28 January 2021

Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church

Today’s reading from the letter to the Hebrews (10:19-25) offers us a word of encouragement and exhortation which runs counter to much of the spirit of our age. The author of Hebrews urges his readers, “We must consider how to rouse one another to love and good works,” and tells them not to “stay away from [the] assembly . . . but [to] encourage one another.” It is a message of unity and of mutual help that is sorely needed today, when we are surrounded by so many voices of critique and division. These voices are present everywhere, and they thrive in places like the news and social media. The spirit of the Enemy is a spirit which seeks to divide and to set us—especially fellow Christians—against one another, so if we seek to work against the evil one and follow the Spirit of Christ, we must try to help and strengthen one another. We do so not out of a naïve spirit of self-confidence, but placing our trust in the Blood of Jesus, who has opened for us the way into God’s presence. Today, then, let us take the words of Hebrews to heart and strive to encourage and rouse one another to love, both in our personal and in our digital interactions with one another.