Meditation 3
The Jewels or Foundation Stones
The jewels or
foundation stones of the Celestial City appear in the Divine Order of
March of the Old Covenant (Ex 28. 21) and in the breastplate of the
high priest. In order to emphasize their role in the life of grace of
the new and spiritual Israel – the Church – their order is not the same
as in the Old Covenant, or in St. John's words,
The first row (A) refers to the All-holy Trinity and the nine following jewels (B-D) to its efficacious grace in the sanctification of the soul. The letters B-C refer to the three sections of the Sanctuary: the Courtyard, Holy and Holy of holies, as will be discussed later.
In the Old Covenant’s Divine Order of March, each of the twelve Hebrew tribes walked under their own gem in the order of their age under the guidance of the ark of the Covenant (Ex 28. 10; Lv 2. 1-34). In the new and spiritual Israel – the Church – the jewels refer to the growth in the fullness of the stature of Christ under the guidance of the Blessed Virgin as the First living ark of the New Covenant, or by the words of St. John Damascus,
This we can also read in the letter to the Hebrews, “In this were kept the gold jar containing the manna (the Son), Aaron's branch that grew the buds (the Holy Spirit), and the tables of the covenant (the Father). On top of it were the glorious winged creatures, overshadowing the throne of mercy” (Heb 9. 4). Thus the Blessed Virgin is always exposed on icons with the two archangels. This mystery is in full accordance to our Savior's words, “and we shall come to him and make a home in him” (Jn 14. 23). God made the Blessed Virgin His abode on earth and she became thus literally speaking a living sanctuary of God, prefigured by the Ark of the Old Covenant and thus an admonition to all the faithful as to become also living Arks and abode of God.
In the sixth dwelling place of the Interior Castle Teresa of Avila gives us account of a precious stone that we carry in a golden vessel within. [2] It is thus how His Majesty reveals Himself to her in the prayer of union in His radiant glory,
Thus the Lord shows the soul “clearly His most sacred humanity in the way He desires; either as He was when He went about in the world or as He is after His resurrection,”
Thus God reveals Himself to the soul in gradually more authentic manner as she grows in the fullness of the “stature of Christ” (Ep 4. 13). Some souls are only able to see Him in the verbal and sensuous images which are drawn up in the Gospels, but in the prayer of union Christ clarifies gradually the sacred image of Him as our Royal archetype. In the prayer of union it is His brightness which is predominant as a living experience of His immanent presence as Teresa emphasized,
This is the sparkling stone which Jan van Ruysbroeck valued so much that he dedicated a whole book to its radiant beauty:
Jasper (jaspis), the
second, sapphire (sapheiros), the third, chalcedony (kalkedon); the
forth, emerald (smaragdos); the fifth, sardonyx (sardonyx); the sixth,
sardius (sardios); the seventh, chrysolite (krisolithos); the eighth,
beryl (beryllos); the ninth, topaz (topasion); the tenth, chrysophrasus
(krysoprasos); the eleventh, jacinth (iakinthos) and the twelfth,
amethyst (amethystos) (Rv 21. 19, 20).
The first row (A) refers to the All-holy Trinity and the nine following jewels (B-D) to its efficacious grace in the sanctification of the soul. The letters B-C refer to the three sections of the Sanctuary: the Courtyard, Holy and Holy of holies, as will be discussed later.
In the Old Covenant’s Divine Order of March, each of the twelve Hebrew tribes walked under their own gem in the order of their age under the guidance of the ark of the Covenant (Ex 28. 10; Lv 2. 1-34). In the new and spiritual Israel – the Church – the jewels refer to the growth in the fullness of the stature of Christ under the guidance of the Blessed Virgin as the First living ark of the New Covenant, or by the words of St. John Damascus,
For instance, the ark
represents the image of Our Lady, Mother of God, so does the staff and
the earthen jar. [1]
This we can also read in the letter to the Hebrews, “In this were kept the gold jar containing the manna (the Son), Aaron's branch that grew the buds (the Holy Spirit), and the tables of the covenant (the Father). On top of it were the glorious winged creatures, overshadowing the throne of mercy” (Heb 9. 4). Thus the Blessed Virgin is always exposed on icons with the two archangels. This mystery is in full accordance to our Savior's words, “and we shall come to him and make a home in him” (Jn 14. 23). God made the Blessed Virgin His abode on earth and she became thus literally speaking a living sanctuary of God, prefigured by the Ark of the Old Covenant and thus an admonition to all the faithful as to become also living Arks and abode of God.
In the sixth dwelling place of the Interior Castle Teresa of Avila gives us account of a precious stone that we carry in a golden vessel within. [2] It is thus how His Majesty reveals Himself to her in the prayer of union in His radiant glory,
The brilliance of
this inner vision is like that of an infused light coming from a sun
covered by something as transparent as a properly cut diamond. [3]
Thus the Lord shows the soul “clearly His most sacred humanity in the way He desires; either as He was when He went about in the world or as He is after His resurrection,”
And even though the
vision happens so quickly that we could compare it to a streak of
lightning, this most glorious image remains so engraved on the
imagination that I think it would be impossible to erase it until it is
seen by the soul in that place where it will be enjoyed without end. [4]
Thus God reveals Himself to the soul in gradually more authentic manner as she grows in the fullness of the “stature of Christ” (Ep 4. 13). Some souls are only able to see Him in the verbal and sensuous images which are drawn up in the Gospels, but in the prayer of union Christ clarifies gradually the sacred image of Him as our Royal archetype. In the prayer of union it is His brightness which is predominant as a living experience of His immanent presence as Teresa emphasized,
Although I say
“image” let it be understood that, in the opinion of the one who sees
it, it is not a painting but truly alive, and sometimes the Lord is
speaking to the soul and even revealing great secrets. [5]
This is the sparkling stone which Jan van Ruysbroeck valued so much that he dedicated a whole book to its radiant beauty:
By this sparkling
stone we mean our Lord Christ Jesus, for He is, according to His
Godhead, a shining forth of the Eternal Light, and an irradiation of
the glory of God, and a flawless mirror in which all things live. Now
to him who overcomes and transcends all things, this sparkling stone is
given; and with it he receives light and truth and life. This stone is
also like to a fiery flame, for the fiery love of the Eternal Word has
filled the whole world with love and wills that all loving spirits be
burned up to nothingness in love. [6]
[1]. A Select Library of Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, Second Series, Volume IX.
[2]. Interior Castle, 6. 9, 2.
[3]. Ibid, 6. 9, 4.
[4]. Ibid, 6. 9, 3.
[5]. Ibid, 6. 9, 4.
[6]. The Sparkling Stone, IV chapter.
[1]. A Select Library of Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, Second Series, Volume IX.
[2]. Interior Castle, 6. 9, 2.
[3]. Ibid, 6. 9, 4.
[4]. Ibid, 6. 9, 3.
[5]. Ibid, 6. 9, 4.
[6]. The Sparkling Stone, IV chapter.
