Meditation 6
The Protective Role of the Sanctuary in the Life of Grace
The Holy Spirit
emphasizes that we scrutinize the mysteries of the Sanctuary in
accordance with His precepts as we can see in the Psalms, “Go round
Zion, walk right through her, count her bastions, admire her walls,
examine her palaces” (Ps 48. 12, 13). It is most important to respect His decrees on this Sacred way or Royal way to glory. Only so the
“king's daughter is led within” (Ps 45. 14), into this “perfection of
beauty where He shines forth” (Ps 50. 2). God gives all souls who dwell
in His Sanctuary in the prayer a sublime role, that is, “to tell future
generation that such is God” (Ps 48. 14). By her obedience the Holy
Spirit gives the soul the grace of spiritual attentiveness so the soul
can say, “I reflect all that you did. I ponder all your great deeds”
(Ps 77. 12). Only so the faithful can see God's glory shine above the
Tent or Dwelling in the light of faith.
Let us give heed to the words of the holy ones, those blessed souls who have actually seen the Celestial City appear in the purity of their hearts and ardently yearned for it,
Let no soul be deceived in this sublime contemplation because Satan “masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Cor 11. 14). This is indeed what this spiritual director warns against as all the holy fathers of the Church, “But now beware of the midday devil that feigns light as it came out of Jerusalem, and does not, for the devil sees that our Lord Jesus shows to his lovers the light of truth. Therefore to deceive those who are unwise he shows a light that is not true in the guise of a true light, and deceives them.” [2]
That is the reason why the Sanctuary of the Tabernacle is so precious to all souls who yearns ardently to see the Celestial City because it is a sacred symbol of heavenly origin where we learn to distinguish between the true Seven days sun by the lamp stand in the Holy and the false sun of the enemy of our salvation. So also it is truly the soul's Jacob's Ladder to heaven, pre-eminently the Royal Highway to glory,
Let us give heed to the words of the holy ones, those blessed souls who have actually seen the Celestial City appear in the purity of their hearts and ardently yearned for it,
And that is nothing
else but the sight of Jerusalem from without, which is like a city that
the prophet Ezekiel saw in his vision. He says that he saw a city set
on a hill facing south, which in his sight measured no more than in
length and breath than a rood: that was six cubits and a palm long; but
as soon as he was brought into the city and looked about him it seemed
to him very large, for he saw many halls and chambers, both public and
private. He saw gates and porches outward and inward, and building much
greater than I say now, many hundreds cubits in length and breath. Then
this was a wonder to him: how this city, which seemed to him so small
when he saw outside, was a long and so broad within. This city
signifies the perfect love of God set on the hill of contemplation,
which appears as something to the sight of a soul outside the feeling
of it and is toiling toward it in desire: yet it seems only a little
thing, no more than a rood – that is, six cubits and a palm in length.
By six cubits is understood the perfection of man's work; by the palm a
little touching of contemplation. He sees well that there is such a
thing, surpassing all that man's labor can deserve by a little, as the
palm exceeds the six cubits; but does not see what is inside.
Nevertheless, if he can come inside the city of contemplation, then he
sees much more than he saw at first [1]
Let no soul be deceived in this sublime contemplation because Satan “masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Cor 11. 14). This is indeed what this spiritual director warns against as all the holy fathers of the Church, “But now beware of the midday devil that feigns light as it came out of Jerusalem, and does not, for the devil sees that our Lord Jesus shows to his lovers the light of truth. Therefore to deceive those who are unwise he shows a light that is not true in the guise of a true light, and deceives them.” [2]
That is the reason why the Sanctuary of the Tabernacle is so precious to all souls who yearns ardently to see the Celestial City because it is a sacred symbol of heavenly origin where we learn to distinguish between the true Seven days sun by the lamp stand in the Holy and the false sun of the enemy of our salvation. So also it is truly the soul's Jacob's Ladder to heaven, pre-eminently the Royal Highway to glory,
The holy fathers call
this mode of life by many glorious names. They have called it the sane
way, praiseworthy doing and true contemplation. most spacious prayer,
sobriety of mind, mental doing, activity of the life to come, angelic
life, heavenly life, divine conduct Conduct, the land of the
living, mysterious vision, most complete spiritual feast, paradise
created by God, heaven, kingdom of heaven, kingdom of God, the darkness
beyond light, secret life in Christ, vision of God, the most
supernatural deification, and many other similar names. [3]
[1]. Walter Hilton, The Scale of Perfection, II. 25.
[2]. Ibid, II. 26.
[3]. Philokalia, On the Prayer of the Heart, pp. 268-269.
[1]. Walter Hilton, The Scale of Perfection, II. 25.
[2]. Ibid, II. 26.
[3]. Philokalia, On the Prayer of the Heart, pp. 268-269.