Monday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

Readings: Hebrews 9:15.24-28; Psalm 98:1-6; Mark 3:22-20

The best starting point for Christian faith is not the Most Holy Trinity. Since He is the Alpha and the Omega, Christian faith begins and ends with Jesus Christ. After, all it is Jesus who reveals God as Father and who speaks explicitly about the Holy Spirit and who sends the Spirit.

Jesus Christ is the fullness of God’s revelation. Everything is revealed in and through Him. Taking a cue from our first reading from the Letter to the Hebrews, by His death and resurrection, Jesus ushered in not only a new, but an everlasting covenant. It’s important to note that a new covenant is foretold by the prophets. It is needed because of Israel’s inability to keep the first covenant. Jesus fulfilled the covenant on our behalf.

By His death on the cross, Jesus did away with the need for the whole sacrificial system of the Temple. This means a Temple is no longer needed or, more accurately, that He is now the temple. Through Him, we, too, become temples of the Holy Spirit, places of God’s presence.

There is a lot of weird controversy surrounding the exact nature of the sin against the Holy Spirit. Because all sin is against God and the Holy Spirit, along with the Father and the Son, is God, all sins are sins against the Holy Spirit. What Saint Paul wrote in his First Letter to the Corinthians provides us with a wonderful synthesis of our two readings for today:

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Of course, all sins are not blasphemies. Nonetheless, our sinfulness should make us humble and contrite, not proud or presumptive. As Saint Paul reminds the saints at Corinth, “you were bought at a price.” You must never forget this.

Keep sin at bay by avoiding what used to be called the “narrow occasions” of sin. Desire holiness and foster it through the practice of spiritual discipline, especially prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Examine your conscience daily. Go to confession regularly. The grace of this sacrament, coupled with frequent reception of Holy Communion, and selflessly serving others, helps stave off the devil.

Also, seek the intercession of our Blessed Mother by praying her Rosary and the Memorare. Make heavenly friends with specific saints and implore them for their prayers and intercession. This is how you live in the light of the new and everlasting covenant.