Non-Catholic Christians often misunderstand the Mass because they do not understand why “we are sacrificing Jesus again.” It is a misunderstanding of this Hebrews passage in our second reading that causes this.  In Hebrews 9:24, the verse “Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands, a copy of the true one, but heaven itself,” shows us that when we are in the Sacrifice of Mass, at the consecration, we are, as it says in verse 26, “at the end of all ages,” out of human time.  We are at the altar of heaven, attending Christ’s one sacrifice for us all.  He does not sacrifice Himself repeatedly.  Christ’s sacrifice once and for all saved us.  It is in our participation in this sacrifice, each week at Mass, where we go into the altar of Heaven at the moment of Jesus’s sacrifice. It is there where the host and wine becomes Jesus, body and blood, soul and divinity.  

 

Calling Out Hypocrisy

“Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes and accept greetings in the marketplaces, seats of honor in synagogues, and places of honor at banquets. They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext recite lengthy prayers. They will receive a very severe condemnation.”  This passage from Mark 12:38-40 is included in the longer form of this Sunday’s Gospel.

This is one of the Gospel passages that can be a cautionary tale for us, especially if we volunteer a lot or work in the church.  There was corruption in the Jewish faith in His time that was serving Herod more than God.  High Priests had to be descended from Aaron in order to be chosen by the King in Jerusalem.  Herod would choose the High Priest from more obscure Babylonian branches of the lineage of Aaron, to be more beholden to Herod, and therefore easy to control.  Church politics can corrupt us, too, so we must be watchful and prudent.  Jesus wants us to do our work so serve Him by spreading the Gospel and helping each other, not for us to secure places of power or prestige.  It is a simple yet profound message.

 

The widow in today’s Gospel is a grand example for all of us.  Jesus is showing us two things.  The first lesson is we should give more when we have means.  What do we do with our abundance tells a lot about our faith.  This teaching was a continuance of when Jesus talked about the rich man attaining heaven (back in Mk 10:23), and the importance of being detached from material things.  The second, and profound, is that we should not judge each other based on the amount we give.  What is abundance for one is sacrifice for another.  No one should ever feel shame for their gift amount when they can only give a little.  The gift should be from the heart.  The two coins were more meaningful because they were a heartfelt sacrifice.  The widow was truly showing how much her faith meant to her with her sacrificial gift.

A great illustration of what Paul is talking about in Hebrews is this video, called “The Veil Removed“.