Meditation 30
The Following Five Spiritual Letters
The 5 following letters in this spiritual alphabet refers to
the soul's disposition in the live of grace and its passivity or
co-operation in accordance with God's intentional plan as revealed by
the altar's accessories.
(F) The fire pans. All the accessories of the altar were made of bronze, “he made all the altar's accessories of bronze” (Ex 38. 4). They are an admonition to the soul in order to be attentive in order to carry no other fire within than the holy flames of divine love. All the fire used in the service in the Sanctuary came from the altar and all other fire was forbidden as a strange or unauthorized fire (Nb 3. 4) before God. It is only this fire of love which shall burn in the heart of the soul as God's abode and it is only enkindled by propagating spiritual communion in the prayer life daily with the Founder of our faith – our Lord Jesus Christ.
(G) The shovels. The courtyard is the place of human endeavor. The shovels were used to remove the ash from the griddle and if the Levites neglected this duty the fire had been extinguished. The shovels reminds us on the importance of the continuous prayer in the remembrance of God: God's intentional plan is to let this fire of love burn continuously in our hearts. It is only by carrying the ash from the fire out of the Sanctuary of our own hearts that we enkindle it still further. The role of the shovels are to accomplish this work in the live of grace: to give the Holy Spirit opportunity to uproot our sensuous attitude and burn it to ash!
(H) The ash pots. The shovels were used to remove the ash off the griddle and it was carried out of the camp in these ash pots. Just as the priests of Aaron carried the ash to a holy place were it was mixed with consecrated water for purification, we are obliged to share our knowledge with other Christians in order to increase the growth of His mystical body on earth. All gracious gifts which we receive from God are not intended to satisfy the soul's desire for spiritual satisfactions. Although the soul is endowed continuously with divine graces she is obliged to give other souls share in her blessings and judge herself as ash in her growing humility. Gradually this will become a Christ like humility.
(I) The hooks. Aaron and his priests used the hooks to get their partition in the holy meat when it had been roasted on the griddle. The hooks refers thus to the virtues of the prayer state, to walk continuously to the altar and let all our inclinations go through its purifying fire. When the soul learns to judge all her thoughts, inclinations and emotions in the pure mirror of the bronze laver, she will involuntarily use these hooks to bring all her erroneous ideas and images and deceptions and place them on the griddle of the altar as a “garbage.”
(J) The sprinkling basins. The basins were used to carry the blood of the sacrifice from the entrance into the Holy to the altar of burnt offerings were the priest smeared the blood on the horns and sprinkled it on the common Israelites to purify them of the stains of sin. The soul can never serve as such a basin in the Sanctuary of her living God otherwise than the power of sanctifying grace cleanse her inside and out. Before Bezalel (Ex 35 30-35) made these basins he had to make a molding of wax. Next he covered this mold with clay and melted the bronze. When the bronze was prepared he poured it into the clay mold, melted the wax and when the bronze cooled he broke the clay mold off the basin. Actually we encounter here the molding efficiency of sanctifying grace. The blood was a sacred image of the divine life which the soul gets participation in when she learns to “praise the glory of God's grace” (Ep 1. 6)
Thus God molds the soul in order to be an appropriate vessel of service in the Sanctuary of the Tabernacle by the fire of the altar. Such a vessel will always be unfit to serve otherwise than being cleaned inside and out. This is how God reveals how the soul will be molded in such a vessel or basin in the live of grace, a vessel of honor. Synkletios of holy memory said,
At the altar of burnt offerings the soul enters the second stage of praise after having scrutinized the first 10 fiery runes of the Spirit in the prayer life – literally to write these fiery runes of the Holy Spirit in the live of grace in agonies of a repentant heart – and feeds itself on this healthy cereal. It learns now to offer her first cereal offering as prescribed in Leviticus, "If anyone offers Yahweh a cereal offering, this offering must consist of wheaten flour on which he must pour oil [elaion, Septuagint] and incense" (Lv 2. 1).
At this stage the first unbaked cereal offering expresses the soul's appreciativeness for the nourishment she has already delighted in. Still she is lacking in perseverance, humility, obedience and purity. Thus the Spirit instructs her still further in the spiritual alphabet of the prayer life on her way from the altar of burnt offerings to the bronze laver when she scrutinizes all the wonders of the courtyard in the hidden meditation of her heart. In the grace of the ten first letters of the prayer life a love is enkindle in the soul in order to proceed still further in the live of grace and attain to the third step of the Ladder of Love.
On her way from the altar of burnt offerings to the bronze laver the soul walks through the desert of trials (Mt 4. 1-11) – the desert prayer – in the coldness of the northern quarter as she turns her back on the fire of the altar. But now His Majesty walks besides her in His purity in order to instruct her by the help of the celestial hierarchies and as was stated above, it is the sardonyx which is the jewel which cures her injured leg in the live of grace in order to walk straight and not halter to the sides. It is by still further education in the spiritual alphabet in the live of grace that God sustains the soul to raise her eyes to see His abode in heaven in the Our Father.The soul must thus become light as a feather as Abba Isaac emphasized speaking of the lightness of the soul in the live of grace on the wings of love in the prayer which makes her able to ascend to God as an eagle in the Tetramorph.
