It is even more obvious if another priest is raised up after the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become so, not by a law expressed in a commandment concerning physical descent but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed… (Heb 7:1-3, 15-17).
God is good, all the time.
Friends, today's first reading is not one of the most familiar scriptures we hear regularly, but it is also one of the most significant passages needed for practical living. Fundamentally, it elevates peace over war and division; it sets it as synonymous with blessings and presents it as something that requires sacrifice to maintain.
The report of Abraham’s victory in the war he fought with some kings, according to Genesis 14:1-24 culminates in his meeting with Melchizedek, an unknown person with no human root, known as " king of peace." Melchizedek blesses Abraham and takes bread and wine to offer sacrifice to God on his behalf, signifying peaceful and blessed times ahead for Abraham and the land.
For us in the U.S., what a holy coincidence that on the day of his inauguration, Joe Biden starts the day with the Mass. Hopefully, the words of the scriptures will speak to his heart. The sacrifice of the Mass in which he participates to kick off his government is to invoke God's blessings and peace in his heart and on the nation.
But it is equally significant that we constantly seek God's wisdom and courage for him. One of the gloomy periods in Israel's history was the start of the Babylonian exile where they came under foreign leadership, which they considered paganistic. In their desperation, they even thought they could not mention Yahweh's name on such pagan land. "How can we sing a song of Yahweh in a strange land," they asked?
But consider God's response to the situation and take a lesson from it. He encouraged the people through the prophet Jeremiah, "Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper” (Jer 29:7). Thus, it behooves all of America turn “swords into plowshares” and unite in prayer for the welfare of America led by President Biden at this time.
Prayer blessings: May God’s peaceful reign come along with him. Amen.