Meditation 86
The First Fabric Reveals Christ’s Wisdom
We
will begin by contemplating the outmost cover or fabrics, revealing Christ's wisdom on earth (1 Cor 1.
30). It is this truth which sheds a most wonderful light on
God's ordinance from the times of the antediluvian priest kings of the
Adamic race. These sheets were made of sea lion's skins,
A sea lion's skin does not appeal to the sense of beauty of the flesh and its splendor appears only in the light of faith. No one who made his way through the desert and saw the meekness of this cover of the Tent of Meeting suspected what was hidden under its covers.
The glory of the flesh did not halt by this Tent in its ignorance, forgetfulness and laziness when it rode by on its camel caravans of greed loaded with gold and ivory of strange lands of human presumptuousness. It despised this pitiable nation – Israel – which sampled together around this repulsive tent. It are only the poor in spirit who can discern God in this humbleness of His incarnation, but the glory of the flesh does not see this mystery as the Royal Way to salvation.
Thus the Son of God appeared on earth in the humbleness of the skin colored sardonyx and did hide His Divinity to other than those who were able to discern Him in the purity of their hearts. It was also in this disguise of the sea lion's skin which God revealed Himself in the Old Covenant as the coming Messiah king,
Thus God did also reveal Himself as a Savior among the upright priest kings of the Adamic race. It is this truth which we encounter in The Apocalypse of Weeks of the priest king Enoch son of Jared who lived before the great deluge. The patriarchs of the Adamic race waited in expectancy for this day in their uprightness, “But with the righteous He will make peace, and will protect the elect, and mercy shall be upon them.” [1] The last and final end of God's harvest appeared in the seventh part of the tenth week, “And the first heaven shall depart and pass away, and a new heaven shall appear, and all the powers of heaven will give sevenfold light” (ibid).
All this sublime mystery was prefigured by the Liturgical circle of the ancient Hebrews [2] which Moses instituted at the exodus out of Egypt of sin which began with the three dark days, “This month must be the first of all the months for you, the first month of your year” (Ex 12. 2). [2] This is in full accordance with the revelation of the Sanctuary of the Tabernacle and its three sections: THE THREE GREAT NIGHTS OF THE PRAYER LIFE: THE NIGHT OF THE SENSES, THE NIGHT OF THE SPIRIT AND THE NIGHT OF REDEMPTION.
In accordance with the Hebrew liturgical circle or sacred time on earth the first month of the year – the month of Abib [3] – began on a full moon the 14th of March by the Passover when the Passover lamb was slaughtered, a prefiguration of the Sacrificial Hill of the Cross. In its wake followed the Feast of Unleavened Bread which lasted seven days and offering of the first sheaf was brought forth. Seven weeks later – or 50 days – the Feast of Weeks was celebrated or the offering of the spring harvest. The Feast of the Ingathering of the autumn harvest did also play an important role in the liturgical circle. This feast was celebrated in the month of Etamim [4] or seven months after Passover. The month of Etamim was a time of thanksgiving for the autumnal harvest – the latter harvest. Then the people dwelt in shelters made of leaves and was thus called the Feast of Shelters or of the Tabernacle.
When the ingathering of the latter harvest took place after these seven months had passed the great feast of thanksgiving and rejoicing was celebrated: THE DAY OF THE TABERNACLE was celebrated on the 14th day of Etamim. The Feast of the Tabernacle was only one of three celebrated in the month of Etamim in this sacred calendar. The first day of Etamim was the New Year Day.
Ten days later the Great Day of Atonement followed when the high priest offered the atonement in the Holy of holies in order to purify the Sanctuary of God's real presence preceding the DAY OF THE TABERNACLE.
When we compare the ancient liturgical circle of the Hebrews with the liturgical circle of the Church we see how purposefully and harmoniously God reveals His wisdom in His authentic manifestation in human history as a sacred time on earth. In the revelation of the Sanctuary of the Tabernacle the seven months from the Passover to the Scenopegie refers directly to the formation of the human being as a perfect seven days creation as discussed above and when the human spirit is “born from above” (Jn 3, 7) as theological being. In the liturgical calendar of the Church this event falls on the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross which is one and the same as the Feast of the Tabernacle in the Old Covenant It is on this day of the gladness of the Lord – THE FEAST OF THE TRIUMPH OF THE CROSS or on the DAY OF THE TABERNACLE – where the fullness of the stature of Christ is realized, the stature which God predestined for the Church as His Living Body before the foundation of the world,
When we contemplate this mystery still further we see clearly how God accomplished this mystery and revealed in the life of the Blessed Virgin as its locus. She was the “White Lily of the Glorious and always serene Trinity” and the final and most precious fruit of the Old Covenant as well as the first fruit of the Passion of her Son in the New Covenant.