For the nature of the soul is not ineptly compared to a very fine feather or very light wing, which, if it has not been damaged or affected by being spoilt by any moisture falling on it from without, is borne aloft almost naturally to the heights of heaven. [2]
(F) The fire pans. All the accessories of the altar were made of bronze, “he made all the altar's accessories of bronze” (Ex 38. 4). They are an admonition to the soul in order to be attentive in order to carry no other fire within than the holy flames of divine love. All the fire used in the service in the Sanctuary came from the altar and all other fire was forbidden as a strange or unauthorized fire (Nb 3. 4) before God. It is only this fire of love which shall burn in the heart of the soul as God's abode and it is only enkindled by propagating spiritual communion in the prayer life daily with the Founder of our faith – our Lord Jesus Christ.
(G) The shovels. The courtyard is the place of human endeavor. The shovels were used to remove the ash from the griddle and if the Levites neglected this duty the fire had been extinguished. The shovels reminds us on the importance of the continuous prayer in the remembrance of God: God's intentional plan is to let this fire of love burn continuously in our hearts. It is only by carrying the ash from the fire out of the Sanctuary of our own hearts that we enkindle it still further. The role of the shovels are to accomplish this work in the live of grace: to give the Holy Spirit opportunity to uproot our sensuous attitude and burn it to ash!
(H) The ash pots. The shovels were used to remove the ash off the griddle and it was carried out of the camp in these ash pots. Just as the priests of Aaron carried the ash to a holy place were it was mixed with consecrated water for purification, we are obliged to share our knowledge with other Christians in order to increase the growth of His mystical body on earth. All gracious gifts which we receive from God are not intended to satisfy the soul's desire for spiritual satisfactions. Although the soul is endowed continuously with divine graces she is obliged to give other souls share in her blessings and judge herself as ash in her growing humility. Gradually this will become a Christ like humility.
(I) The hooks. Aaron and his priests used the hooks to get their partition in the holy meat when it had been roasted on the griddle. The hooks refers thus to the virtues of the prayer state, to walk continuously to the altar and let all our inclinations go through its purifying fire. When the soul learns to judge all her thoughts, inclinations and emotions in the pure mirror of the bronze laver, she will involuntarily use these hooks to bring all her erroneous ideas and images and deceptions and place them on the griddle of the altar as a “garbage.”
(J) The sprinkling basins. The basins were used to carry the blood of the sacrifice from the entrance into the Holy to the altar of burnt offerings were the priest smeared the blood on the horns and sprinkled it on the common Israelites to purify them of the stains of sin. The soul can never serve as such a basin in the Sanctuary of her living God otherwise than the power of sanctifying grace cleanse her inside and out. Before Bezalel (Ex 35 30-35) made these basins he had to make a molding of wax. Next he covered this mold with clay and melted the bronze. When the bronze was prepared he poured it into the clay mold, melted the wax and when the bronze cooled he broke the clay mold off the basin. Actually we encounter here the molding efficiency of sanctifying grace. The blood was a sacred image of the divine life which the soul gets participation in when she learns to “praise the glory of God's grace” (Ep 1. 6)
Thus God molds the soul in order to be an appropriate vessel of service in the Sanctuary of the Tabernacle by the fire of the altar. Such a vessel will always be unfit to serve otherwise than being cleaned inside and out. This is how God reveals how the soul will be molded in such a vessel or basin in the live of grace, a vessel of honor. Synkletios of holy memory said,
Much most an unjust man
go through when he returns to God, but later this will become a source
of immeasurable joy. We can say the same of men lightning a fire. At
first they are covered by smoke and the singe produces tears. Thus they
have fulfilled their desire. And thus is written, 'Our God is a
consuming fire' (Heb 10. 27 Septuagint). Surely we are obliged to
enkindle the divine fire within by trials and tears. [1]
At the altar of burnt offerings the soul enters the second stage of praise after having scrutinized the first 10 fiery runes of the Spirit in the prayer life – literally to write these fiery runes of the Holy Spirit in the live of grace in agonies of a repentant heart – and feeds itself on this healthy cereal. It learns now to offer her first cereal offering as prescribed in Leviticus, "If anyone offers Yahweh a cereal offering, this offering must consist of wheaten flour on which he must pour oil [elaion, Septuagint] and incense" (Lv 2. 1).
At this stage the first unbaked cereal offering expresses the soul's appreciativeness for the nourishment she has already delighted in. Still she is lacking in perseverance, humility, obedience and purity. Thus the Spirit instructs her still further in the spiritual alphabet of the prayer life on her way from the altar of burnt offerings to the bronze laver when she scrutinizes all the wonders of the courtyard in the hidden meditation of her heart. In the grace of the ten first letters of the prayer life a love is enkindle in the soul in order to proceed still further in the live of grace and attain to the third step of the Ladder of Love.
On her way from the altar of burnt offerings to the bronze laver the soul walks through the desert of trials (Mt 4. 1-11) – the desert prayer – in the coldness of the northern quarter as she turns her back on the fire of the altar. But now His Majesty walks besides her in His purity in order to instruct her by the help of the celestial hierarchies and as was stated above, it is the sardonyx which is the jewel which cures her injured leg in the live of grace in order to walk straight and not halter to the sides. It is by still further education in the spiritual alphabet in the live of grace that God sustains the soul to raise her eyes to see His abode in heaven in the Our Father.The soul must thus become light as a feather as Abba Isaac emphasized speaking of the lightness of the soul in the live of grace on the wings of love in the prayer which makes her able to ascend to God as an eagle in the Tetramorph.
For the nature of the soul is not ineptly compared to a very fine feather or very light wing, which, if it has not been damaged or affected by being spoilt by any moisture falling on it from without, is borne aloft almost naturally to the heights of heaven. [2]