NOTES for Heb 10:4-10
In the Letter to the Hebrews Paul touches on a theme important for all of us. He exposes the boundary between following some rite or other and living faith, the doing of the Father's will.
One can object to this understanding of the matter by saying that behind a rite there almost always stands the faith of previous generations, the Church, and therefore the Lord Himself. In many cases this is so, though not always. But the point is that a rite can screen God from us. As a result, sadly, one can stop perceiving Him as a Person and see only a set of prescriptions, restrictions, and actions required of oneself.
But Paul, quoting Christ's words, emphasizes the doing of the heavenly Father's will, and for this living communion with Him Himself is necessary, in prayer and in reading His Word. And already through this the Lord, by the Holy Spirit, gives us the right perception and the fullness of participation in the rite of the Church.