This week, Hebrews tells us Jesus has made us “perfect.” This is a way of saying that as believers we have now become priests or, better, sharers in Jesus’ priesthood. This happened at our baptism. While I think most people are aware that baptism makes a person a priest, prophet and king, I don’t think most people understand the significance of these momentous truths. We’ve looked at that in other articles.

God is always faithful. He knows what He’s doing. And He is the Author and prime Actor in all of history.  These are the things that we need to keep our eyes fixed on. He has proven His love for us by going to the cross, defeating the enemies of the entire human race – Satan, Sin and Death.

Jesus’ loving sacrifice on the cross, offered once for all on Calvary, is sacramentally made present at each and every Mass. Unlike how some misunderstand this teaching, the Church teaches that Jesus’ sacrifice offered once for all is made present for us in an unbloodied manner, and then – wonder of wonders! – His Blood (and Body) are not sprinkled on us but given to us to eat, so that real transformation might happen in our lives and our hearts might be ever more conformed to His Sacred Heart, the real Holy of Holies. Every time we receive the Eucharist we do something that the priests of the Old Testament would marvel at: we are actually transformed and made holy. 

The Bible, it has been said, is a library. That is not to say there isn’t one sacred Author of all the books – God –  who is revealing both in word and deed. It is to say that the Bible is not a single genre but is rather made up of many different genres. Within the Bible is poetry, historical narrative, apocalyptic, psalms, and many other styles of literature. What genre is The Letter to the Hebrews?