NOTES for Heb 10:32-38
After five days of reading the Old Testament, we turn once again to the words of the Gospel. Addressing the Hebrews, the apostle Paul writes: “Remember the former days, when, after you were enlightened, you endured a great struggle with sufferings.” This struggle of suffering lies in the fact that, although they witnessed the fulfillment of all the prophecies about Christ, the people of Israel did not recognize Him. It is the suffering of those who believed, caused by the loss of their Teacher and Lord. And it is the suffering that comes because your friends and relatives did not accept or see that they were mistaken, and did not open themselves to Salvation. Yet the apostle immediately calls for patience: an active patience that helps fulfill the will of God. Patience is not silent suffering. It is waiting for the promise. It is waiting for the Kingdom of God. This is the state in which a Christian should remain: hourly expectation of Judgment and a constant effort to respond to Christ’s call. This call was addressed to all people. Our life must become a proclamation of the Gospel to those around us, to those who have not yet found Christ and themselves in Christ and who resist doing so: a proclamation through deeds performed in Christ’s name and with Christ in our hearts.