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Giovedi, 28 marzo 2024 - San Castore di Tarso ( Letture di oggi)

Hebrews 7


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1Melchizedek, king of Salem, a priest of God Most High, came to meet Abraham when he returned fromdefeating the kings, and blessed him;2and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. By the interpretation of his name, he is, first, 'king ofsaving justice' and also king of Salem, that is, 'king of peace';3he has no father, mother or ancestry, and his life has no beginning or ending; he is like the Son of God.He remains a priest for ever.4Now think how great this man must have been, if the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the finestplunder.5We know that any of the descendants of Levi who are admitted to the priesthood are obliged by theLaw to take tithes from the people, that is, from their own brothers although they too are descended fromAbraham.6But this man, who was not of the same descent, took his tithe from Abraham, and he gave his blessingto the holder of the promises.7Now it is indisputable that a blessing is given by a superior to an inferior.8Further, in the normal case it is ordinary mortal men who receive the tithes, whereas in that case it wasone who is attested as being alive.9It could be said that Levi himself, who receives tithes, actual y paid tithes, in the person of Abraham,10because he was stil in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek came to meet him.11Now if perfection had been reached through the levitical priesthood -- and this was the basis of theLaw given to the people -- why was it necessary for a different kind of priest to arise, spoken of as being of theorder of Melchizedek rather than of the order of Aaron?12Any change in the priesthood must mean a change in the Law as wel .13So our Lord, of whom these things were said, belonged to a different tribe, the members of whichhave never done service at the altar;14everyone knows he came from Judah, a tribe which Moses did not mention at al when dealing withpriests.15This becomes even more clearly evident if another priest, of the type of Melchizedek, arises who is apriest16not in virtue of a law of physical descent, but in virtue of the power of an indestructible life.17For he is attested by the prophecy: You are a priest for ever of the order of Melchizedek.18The earlier commandment is thus abolished, because of its weakness and ineffectiveness19since the Law could not make anything perfect; but now this commandment is replaced by somethingbetter-the hope that brings us close to God.20Now the former priests became priests without any oath being sworn,21but this one with the swearing of an oath by him who said to him, The Lord has sworn an oath he wilnever retract: you are a priest for ever;22the very fact that it occurred with the swearing of an oath makes the covenant of which Jesus is theguarantee al the greater.23Further, the former priests were many in number, because death put an end to each one of them;24but this one, because he remains for ever, has a perpetual priesthood.25It fol ows, then, that his power to save those who come to God through him is absolute, since he livesfor ever to intercede for them.26Such is the high priest that met our need, holy, innocent and uncontaminated, set apart from sinners, and raised up above the heavens;27he has no need to offer sacrifices every day, as the high priests do, first for their own sins and onlythen for those of the people; this he did once and for al by offering himself.28The Law appoints high priests who are men subject to weakness; but the promise on oath, whichcame after the Law, appointed the Son who is made perfect for ever.