October 13, Ordinary 28B (Hebrews 4:12–16)
One of the most underrated spiritual gifts is perseverance.
“Naked and laid bare” is not the most comfortable position in which to utter the liturgical response “Thanks be to God,” and yet this is precisely how Hebrews graphically imagines creatures like us exposed to “the gospel of our Lord.” Word of God as stripping and skewering us. It’s a miracle anyone attends worship.
Yet somehow the author of Hebrews imagines their work—and the piercing and judging work of the word of God—as encouragement, an uplifting word ensuring we hold fast to our confession, “run[ning] the race set before us” (12:1).
This begs an existential question: What helps you keep going? Are you the type to simply take one day at a time, rarely pondering the bigger question of purpose? Or are you always purpose driven, fully engaged in meaning-making? Or is life more overwhelming, coming at you so hard and quick you’re rarely given the opportunity to ponder the question at all?
