The Encounter of Our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ
Hebrews 7:7-17; Luke 2:22-40
Feast of our Lord. Holy Day of obligation.
Read Hebrews 7:7-17
On this Great Feast of the Encounter, we hear in the Letter to the Hebrews about the contrasting priesthoods of Levi and Melchizedek and how Christ fulfils the Old Covenant priesthood with a new, superior priesthood.
The Levitical priesthood was imperfect, limited, and temporary. Together with the Old Testament Law, it is foundational but incomplete. It brought order and direction to life but was too regimental and oppressive, lacking love.
Christ’s first public appearance at His Encounter signals that a change to the law and to the priesthood is coming. Jesus Christ is presented in the temple to inaugurate the new priesthood and new law: the priesthood of Melchizedek, which is able to transform humanity through making present the once for all sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. This perfect priestly sacrifice supersedes the law because its foundation is love: the love of Jesus Christ poured out upon humanity.
We are all called to live a moral life by following the law (the teachings of the Church), but we must, first and foremost, lead with love, for love is neither oppressive nor temporal. Love is eternal and transformative. We are to communicate this love of Christ so that He may transform those who encounter it.