23 January 2027 · Syro-Malankara Rite
Open in the Daily Word appAlso: Syro-Malabar Rite · Latin Rite · മലയാളം
“But Jesus has now obtained a more excellent ministry, and to that degree he is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted through better promises.” Hebrews 8:6
Hebrews gives us “the main point”: “we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens”. The priests of the old covenant served “a sketch and shadow of the heavenly one”; Jesus serves in the true sanctuary and is “the mediator of a better covenant”. Tomorrow is Kohne Sunday, when our Church prays for its departed priests. Every priest, living or departed, shares in the one priesthood of Christ, and is a weak vessel of his grace.
In the Gospel a mute man, possessed by a demon, is brought to Jesus. When the demon is cast out, “the one who had been mute spoke; and the crowds were amazed.” Christ opens mouths to praise God. Yet the Pharisees say he works by the ruler of demons. The same act brings wonder to some and suspicion to others. Let our mouths, opened by Christ in Baptism, be used for praise and witness, and let us pray tomorrow for the priests who taught us to speak the faith.
Theme: “The mediator of a better covenant.”
Christ our high priest, the reality behind every shadow, who opens our lips.
“The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”” Psalm 110:4
“Now the main point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,” Hebrews 8:1
Apply: Pray tomorrow for departed priests by name.
“But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” Jeremiah 31:33
“But Jesus has now obtained a more excellent ministry, and to that degree he is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted through better promises.” Hebrews 8:6
Apply: Attend the Qurbono tomorrow with awareness of the heavenly liturgy.
“Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert;” Isaiah 35:5–6
“And when the demon had been cast out, the one who had been mute spoke; and the crowds were amazed and said, “Never has anything like this been seen in Israel.”” Matthew 9:33
Apply: Speak one word of witness this week.
Christ is our high priest and the reality of every shadow.
He opens our lips; let us praise and pray for his priests.
Take-home resolution: Pray daily for your parish priest.
Dear friends, Hebrews tells us the main point: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens (Hebrews 8:1). He is the mediator of a better covenant (Hebrews 8:6).
The old priesthood was a sketch and shadow; Christ is the reality. Tomorrow, Kohne Sunday, we pray for our departed priests, who shared in Christ's priesthood with all their human weakness.
In the Gospel a mute man is healed and speaks, and the crowds are amazed (Matthew 9:33). Christ opens mouths for praise.
Let us use our lips for praise and witness, and tomorrow let us remember with gratitude the priests who taught us to pray. Amen.
Children, Jesus helped a man who could not speak to talk again! Let us use our mouths to say kind words and to praise God.
Lord Jesus, our great high priest, mediator of a better covenant, open our lips to praise you. Bless all priests who serve your Church, and grant rest to the priests who have gone before us in faith. Amen.
Hebrews points beyond every earthly priesthood to Christ, seated at the Father's right hand as the one high priest. Matthew shows that same Christ among the crowds, giving speech back to a man who could not speak. The priest in heaven and the healer on earth are one Lord. The crowd sees and is amazed, others see and suspect: the same Lord calls for a decision.
Setting.
Hebrews calls itself a “word of exhortation” (13:22): a sermon for tired Christians, probably of Jewish background. Its author is not named, and from early times the Church has linked it with Paul's letters. Chapters 7–10 are the heart of the argument, and here the preacher stops to gather up what he has said about Christ's priesthood.
Structure.
Key words.
Verse by verse.
“we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,” (8:1)
Priests stood to serve (10:11). Christ sits, because his one offering is complete. Psalm 110 stands behind this image.
“They offer worship in a sanctuary that is a sketch and shadow of the heavenly one;” (8:5)
The quotation that follows is Exodus 25:40: Moses was shown a pattern on the mountain. A shadow is not nothing. It is real and points to what casts it.
“But Jesus has now obtained a more excellent ministry, and to that degree he is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted through better promises.” (8:6)
Hebrews goes on to quote the “new covenant” of Jeremiah 31 (Hebrews 8:8–12). “Better” belongs to the fulfilment God himself promised to Israel; it gives no ground for despising the people to whom he promised it. The Church teaches that the Old Covenant has never been revoked (CCC 121).
How the Church reads it.
The Catechism teaches that everything the priesthood of the Old Covenant prefigured is fulfilled in Christ, the one mediator (CCC 1544). His priesthood is unique, and it is made present through the ministerial priesthood without being lessened. It quotes St Thomas Aquinas: only Christ is the true priest, the others being only his ministers (CCC 1545). Every kohno who stands at the altar stands there as servant of the one High Priest.
Setting.
Matthew gathers a series of Jesus' mighty works in chapters 8–9. This short scene closes the series, straight after the healing of two blind men, the “they” of v. 32 (9:27–31). A fuller version of the same kind of event comes in 12:22–24, where the charge is answered at length. In the ancient world, as in the Gospels, an affliction like muteness could be attributed to a demon, and Jesus' healing is shown as a victory over evil.
Structure.
Key words.
Verse by verse.
“After they had gone away, a demoniac who was mute was brought to him.” (9:32)
The man cannot ask for himself, so others bring him. A family or a parish can be the voice of those who cannot speak.
“And when the demon had been cast out, the one who had been mute spoke; and the crowds were amazed and said, “Never has anything like this been seen in Israel.”” (9:33)
The crowds are the people of Israel themselves, and their wonder is an honest beginning of faith.
“But the Pharisees said, “By the ruler of the demons he casts out the demons.”” (9:34)
The fact is not denied, only its meaning. The Gospel does not ask us to condemn a group of people; it warns any religious person, ourselves included, that seeing good done can harden rather than open the heart.
How the Church reads it.
The Catechism says just this of Jesus' signs: they attest that the Father has sent him and invite faith, but they can also be occasions for offence, and despite his evident miracles some reject him and even accuse him of acting by the power of demons (CCC 548). His exorcisms show the coming of the Kingdom and the defeat of Satan's reign (CCC 550).
Tomorrow is Kohne Sunday, the commemoration of the departed priests. Today's epistle prepares for it well: priests die, but the priesthood of Christ does not. It is a good evening to pray by name for the priests who baptised us, absolved us and taught us.