Christ the high priest makes atonement for our sins.

On Monday the Fourth Week of Lent our Church invites us to first read and reflect on a passage from the book of Leviticus (16:2-28) entitled "The day of atonement". Our treasure, which follows, is from a homily on Leviticus by Origen, priest. Origen of Alexandria was a second century priest also known as Origen Adamitius. He was an early Christian scholar, aesthetic, and theologian. He was also a prolific writer who wrote roughly 2000 treaties in multiple branches of theology and spirituality. He is one of the most influential and controversial figures in early Christian theology, apologetics, and aestheticism. Origen made one of the earliest and most influential contributions to Christian theology by developing a systematic and deeply intellectual approach to interpreting Scripture. He taught that the Bible has multiple levels of meaning—literal, moral, and spiritual—and he helped establish the tradition of spiritual or allegorical interpretation that later theologians and Church Fathers would refine. Origen also advanced early reflection on the Trinity, Christ's divinity, and the relationship between faith and reason, helping the Church think more rigorously about doctrine. Although some of his speculative ideas were later rejected, his methods of biblical study and theological inquiry profoundly shaped the development of Christian theology and the intellectual tradition of the early Church. He has been described as "the greatest genius the early Church ever produced". The name "Leviticus" was given to the third book of the Pentateuch by the ancient Greek translators because a good part of this book deals with concerns of the priests, who are of the tribe of Levi. The primary message of the Book of Leviticus is that God is holy, and His people are called to live in holiness in every aspect of life. Through laws about worship, sacrifice, moral conduct, and daily living, God teaches Israel how to remain in right relationship with Him and with one another. At its heart is the call: "Be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy" (Lev 19:2), showing that holiness involves not only proper worship but also justice, mercy, and love for neighbor. The book reveals that approaching God requires reverence, repentance, and purification, while also pointing forward to the deeper fulfillment of sacrifice and holiness in Jesus Christ.