Feria Secunda infra Hebdomadam IV post Octavam Pentecostes
Reflection on Hebrews 7:23–27 and Luke 10:1–9
As the green vestments return during the time after Pentecost, the Church resumes her quiet, contemplative labor of sanctification in the vineyard of the Lord. Today’s readings, taken from Hebrews 7:23–27 and Luke 10:1–9, draw our hearts toward the dual mystery of Christ as Eternal High Priest and the apostolic mission of His ministers. Both readings intertwine the priestly and the apostolic: the altar and the vineyard, the Sacrifice and the sending.
“But this Man, because He continueth for ever, hath an everlasting priesthood.” (Heb 7:24)
The Epistle to the Hebrews offers a majestic vision of Christ’s eternal priesthood, surpassing the temporal and mortal ministry of the Levitical priests. Whereas they “were made many priests, because by reason of death they were not suffered to continue” (v.23), Christ remains forever—semper vivens ad interpellandum pro nobis—ever living to make intercession for us.
St. John Chrysostom, in his commentary on this passage, notes:
“He is not only alive, but ever working for our salvation. For He does not simply sit idle in heaven, but continually offers the fruits of His Passion for our benefit.” (Homilies on Hebrews)
Thus, the Sacrifice of Calvary, though offered once in time, remains perpetually efficacious through Christ’s priestly intercession. And in every traditional Mass, this heavenly priesthood becomes mystically present on the altar, as the Church, through the hands of the ordained priest, re-presents the one Sacrifice of Christ.
This is the strength of our hope: that Christ is not a priest like others, subject to death and sin, but is “holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens” (v.26). Here the Church contemplates the purity and power of the Priest who needs not “daily to offer sacrifice… for this He did once, in offering Himself” (v.27).
“The harvest indeed is great, but the labourers are few.” (Lk 10:2)
In the Gospel, we are taken from the Temple to the fields. Christ, the High Priest, now sends His ministers—seventy disciples—into the harvest. They are instructed not to carry purse, scrip, or shoes, signifying a radical dependence on Divine Providence and detachment from worldly cares.
St. Gregory the Great, reflecting on this passage, teaches:
“The Lord sends His disciples to preach two by two, because there are two precepts of charity: love of God and love of neighbor. And preaching is ineffective unless rooted in both.” (Homilies on the Gospels, 17.1)
Their mission, like that of Christ, is marked by peace: “Into whatsoever house you enter, first say: Peace be to this house.” (v.5) The priest and missionary do not bring themselves, but Christ—His peace, His Kingdom, and His healing.
Notably, they are to “eat such things as are set before you,” not as a matter of mere hospitality, but as a sign of communion and trust. St. Ambrose sees in this a reminder that the Gospel must be preached with humility and simplicity:
“Let the preacher accept with gratitude the sustenance offered him, not seeking delicacies but content with what God provides through the faithful.” (Exposition on the Gospel of Luke, 7.84)
And their message? “The Kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.” (v.9) This is the same Kingdom brought near in every Mass, in every absolution, in every act of sacramental charity carried out by Christ’s ministers.
Priesthood and Mission: A Single Mystery
In the mystery of today’s readings, we see the one Priest—Christ—and the many laborers whom He sends. The priesthood is not a human institution or craft, but a share in the eternal mediation of Christ. It is exercised not for status or earthly reward, but for the healing of souls and the proclamation of the Kingdom.
In the liturgical quietude of the time after Pentecost, these readings are a summons to deepen our reverence for the sacred priesthood and to pray for laborers in the harvest. The Traditional Latin Mass, in its silence and solemnity, echoes the mystery of the Eternal Priesthood; and the sending of the seventy prefigures every missionary endeavor rooted in Christ.
Let us, then, pray with greater fervor:
Domine, da nobis sacerdotes: da nobis sanctos sacerdotes. Da nobis multos sanctos sacerdotes!