Day 51. Inside the Veil

The Sanctuary is still more holy, for none may enter therein with hands and feet unwashed. The Holy of Holies is still more holy, for none may enter therein save only the High Priest on the Day of Atonement at the time of the (temple) service.
Mishnah, Kelim 1.8–9

Strictest orders were given that no one should enter the veil unauthorized and violate the sanctuary. The penalty was death. The veil concealed the innermost room of the great temple. It was the corresponding veil in the Herodian Temple of Jesus' day that was miraculously torn from top to bottom when our Lord died on the cross (Mt. 27:51).

Scripture describes in detail the veil “woven of violet, purple and scarlet yarn, and of fine linen twined, with cherubim embroidered on it...” (Ex. 26:31). I have to pause here and express my wonder that it was not an iron gate or a barred door but only a veil securing the holy of holies! Who places their greatest treasure in a vault sealed by a mere curtain? Why did the Lord choose such a penetrable barrier? Why would he make the prized possession of the Israelites so easily violated? It was a great treasure indeed! The greatest on earth. The passage continues:

The Ark of the Commandments you shall bring inside, behind this veil which divides the holy place from the holy of holies. Set the propitiatory on the Ark of the Commandments in the holy of holies.
Ex. 26:31-34

The Ark of the Commandments – also known as the Ark of the Covenant – was a sacred object and a treasure unlike any other. Though compact and hardly imposing in appearance, it was, for the Israelites, the singular sign of God's presence and power among the people. The Ark was a rectangular box covered in gold that contained the tablets of the Law given to Moses on Mount Sinai. The letter to the Hebrews mentions further that the priestly staff of Aaron and a container of manna, the miraculous bread provided for the Jews during their desert journeys, were also contained in the Ark. Moses directed the construction of the Ark during those days in the wilderness. Strictly adhering to God’s specifications, Moses placed the Ark in the inner sanctuary of the tabernacle as described above. Thus, years later, Solomon placed the Ark in the corresponding center of the newly constructed temple.

Many stories were told among the Jews of the mysterious power of this sacred vessel. How the walls of Jericho, at the sound of the trumpets, had crumbled in its presence (Jsh. 6:20). How the god of the Philistines, a large idol, had been dismembered before it when the Ark was taken from the Israelites and placed in the temple of Dagon (1 Sm. 5:4). How Uzzah was struck dead trying to stabilize the Ark as it was falling from an ox cart while being transported to Jerusalem (2 Sm. 6:6f). Thus the Ark of the Covenant was feared and renowned not only by the Jews, but by all the nations.

What was the Ark? It is described as the footstool of God’s heavenly throne - the visible earthly presence of God's reign. Its lid held a long, narrow propitiatory for burning sacrificial incense. Two golden cherubim, springing from each end, bowed low toward the center with their angelic wings spread forward and touching over the propitiatory. Above the Ark in the inner chamber stood two great cherubim, each more than twice the height of a man, whose wings formed a canopy. These represented the angelic attendants at God’s throne who, in the visions of Ezekiel, are described as bearing up the throne of God on the clouds (Ez. 1).

Thus the holy of holies is depicted as the throne room of the Lord; the unique dwelling of God among humanity. Isaiah, the great visionary, describes the Lord presiding in his royal throne room in clearest detail. Notable for our Novena is the context of his vision. It occurs at the calling of the prophet – at the occasion of his vocation and commissioning. “I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, with the train of his garment filling the temple. Seraphim were stationed above; each of them had six wings: with two they veiled their faces, with two they veiled their feet, and with two they hovered aloft. ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts!’ they cried one to the other. ‘All the earth is filled with his glory!’ At the sound of that cry, the frame of the door shook and the house was filled with smoke” (Is. 6:1-4).

At the dedication of the temple, King Solomon acknowledged an amazing fact. God inhabits the whole universe and is limited by none of it, yet to the wonder of all he chooses to reign in kingly splendor in a house made with human hands (2 Chr. 6:18). As we have had several occasions to observe, in the new covenant it is Jesus who is the temple. Though unlimited by time or space, Jesus, formed in the womb
of the virgin Mary, became the new house of God; his new dwelling on earth.

How could the Eternal do a temporal act,
The Infinite become a finite fact?” [1]

When the veil of his flesh was torn with the lance on the cross, so was the veil of the sanctuary.

Fix in your mind this image: God reigning from the center, the heart, of his temple. With the conclusion of today's reflection we will be turning our attention to restructuring our relationships – the primary purpose of this semester. We have done our homework. We have examined the temple and its layout. We have, as it were, walked around the great structure and carefully noted the order of its rooms. Though I will add to the picture as we continue, we have enough information to begin the rebuilding project.

Five days ago I made reference to the rebuilding of the temple in the days of Nehemiah. He returned to the ruins of Jerusalem and directed its reconstruction despite harsh resistance from surrounding nations. With a sword in one hand and brick and mortar in the other, the returning exiles struggled to secure their sanctuary and to rebuild its crumbled walls. So do we. Our return from the exile of isolated individualism will call for a great resolve and a willingness to struggle against conflict both from within and without.