The final battle against the enemy of salvation – the fallen guardian cherub – was fought upon the Cross and Adam's transgression abolished once and for all. In Christ's resurrection the glorification of the human nature was accomplished and crowned by Christ's ascension which guided human nature to the glory of His Father in heaven. No created being has been endowed with the glory in as profound manner as Mary. The liturgical circle of the Church reveals the Blessed Virgin as a model of spiritual perfection for all souls to follow in the live of grace in the Eternal Birth of the Word which is one and the same thing as the restoration of the fallen hut of David when the soul becomes a temple of the Holy Spirit, a true divine ark,
This is the precious message of this outermost fabric where God reveals His divine materialism in the restoration of the Baptismal Grace.
And for the Tent he made . .
. a cover of sea lions' skins (Ex 26. 14).
A sea lion's skin does not appeal to the sense of beauty of the flesh and its splendor appears only in the light of faith. No one who made his way through the desert and saw the meekness of this cover of the Tent of Meeting suspected what was hidden under its covers.
The glory of the flesh did not halt by this Tent in its ignorance, forgetfulness and laziness when it rode by on its camel caravans of greed loaded with gold and ivory of strange lands of human presumptuousness. It despised this pitiable nation – Israel – which sampled together around this repulsive tent. It are only the poor in spirit who can discern God in this humbleness of His incarnation, but the glory of the flesh does not see this mystery as the Royal Way to salvation.
Thus the Son of God appeared on earth in the humbleness of the skin colored sardonyx and did hide His Divinity to other than those who were able to discern Him in the purity of their hearts. It was also in this disguise of the sea lion's skin which God revealed Himself in the Old Covenant as the coming Messiah king,
Like a sapling He grew up before
Him, like a root in arid ground. He had no form or charm to attract us,
no beauty to win our hearts, He was despised, the lowest of men, a man
of sorrows, familiar with sufferings, one from whom, as it were, we
averted our gaze, despised from whom we had no regards. Yet ours were
the sufferings He was bearing, ours the sorrows He was carrying, while
we thought of Him as someone being punished and struck with afflictions
by God; whereas He was being wounded for our rebellions, crushed
because of our guilt; the punishment reconciling us fell on Him, and we
have been healed by His bruises (Is 53. 2-6).
Thus God did also reveal Himself as a Savior among the upright priest kings of the Adamic race. It is this truth which we encounter in The Apocalypse of Weeks of the priest king Enoch son of Jared who lived before the great deluge. The patriarchs of the Adamic race waited in expectancy for this day in their uprightness, “But with the righteous He will make peace, and will protect the elect, and mercy shall be upon them.” [1] The last and final end of God's harvest appeared in the seventh part of the tenth week, “And the first heaven shall depart and pass away, and a new heaven shall appear, and all the powers of heaven will give sevenfold light” (ibid).
All this sublime mystery was prefigured by the Liturgical circle of the ancient Hebrews [2] which Moses instituted at the exodus out of Egypt of sin which began with the three dark days, “This month must be the first of all the months for you, the first month of your year” (Ex 12. 2). [2] This is in full accordance with the revelation of the Sanctuary of the Tabernacle and its three sections: THE THREE GREAT NIGHTS OF THE PRAYER LIFE: THE NIGHT OF THE SENSES, THE NIGHT OF THE SPIRIT AND THE NIGHT OF REDEMPTION.
In accordance with the Hebrew liturgical circle or sacred time on earth the first month of the year – the month of Abib [3] – began on a full moon the 14th of March by the Passover when the Passover lamb was slaughtered, a prefiguration of the Sacrificial Hill of the Cross. In its wake followed the Feast of Unleavened Bread which lasted seven days and offering of the first sheaf was brought forth. Seven weeks later – or 50 days – the Feast of Weeks was celebrated or the offering of the spring harvest. The Feast of the Ingathering of the autumn harvest did also play an important role in the liturgical circle. This feast was celebrated in the month of Etamim [4] or seven months after Passover. The month of Etamim was a time of thanksgiving for the autumnal harvest – the latter harvest. Then the people dwelt in shelters made of leaves and was thus called the Feast of Shelters or of the Tabernacle.
When the ingathering of the latter harvest took place after these seven months had passed the great feast of thanksgiving and rejoicing was celebrated: THE DAY OF THE TABERNACLE was celebrated on the 14th day of Etamim. The Feast of the Tabernacle was only one of three celebrated in the month of Etamim in this sacred calendar. The first day of Etamim was the New Year Day.
