Christ comes to do the Father’s will
October 24, 2023 - Tuesday, 29th Week in Ordinary Time
Psalm 40:2 and 4ab, 7-8a, 10, 11
The refrain of our psalm today says: “Here am I Lord; I come to do your will”. Who is the one speaking these words? Is it the psalmist himself or someone else? The surprising answer comes from one of the most original writings in the New Testament known as the letter to the Hebrews.
The author introduces a quote from Psalm 40:7-9 with this statement: “when Christ came into the world, he said” (Hebr. 10:5). For the author of this remarkable letter, it was Christ who spoke the words that we hear in today’s Psalm. The author even tells us the precise moment when these words were spoken by Christ, namely when coming into our world.
The Gospel of John introduces us to the drama of salvation by declaring that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). In our Creed we declare that the Word was begotten of God before time even existed. Both John in his Gospel and Paul in his letters teach that everything came into existence through this Word (John 1:3; Col 1:16). Then, the apostle John states the awesome truth of our faith that the Word decided to come and dwell among us (John 1:14). What led to that decision?
From the point of the author of the letter to the Hebrews, it was the failure of the Old Testament sacrificial system in sanctifying human beings. The animal sacrifices could not purge away sins and infuse a life of grace into our hearts. Therefore, the Word decided to come into our world. But to do that, the Word needed a body. For the explanation of how God prepared a body for the Word, we go to Saint Luke’s story of annunciation. It was Mary’s “Fiat” - “Let it be to me according to your word” - that provided that body for Christ.
What the animal sacrifices could not do, the Word that became flesh achieved. The author of the letter to the Hebrews explains that by the Word’s decision to do the Father’s will “we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebr. 10:10). By his life and preaching, by his death and resurrection, Jesus announced God’s salvation, His kindness, and faithfulness. By his sacrifice on the cross, Jesus transformed us from within. We are forgiven, we have become children of God by adoption, and we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. The effects of Christ’s willingness to do the Father’s will are truly awe-inspiring.