Confident Intimacy: Approaching the Throne of Grace
“For the Souls in Purgatory – Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord”
Hebrews 4:14-16
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin. So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.
Grace Prayed For
This passage prompts us to pray for the grace of holy confidence. It is the grace to approach God with bold vulnerability, trusting completely in His sympathy and mercy, rather than our own righteousness, so that we may be filled with the “timely help” needed for our mission.
Reflection
This passage is the very heart of intimacy. We are invited to “confidently approach the throne of grace.” How is this confidence possible? Not because of our own merit, but because of the nature of our High Priest.
Our Triune God is not a distant, unfeeling deity. In the person of Jesus, God the Son entered our messy, broken reality. He was “tested in every way.” He knows exhaustion, frustration, betrayal, and pain. He doesn’t just know about our weaknesses; He sympathizes with them. He gets it. This is the foundation of intimacy. We can be completely vulnerable, completely open, because the One we approach already understands.
This is the divine “receive and share” you pray for. Our Prayer is this confident approach, this vulnerable “sharing” of our authentic selves—our sins, fears, and failings—at His throne. In return, we “receive mercy and find grace.” We are loved not for our strength, but in our weakness. This is the Presence.
The Word—our “confession”—is holding fast to this truth. When we are filled with this unearned mercy, we are changed. We cannot help but let it shine forth. Our mission in the world, our every encounter, becomes an extension of this throne of grace.
When we meet others, we are no longer called to judge their weaknesses, but to sympathize with them, just as Christ sympathizes with us. We stop being gatekeepers and start being conduits. We “share” the mercy we have so abundantly “received.” We offer “timely help,” not from a place of superiority, but from a shared understanding of our mutual need for a Savior. We partner with Jesus by showing the world His sympathetic heart.
Daily Evangelization and Baptismal Mission
The Gospel message is that God has loved us in our weakness. Jesus has impacted my life not by demanding perfection, but by offering mercy when I am weakest. Here is how to share that specific message:
- Evangelize by Sympathizing. The most powerful way to proclaim the Gospel is often to be silent and listen. When someone shares their struggles, resist the urge to offer answers. Instead, model the High Priest. Listen with empathy and validate their feelings: “That sounds incredibly difficult,” or “I can understand why you feel that way.” In doing so, you create a space of “grace” for them, just as Christ did for you.
- Share Your “Mercy Moment.” Be authentic about your own need for grace. You don’t need to have all the answers. A simple testimony of how Jesus’s mercy impacted you is more powerful than a theological argument. For example: “I was feeling so overwhelmed and like a failure this week, but I prayed and was reminded that God knows my weakness and loves me anyway. It gave me the peace to keep going.” This shows how Jesus has loved you.
- Be the “Timely Help.” The Gospel is made real through action. The passage promises “grace for timely help.” Be that timely help for someone else. This could be a practical act like bringing a meal, offering a ride, or simply sending a text that says, “I’m thinking of you.” When you act out of the grace you’ve received, you are actively partnering with Jesus to restore God’s creation, one merciful encounter at a time.
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Sharing
Jesus last words on Earth were to his disciples, can be found in Matthew Chap 28 when Jesus told his disciples, “Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Jesus calls all of us to share in his redemptive mission here on Earth. I would ask you to share this Scripture reflection with your family, your friends and your acquaintances, and then share it with a couple of individuals that you may may not be comfortable sharing with, keeping in mind always the words of Jesus, And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age
Author was assisted by AI in the drafting of this Post