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Gospel Reading for May 28, 2026 – Matthew 26: 36-42
THE ONE PERFECT AND ULTIMATE SACRIFICE
Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Eternal High Priest
Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and told His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” And He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with Him, and began to be grieved and distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.”
And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and He said to Peter, “So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? Keep watching and praying, so that you do not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cup cannot pass away unless I drink from it, Your will be done.”
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“But because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” (Hebrews 7:24–25)
Many of us think that being priests—one of the threefold mission we receive at Baptism—simply means preaching the Word of God. Yet not many realize that an essential part of our priestly mission is TO PRAY, especially for others. In the Eucharistic Celebration itself, the priest’s primary role is to act in the person of Christ, who continually intercedes for us before the Father. The homily, though important for a lot of us, is not the central focus of the Mass. In fact, the Mass is still complete even without a homily. It is therefore sad to observe that many who attend Mass are often more interested in the homily than in the prayers, even though the Mass is filled with prayer from beginning to end.
Jesus, the Eternal High Priest, is the perfect and everlasting mediator between God and humanity. In the Old Testament, high priests repeatedly offered animal sacrifices in the Temple for the sins of the people. Jesus, however, offered his very own life on the cross once and for all for the salvation of humanity. It is THE ONE PERFECT AND ULTIMATE SACRIFICE!
Lord Jesus, thank you for continually interceding for us before the Father!
