Jeremiah,
Chapter 17, Verse 7-8
7 Blessed
are those who trust in the LORD; the LORD will be their trust. 8 They are like a tree planted beside the waters that
stretches out its roots to the stream: It does not fear heat when it comes, its leaves stay green; In the year of
drought it shows no distress, but still produces fruit.
I live in Arizona where hardly anything grows in the
desert. However, along a stream or a creek, trees do put their roots into the
bed of the water and create a mini paradise with flowers, deer and even provides
sustenance even during the hottest days. Likewise we should sink our roots into
our Lord through our church and receive refreshment through frequent reception
of the sacraments of Confession and the Eucharist; along with spiritual reading
and time alone with our Lord. In this way we are nourished and prepared for the
work our Lord has given us.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
(Mt. 5:3)
Though thus says the Lord for those who neither hope nor know Him
and does not fear God: “Cursed is the man who trusts in human
beings, who makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD. He
is like a barren bush in the wasteland that enjoys no change of season, but
stands in lava beds in the wilderness, a land, salty and uninhabited.”
(Jer. 17:5-6)
Priesthood[1]
In the bible a priest is a
father—and even more of a father than our own earthly father. In the Old
Testament the history of the priesthood had two periods: the patriarchal and
the Levitical. The patriarchal was based on the family order that place
authority down from father to first born son in the form of a “blessing” and
the leadership of the building of altars and for the presenting of sacrifice
for the family. Fathers are empowered as priests by nature. Fatherhood is the
original basis of priesthood. The firstborn is the father’s heir apparent, the
one groomed to succeed one day to paternal authority and priesthood within the
family. Imagine the blow to the Egyptian with the last plague which killed the
firstborn. The pattern continued into the Exodus. There God declared to Moses,
“Israel is my firstborn son”—that is, among the many peoples of the earth, Israel
was God’s heir and his priest. God in His mercy made all heirs through Christ
and with Christ came a restoration of the natural priesthood of fathers and the
establishment of a fatherly order of New Covenant Priests. To Christ, we are “the children God has given me”, the “Many sons”, “his bretheren”, the new “seed
of Abraham” who together form God’s “family/household”
which Jesus builds and rules as a son. As all Christians are identified with
Christ, the Church becomes the “assembly
of the firstborn.” (Heb. 2, 3, 12) In the truest sense priests are so much
more than managers, they are fathers. True fatherhood involves the communication
of life. Natural fathers communicate human life but in the sacraments of
baptism and Eucharist, a priest communicates divine life and the divine
humanity of Jesus Christ. Every Priest therefore requires our respect in spite
of their weaknesses or sins and we should pray for them. This is why our Holy
Father asks us to pray for him.
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