In what follows, I’m going to expand our notion of “body” to include more than the flesh and blood we walk around in. This is not my own idea, it’s the way the Jews understood the body. “The body is a man’s self, which does not coincide with the corporeal dimension but comprises it as one element among others” [2]. I want to consider the “body” of our relationships – the place other persons occupy in relation to our own person.

What I hope to express stands or falls on its adherence to Catholic teaching and holy scripture. I will also continue to rely on the writings of St. John Paul II and other great thinkers. Wherever I wander from these reference points, I offer only my own observations. Apply them if you find them helpful.

The question is where to begin? There is so much. It seems best then to return to the beginning of this semester and consider the tattered rag that the prophet Jeremiah held in his hand as he cried. It was a piece of the veil we have just examined.

Make it My Own

Daily Discernment Workbook

BREAK OPEN YOUR BIBLE

1. The Abode of God…

Throughout the Bible, God expresses his desire to abide with, that is, to live among his people. What are the benefits and the requirements of such a special communion?

Exodus 29:45-46 What is the purpose of God’s dwelling among the Israelites? What does he want them to know?

Jeremiah 31:31-34 How does the New Covenant described here differ from the Old? What does God promise to do for each person?

Ezekiel 36:24-28 What further promises does God make to his people? What will he place within us?
Revelation 21:1-4 What happens when God dwells with his people in heaven? What does he promise to do?
2 Corinthians 6:16 – 18 How does Paul apply God’s abiding to the life of the individual believer? What is required of us when God abides with us?

2. The Vine and the Branches

Read John 15:5-17 God wants to abide with us, but we have to also be willing to abide in him. At the last supper Jesus calls his disciples to “remain in” (abide in) him. How do we do this? What are the requirements for abiding in Jesus? List at least two…

According to Jesus, if we abide in him, what does he promise will happen?

A QUOTE TO NOTE

3. Fewer to Confide In

Why is God’s abiding companionship so important? Because we can’t live without others. Our deepest fear is loneliness and despite our ever-growing social networks, it’s on the rise. That’s what sociologists are saying:

Social Isolation in America
If we assume that interpersonal environments are important (and most sociologists do), there appears to have been a large social change in the past two decades. The number of people who have someone to talk to about matters that are important to them has declined dramatically, and the number of alternative discussion partners has shrunk [3].

If more Americans are saying they feel lonely, is the answer to find more friends? Can that really fill the empty longing for companionship within?

GOING DEEP

4. Overcoming the Ultimate Loneliness

Pope Benedict XVI once wrote about loneliness in a reflection on Holy Saturday. He described how Jesus descended into hell and thereby penetrated and overcame our deepest loneliness. His description of our experience of loneliness is gripping.

…What comes to light here is simply the abyss of loneliness of man in general, man who is alone in his innermost being. …A concrete example will help to make this clearer. When a child has to walk through a wood in the dark it feels frightened, however convincingly it has been shown that there is nothing at all to be frightened of. As soon as it is alone in the darkness, and thus has the experience of utter loneliness, fear arises, the fear peculiar to man, which is not fear of anything in particular but simply fear in itself. Fear of a particular thing is basically harmless; it can be removed by taking away the thing concerned. For example, if someone is afraid of a spiteful dog the matter can be swiftly settled by putting the dog on a chain. Here we come up against something much deeper, namely the fact that where man falls into extreme loneliness he is not afraid of anything definite that could be explained away; on the contrary, he experiences the fear of loneliness, the uneasiness and nakedness of his own nature, something that cannot be overcome by rational means. …
How then, we must ask, can such fear be overcome if proof of its groundlessness has no effect? Well, the child will lose its fear the moment that there is a hand there to take it and lead it, and a voice to talk to it; at the moment therefore at which it experiences the fellowship of a loving human being [4].

Have I ever experienced fear and loneliness in the way the Holy Father describes it? What were the circumstances?

Benedict concludes:
This brings us back to … the article of the Creed that speaks of the descent into hell. This article thus asserts that Christ strode through the gate of our final loneliness, that in his passion he went down into the abyss of our abandonment. Where no voice can reach us any longer, there is he.

Have I ever experienced Jesus console me with his presence when I was feeling very lonely? What did he do?

Is there a loneliness or a fear of isolation I feel right now that I want to renounce in the name of Jesus? If so, I offer a prayer in my own words asking Jesus to come more deeply into my heart and drive out any persistent or burdensome loneliness.

[1] W. H. Auden, “For the Time Being” Advent III

[2] Ratzinger/Benedict XVI, Called to Communion, Understanding the Church Today, p. 36

[3] Social Isolation in America, 2006 Study by Miller McPherson University of Arizona and Duke University, Lynn Smith-Lovin, Duke University; Matthew E. Brashears University of Arizona, p. 371

[4] Benedict XVI [Josef Ratzinger], Introduction to Christianity, tr. by J.R. Foster, New York, Herder & Herder, 1970, pp. 223 - 230

Novena Prayer

Make it My Own

Day 50. Origins and Structure of the Temple

Day 52. Another Look at the Veil