Ten days later the Great Day of Atonement followed when the high priest offered the atonement in the Holy of holies in order to purify the Sanctuary of God's real presence preceding the DAY OF THE TABERNACLE.
When we compare the ancient liturgical circle of the Hebrews with the liturgical circle of the Church we see how purposefully and harmoniously God reveals His wisdom in His authentic manifestation in human history as a sacred time on earth. In the revelation of the Sanctuary of the Tabernacle the seven months from the Passover to the Scenopegie refers directly to the formation of the human being as a perfect seven days creation as discussed above and when the human spirit is “born from above” (Jn 3, 7) as theological being. In the liturgical calendar of the Church this event falls on the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross which is one and the same as the Feast of the Tabernacle in the Old Covenant It is on this day of the gladness of the Lord – THE FEAST OF THE TRIUMPH OF THE CROSS or on the DAY OF THE TABERNACLE – where the fullness of the stature of Christ is realized, the stature which God predestined for the Church as His Living Body before the foundation of the world,
Then I saw a new heaven and a new
earth, the first heaven and the first earth had disappeared now (Rv 21.
1).
When we contemplate this mystery still further we see clearly how God accomplished this mystery and revealed in the life of the Blessed Virgin as its locus. She was the “White Lily of the Glorious and always serene Trinity” and the final and most precious fruit of the Old Covenant as well as the first fruit of the Passion of her Son in the New Covenant.
The final battle against the enemy of salvation – the fallen guardian cherub – was fought upon the Cross and Adam's transgression abolished once and for all. In Christ's resurrection the glorification of the human nature was accomplished and crowned by Christ's ascension which guided human nature to the glory of His Father in heaven. No created being has been endowed with the glory in as profound manner as Mary. The liturgical circle of the Church reveals the Blessed Virgin as a model of spiritual perfection for all souls to follow in the live of grace in the Eternal Birth of the Word which is one and the same thing as the restoration of the fallen hut of David when the soul becomes a temple of the Holy Spirit, a true divine ark,
After that I shall return and
rebuild the fallen hut of David; I shall make good the gaps in it and
restore it. Then the rest of humanity, and of all the nations once
called mine, will look for the Lord, says the Lord who made this known
so long ago (Ac 15. 16, 17).
This is the precious message of this outermost fabric where God reveals His divine materialism in the restoration of the Baptismal Grace.
[1]. The Book of Enoch, XCIII. 8.
[2]. The liturgical cycle was closely related to the tetramorph. The ancient origin of the tetramorph is explicitly exposed by the beginning words of Genesis and semiotics have pointed to its universality in ancient times and André Leroi-Gourhan stresses “how extraordinarily ancient this theme is. It may be truly termed archetypal, since it is as old as the cave paintings in France, Spain and Central Europe and runs through history from the Sumerians to the present day and from Peru to Europe” (Dictionary of Symbols, p. 986). Everything seems to indicate that the diagram of the heavenly Jerusalem was a foundation of ancient kingdoms as has been preserved in Plato's account of Atlantis (in Timeus and Critias). Plato's grandfather learnt to know of its existence while staying among the Egyptian and thus all the social order in Egypt was based on this pattern, just as in Sumer where the me or the Egyptian ma'at was a reflection of heavenly justice.
[3]. Called Nisan in the post-exilic calendar of Babylonian origin.
[4]. Called Tishri in the post-exilic calendar of Babylonian origin.
[2]. The liturgical cycle was closely related to the tetramorph. The ancient origin of the tetramorph is explicitly exposed by the beginning words of Genesis and semiotics have pointed to its universality in ancient times and André Leroi-Gourhan stresses “how extraordinarily ancient this theme is. It may be truly termed archetypal, since it is as old as the cave paintings in France, Spain and Central Europe and runs through history from the Sumerians to the present day and from Peru to Europe” (Dictionary of Symbols, p. 986). Everything seems to indicate that the diagram of the heavenly Jerusalem was a foundation of ancient kingdoms as has been preserved in Plato's account of Atlantis (in Timeus and Critias). Plato's grandfather learnt to know of its existence while staying among the Egyptian and thus all the social order in Egypt was based on this pattern, just as in Sumer where the me or the Egyptian ma'at was a reflection of heavenly justice.
[3]. Called Nisan in the post-exilic calendar of Babylonian origin.
[4]. Called Tishri in the post-exilic calendar of Babylonian origin.
