Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop, Doctor on Friday of week 2 in Ordinary Time
Hebrews 8:6-13
We have seen that Christ has been given a ministry of a far higher order, and to the same degree it is a better covenant of which he is the mediator, founded on better promises. If that first covenant had been without a fault, there would have been no need for a second one to replace it. And in fact God does find fault with them; he says:
See, the days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks – when I will establish a new covenant
with the House of Israel and the House of Judah, but not a covenant like the one I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt.
They abandoned that covenant of mine, and so I on my side deserted them. It is the Lord who speaks.
No, this is the covenant I will make with the House of Israel when those days arrive – it is the Lord who speaks. I will put my laws into their minds and write them on their hearts. Then I will be their God
and they shall be my people. There will be no further need for neighbour to try to teach neighbour,
or brother to say to brother, ‘Learn to know the Lord.’ No, they will all know me, the least no less than the greatest, since I will forgive their iniquities and never call their sins to mind. By speaking of a new covenant, he implies that the first one is already old. Now anything old only gets more antiquated until in the end it disappears.
Psalm 84(85): 8,10-14 Mercy and faithfulness have met.
Mark 3:13-19
Jesus went up into the hills and summoned those he wanted. So they came to him and he appointed twelve; they were to be his companions and to be sent out to preach, with power to cast out devils. And so he appointed the Twelve: Simon to whom he gave the name Peter, James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom he gave the name Boanerges or ‘Sons of Thunder’; then Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, the man who was to betray him.
Reflections:
God’s promise to “put my laws into their minds and write them on their hearts” invites us into a deeply personal relationship with him. This is not a covenant imposed by external rules but a transformation from within—a shaping of our hearts by his love. In this intimacy, we become his people, living out his mercy and faithfulness, which the psalmist proclaims so beautifully: “Mercy and faithfulness have met”. Here, we encounter the heart of God, where compassion and truth unite, revealing a love that is both just and tender.
This divine love calls us to discipleship, “He appointed twelve; they were to be his companions and to be sent out”. Being with Jesus is the foundation of being sent by him. To be his companions is to dwell in his presence, to allow his mercy and faithfulness to shape us so profoundly that we, too, become vessels of his love in the world.
Saint Francis de Sales exemplifies this journey. His life of gentleness and humility flowed from a heart united to Christ, embodying the very law of love written on his heart. He reminds us that God’s transformative work within us is not for ourselves alone but for the sake of others. Mercy and faithfulness, when rooted in the intimacy of companionship with Christ, overflow into mission. This is how we live as God’s people—marked by his love, sent to share it with a world in need.
This Jubilee Year, inaugurated by Pope Francis, exemplifies the convergence of mercy and faithfulness in our times, in the opening of the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica. We are invited to experience God’s mercy and renew our commitment to His covenant. Reminding us of the new world that needs to be created Holy Father Francis’ message for the World Day of Peace on January 1, 2025, emphasized the theme “Forgive us our trespasses: grant us your peace.” He highlighted that “simple acts of kindness and solidarity can pave the way for this new world, fostering a deeper sense of fraternity and shared humanity.”