16 January 2017 - made perfect

 [ Today's Readings ]

Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered;
and when he was made perfect,

Jesus experienced the full meaning and cost of obedience in his human nature. He experienced suffering caused by choosing God above all things. He experienced clinging to God, "the one who was able to save him from death," with "prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears". Certainly it was a temptation to prefer his own life to our lives and to the Father's will. He was tempted to avoid his own suffering at the expense of the whole world. But he did not give in. He did not disobey the Father or abandon us. Because of this he is "made perfect" to be our savior.

he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

Jesus did what we would not. He chose to love selflessly and to prefer the Father's will to his own. But now we can be united to Jesus. The same power to love is now available to us as well. To live in the love is the truest meaning of salvation because salvation in essence is sharing in the life of the Trinity, the inner life of the God who is love.

Jesus is alive and union with him means that old formulas, paradigms, and the written law, are insufficient.

The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to fast.

It is not enough to practice religion simply according to custom any longer. Instead we must bear our hearts to Jesus so that he can give us his own obedience where we are being stubborn and rebellious. He does call us to fast when fasting is what we need. But he also calls us to feast. He won't just let us beat ourselves up so we can feel good about it. Nor will he let us celebrate as if we need no more growth in holiness. Without him often deceive ourselves, keeping certain practices constant, but never really attaining true obedience or true charity.

Let us receive from Jesus new wine of joy which he has for us. Let us not patch old robes but rather where the new baptismal garments he gives us. He teaches us how and where to be obedient. If we let him he truly becomes the source of eternal salvation for us. Let us worship the one who offers his all for our sake.

Yours is princely power in the day of your birth, in holy splendor;
before the daystar, like the dew, I have begotten you.