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reading of the letter to the Hebrews
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Brothers God is Not unjust to forget
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what you are doing and the charity you
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have shown in his name serving and
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continuing to serve the Saints but we
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want each one of you to show the same
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commitment to the full realization of
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Hope until the end so that you are not
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slow to understand but imitators of
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those who through faith and perseverance
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be Heirs of the promises for when God
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made the promise to Abraham there being
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no one greater to swear by he swore by
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himself saying I will shower you with
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blessings and multiply you in great
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numbers and so Abraham persevered and
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achieved the promise men swear in fact
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by someone more important and the
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guarantee of the oath puts an end to any
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contestation therefore wanting God to
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show more firmly to The Heirs of the
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promise the revocable nature of his
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decision he intervened with an oath thus
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through two irrevocable acts in which
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there can be no lie on God's part we
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find deep consolation we who left
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everything to achieve the proposed hope
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hope in fact is for us like an anchor of
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Life safe and firm penetrating beyond
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the curtain of the sanctuary where Jesus
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entered for us as a forerunner made
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Eternal high priest in the order of
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melkisedek word of the Lord thank
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God proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus
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Christ according to St Mark glory to you
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Lord Jesus was passing through some
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wheat fields on the Sabbath his
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disciples began to pluck ears of corn as
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they walked then the Pharisees said to
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Jesus look why do they do on the Sabbath
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what is not permitted Jesus said to them
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have you never read what David and his
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companions did when they were in need
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and hungry how he entered the house of
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God when abiathar was high priest and
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ate the bread offered to God and that
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did he also give it to his companions
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however only priests are allowed to eat
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these Breads and he added the Sabbath
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was made for man and not man for the
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Sabbath therefore the son of man is also
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Lord of the Sabbath word of Salvation
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Lord my brothers and sisters in Christ I
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invite you to reflect on a theme that is
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at the heart of today's readings God's
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faithfulness and the freedom we find in
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his love let's start with a simple but
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profound question what does it mean to
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live as children of a faithful God we
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may never have stopped to think about it
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but today's scriptures help us
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understand how God's promise and call to
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Freedom shape our walk looking at the
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first reading from the letter to the
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Hebrews we are reminded that God is Not
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unjust enough to forget our works and
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the love we demonstrate in His Name by
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serving the Saints this statement is an
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anchor of Hope for all who in the midst
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of life's difficulties question whether
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their efforts have any value before god
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let's think about an anchor for a moment
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when a ship faces a storm the anchor
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keeps the boat stable preventing it from
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being dragged by the force of the waves
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such is God's promise to us a firm and
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secure anchor for our souls he does not
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abandon us and his promises are kept
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regardless of how the storms of life may
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try to knock us down however the passage
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also challenges us not to be complacent
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the author of Hebrews exhorts us to be
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diligent Until the End imitating those
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who through faith and patience inherited
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the promises here we are invited to
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reflect are we making an effort to live
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or are we allowing the monotony of the
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spiritual routine to prevent us from
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growing to illustrate let's think of a
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plant if it does not receive light water
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and constant care its Vitality
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disappears likewise our faith demands
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care it grows when we feed on the word
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of God participate in the sacraments and
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live in service to others in today's
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Gospel we see Jesus confronting the
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Pharisees about their legalistic
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interpretation of of the Sabbath he says
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the Sabbath was made for man not man for
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the Sabbath this statement is
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revolutionary as it reminds us that
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God's laws are an invitation to full
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life not a burden to oppress imagine a
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person trying to carry a backpack full
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of stones she walks slowly tired without
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strength now imagine someone removing
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these Stones one by one leaving the
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backpack light this is the love of God
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God he does not give us laws to burden
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us but to free us from the stones of
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guilt fear and selfishness the Pharisees
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on the other hand were so caught up in
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legalism that they forgot the greatest
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purpose of laws the good of human beings
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Jesus by remembering David's example
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with the showbread shows us that Mercy
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must always surpass sacrifice God's
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heart is always inclined toward
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condemnation here we are called to
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examine how we interpret God's will in
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our lives are we living the freedom that
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Jesus offers us or like the Pharisees
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are we trapped by rules that do not
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allow us to fully experience God's love
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there is a powerful lesson in bringing
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these two readings together Hebrews
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tells us about God's faithfulness which
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gives us the strength to persevere Mark
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reminds us of the freedom Jesus offers
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us freeing us from the burden of
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legalism together they show us that the
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Christian Life Is Anchored In firm
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promises and lived in the freedom of
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love but how can we apply all of this in
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our daily lives first we need to trust
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in God's faithfulness even when
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circumstances seem challenging think of
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Abraham mentioned in the reading from
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Hebrews he waited patiently and received
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what God promised we too must trust that
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God is working in our lives even when we
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don't see immediate results second we
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must seek true freedom in Christ This
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Means putting aside unnecessary weights
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such as resentment fear and self-pity
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and living with joy the vocation that
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God has given us think about how Jesus
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and his disciples gathered Grain on the
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Sabbath they were experiencing the
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freedom of knowing that the father cares
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for them regardless of the criticism of
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others and finally we are called to be
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anchors of Hope for others in a world
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full of uncertainty our actions can be a
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reflection ction of God's faithfulness
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when we show compassion Advocate Justice
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and serve those in need we are a light
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in the darkness and showing people that
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God's promises are real in closing I
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would like to share a powerful image
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that encapsulates today's message
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imagine a lighthouse on a stormy night
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with gigantic waves crashing against the
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Rocks even so the LI House's light
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remains steady guiding Mariners to
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safety that Beacon is Christ and we are
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called to remain anchored in him
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trusting in his faithfulness and living
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in the freedom he gives us my brothers
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and sisters may we leave here today
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renewed by these two truths God is
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faithful and his promises are our anchor
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of Hope and Jesus calls us to live in
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the freedom of his love without the
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weight of legalism but with the
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lightness of Grace May Our Lives be a
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testimony to this Fidelity and freedom
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so that others can also find the way to
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the heart of God Amen
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St Michael the Archangel defend Us in
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battle be our protection against the
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wickedness and snares of the devil may
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God rebuke him we humbly pray and do
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thou o Prince of the Heavenly Host by
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the power of God cast into hell Satan
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and all the evil spirits who prowl
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throughout the world seeking the ruin of
