Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost. Commemoration of the Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council. The Holy Martyr Longinus the Centurion
Hebrews 13:7-16; John 17:1-13
Read Hebrews 13:7-16
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
To go out on a limb for others the way Christ did, we must be well supported. That is why, in today’s reading, the author of the Letter to the Hebrews begins by anchoring us within Christ’s unchanging nature and sandwiching that assurance in the middle of a direction toward our leaders in the faith and a warning away from teachings which diverge from them.
But as we live lives open to others who are also created and loved by God, we may feel pulled toward divergent teachings. Pulling away from those can feel like breaking bonds with others. Others may take it that way. Our boundaries can become blurred.
It is ironic that, in the city to which Israel returned from exile, Jews who became Christians could feel like exiles. But exile is something that we as Christians share, not only with Jews, but with all humanity. Our common lot is that of yearning to return to where humanity was “driven out”, as Genesis 3:24 puts it.
We are called to live by grace in a balance: to “have no lasting city, but…seek the city which is to come,” but also to, “not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”
When Israel was in exile, God gave them (and us) this instruction: “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” (Jeremiah 29:7) To be a connecting point between God and others, we ourselves must properly connect in both directions. That is why our reading begins with the assurance of Christ’s unchanging nature and direction toward the apostolic faith and its lived examples.