Scripture excerpts for this Sunday Mass FROM ISAIAH 53
If he gives his life as an offering for sin, he shall see his descendants in a long life, and the will of the LORD shall be accomplished through him. (For it so pleased God)
FROM HEBREWS 4 We have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, (down to us) Jesus, the Son of God… a high priest...who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses… So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.
FROM THE MARK 12 GOSPEL
Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. (–Jesus)
Timely Help in Jesus
Here in the Word for this Sunday is a description of the Lord Who has come among us in some surprise. Jesus fulfills a 700 year old prophesy of Isaiah, as One from the LORD in Heaven who comes to help sinners in that gives His life as an offering for (their) sins. Jesus is our God coming in surprise among us a man to become our holy offering or worthy sacrifice to God, to please God to give us His mercy. The Gospel says He is the Son of Man Who gives his life as a ransom for many, or in other words, He gives a worthy sacrifice for our sins, via His perfect self. Jesus is the Son of God as a God/man union, a high priest from Heaven, as Hebrews puts it, who returned to Heaven to present Himself as the sacrifice for our sins. He knows us (or as a Christian commercial puts it: He gets us) and so the Word urges us to approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find timely help. Hebrews 4, verse 16.
Make that verse your reason for being at Mass today. I come to approach the throne of grace (in Jesus) to receive mercy and to find timely help.
Each time, even, when we come to Mass, this is our plea. Please give us timely help in our own situations, and to our community, state, nation, and to the world. We cry out to You, Lord. O Lord, Who is come down from Heaven… We cry out to You, Son of Man, Who gives us so much…We cry out to You, Son of God and High Priest, Who is our Holy Advocate… we, the children of this earth, reborn in the Spirit, cry out to the Father in Your Good Name, Jesus. To You at the Throne of
Grace, again grant us your right favor. Amen.