jesus never takes a rest day from caring for and loving us, so like Him we must exercise mercy and love all the time. For He came to give us new life in Him restoring and making us whole so that we can live in His peace, love and joy. Let us not be obstinate and readily forgive others who have hurt us otherwise through hardness of heart we will plot and scheme to our own destruction.
Jesus my Lord and King reign in my heart now and forever. Amen
First reading
Hebrews 7:1-3,15-17
You are a priest of the order of Melchizedek, for ever
You remember that Melchizedek, king of Salem, a priest of God Most High, went to meet Abraham who was on his way back after defeating the kings, and blessed him; and also that it was to him that Abraham gave a tenth of all that he had. By the interpretation of his name, he is, first, ‘king of righteousness’ and also king of Salem, that is, ‘king of peace’; he has no father, mother or ancestry, and his life has no beginning or ending; he is like the Son of God. He remains a priest for ever.
This becomes even more clearly evident when there appears a second Melchizedek, who is a priest not by virtue of a law about physical descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. For it was about him that the prophecy was made: You are a priest of the order of Melchizedek, and for ever.
Gospel
Mark 3:1-6
Is it against the law on the sabbath day to save life?
Jesus went into a synagogue, and there was a man there who had a withered hand. And they were watching him to see if he would cure him on the sabbath day, hoping for something to use against him. He said to the man with the withered hand, ‘Stand up out in the middle!’ Then he said to them, ‘Is it against the law on the sabbath day to do good, or to do evil; to save life, or to kill?’ But they said nothing. Then, grieved to find them so obstinate, he looked angrily round at them, and said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out and his hand was better. The Pharisees went out and at once began to plot with the Herodians against him, discussing how to destroy him.
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