SAINT AGNES, VIRGIN AND MARTYR (MEMORIAL)

Jesus . . . lives forever to make intercession.

Jesus lives forever to make intercession for you. Even on your worst day, when your temper has flared or you’ve had one drink too many, when bitterness seethes inside you or whatever you struggle with rears its ugly head, Jesus is interceding for you. Write it down: “Jesus pleads for me.” He continually exclaims to his Father, “Forgive them, they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). That is the foundation for our hope. It gives us confidence to approach him, knowing, as St. Francis de Sales wrote, that “God will help us; we will do better.”

We will do better because now Jesus intercedes for us as high priest and mediator of a new and better covenant. He goes to the Father and asks him to forgive our faults and failings. He stands there, appealing for mercy for us from the Father of mercies and entreating the God of all comfort to comfort us as we seek to love and serve him. Jesus is not watching to see if we will manage to live holier lives—he is helping us to do it!

Jesus brings you to God and asks him for the help you need to become holy as he is holy. He implores his Father for the mercy, guidance, and strength you need to carry on in your life of faith. He pleads for you—constantly and eternally—with an enduring love and concern for you. He is there this minute, carrying you and your needs to the Father, because he knows you can’t do it on your own. He is that committed to you.

Think about just one area in your life in which you struggle. It might be a difficult relationship or doubt or fear. Now picture Jesus holding it in his hands, which are stretched out to the Father. Thank Jesus for interceding for you. Thank him for helping you overcome that area. Trust him to pour grace into that area, and then look for new ideas, directions, and opportunities that offer a possibility for change. Embrace them, ponder how best to proceed (it’s not always prudent to plunge immediately ahead), and act on them when you can. God will help you; you will do better.

“Thank you, Jesus! I believe that through your intercession and help, I will do better.”

Psalm 40:7-10, 17
Mark 3:7-12
Hebrews 7:25-8:6

WORD AMONG US