The lamb that was slain has delivered us from death and given us life.

On Thursday of Holy Week our Church invites us to first read and reflect on a passage from the letter to the Hebrews (4:14---5:10) entitled "Jesus Christ". Our treasure, which follows, is from an Easter homily by Saint Melito of Sardis, bishop. Sardis was the capital of the Kingdom of Lydia (in modern-day Turkey), which continued as an important trade, administrative, and cultural center for over 2000 years. Saint Melito of Sardis was a late second-century bishop of Sardis near Smyrna in western Anatolia, and who held a foremost place among the early Christian bishops in Asia due to his personal influence and literary works, most of which have been lost. His rediscovered theological treaties on Easter, "The Lord's Passion ", verifies his reputation as a notable early Christian spokesperson. Saint Melito is best known for his Easter homily On Pascha wherein he explains that Christ is the true Paschal Lamb whose death and resurrection accomplish the definitive victory over sin, death, and evil, bringing salvation to humanity. He presents this with striking clarity and poetic force: ·        Christ fulfills the Old Testament Passover—what was prefigured in the lamb of Book of Exodus is fully realized in Jesus. ·        Through His suffering and death, Christ conquers death itself—He is both the sacrificed Lamb and the triumphant Lord. ·        The Resurrection is a victory for all humanity—Christ breaks the bonds of death and raises mankind to new life. In essence, Melito's message is that the Paschal Mystery is the turning point of all history: Christ, by dying and rising, destroys death and restores life to us. As early as the second century, this letter or treatise, which is of great rhetorical power and force in its admonition to faithful pilgrimage under Christ's leadership, bore the title "To the Hebrews." It was assumed to be directed to Jewish Christians. Usually, Hebrews was attached in Greek manuscripts to the collection of letters by Paul. Although no author is mentioned (for there is no address), a reference to Timothy suggested connections to the circle of Paul and his assistants. Yet the exact audience, the author, and even whether Hebrews is a letter have long been disputed. The central message of the Epistle to the Hebrews is that Jesus Christ is the perfect and eternal High Priest who fulfills and surpasses the old covenant, offering Himself once for all for the salvation of humanity. The letter teaches that through Christ, believers have direct access to God, and it calls them to persevere in faith, especially in times of trial, trusting in His definitive sacrifice. By showing how Christ completes the meaning of the Law, priesthood, and sacrifices of the Old Testament, Hebrews urges Christians to remain steadfast, confident, and faithful to Him.