Ezekiel 36: Old Testament Types of New Testament Realities

During a Theology class last quarter, we were reading from the book of Ezekiel, and I noticed something quite interesting and profound. Due to the great number of assignments that I had to complete, however, I forgot to write a commentary on it and it slipped into the recesses of my mind.

Now, I have remembered and, on this, my last day of school for this quarter and the first day of my 2 week break, I will proceed to share with you what I saw.

Ezekiel 36: 25-27 holds some very intriguing similarities to a few other things we may know today as "Sacraments" in the Catholic Church. Let me explain...

Verse 25 says, "I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you." This, in my mind, was an obvious reference to the sacrament of Baptism. In the liturgy of the Catholic Church, this "Rite of Sprinkling" can also be found. Any Catholic can attest to the fact that, during the Easter season (the 50 days after the end of Lent), at each Sunday Mass the Rite of Sprinkling is used in place of the Penitential Rite. Do not fear, this is provided for in the rubrics of the Roman Missal: "When this rite is celebrated it takes the place of the penitential rite at the beginning of Mass. The Lord have mercy is also omitted." A wonderful connection indeed is found here in Ezekiel 36 to the practices Catholics continue to carry on today in the liturgy (By the way, liturgy, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 1069, means "the participation of the People of God in the 'work of God').

Verse 26 contains two references, and says, "A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will take out of your flesh the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." Within this verse, I saw references to both the sacrament of Penance and the sacrament of the Eucharist. Please, let me explain. The sacrament of Penance gives us a new heart because it transforms us, purifying us and giving us that new heart spoken of in this verse. Additionally, when he says, "I will take out of your flesh the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh," it reminds me so much of the Eucharistic miracles (where the host changes into actual flesh) that have occurred around the world. In case you did not know, every specimen of the Eucharistic host that has been scientifically analyzed (by secular, non-Christian scientists, no less) has been found to be cardiac, or heart tissue (every Precious Blood sample has been found to be of the same blood type, as well). This is why I can see this verse referring to the Eucharist, among other theological reasons. (As a sort of disclaimer, I understand that Eucharistic miracles are not an article of faith, and no one must feel obligated to believe in them) As additional biblical support, I feel I should cite Ezekiel 36: 29-30, where it says that the Lord, "will summon the grain and make it abundant and lay no famine upon you," as well as making, "the increase of the field abundant," all in order to prevent famine among God's people. Bread (grain) and wine (increase of the field) are guaranteed to God's people. Just as one other side note, in Revelation 6:6, it says, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; but do not harm oil and wine!" In this chapter the different horsemen are being unleashed, and in this particular verse the horseman of famine is being loosed on earth. What is meant by this saying is that all other foods may may harmed, provided that wheat, (oil,) and wine are not harmed. A coincidence? I'll let you decide...

Finally, in verse 27, it says, "And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances." The sacrament of Confirmation is to be seen here in Ezekiel. It is by Confirmation that our Baptismal graces are completed. A biblical reference to this is present in of Acts 8:14-17, which says, "Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit; for the Spirit had not fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit." So, seeing as the spirit is put within the people of Samaria (completing their baptismal graces), it is not unreasonable to think that they had received the sacrament of Confirmation, although it was not mentioned by that name (Keep in mind that the term "Trinity" is not mentioned, either; only the evidence of it).

I hope that all of you who read this see the beautiful connections between the Old and New Testaments. There are so many more, and I hope that you will go out and find some of your own. God bless and Mary keep you all!

Prayers...

Let all of my thoughts, O Lord, fly unto Thee, who are the Lover of my soul and the source of my life. Bless me, a wretched sinner, that I may realize my sinfulness and turn away from it. As did Mary Magdalene, may I despise and abhor my past iniquity, and never return to it. Tear from me all affection for sin; may my heart be torn in two at the thought of offending Thee, sweet Savior.

I cannot move forward without Thee, God and Father, Abba. I can see nothing apart from Thy light, Holy Spirit! Save me, Jesus! Be my refuge and my strength, my water and my bread. Depart not from me, I implore Thee.

Amen.

Reflections on God's Love; Grace

God showers down graces upon us at all moments of all days. We may not always have what we want, but we always have what He knows is best for us. At times, that could be nothing (material), but it is then that we are to turn to Him in humility and meekness, begging Him to carry us through the seemingly hopeless times.

The life we have, the breath we breathe, the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the family we have, our friends and all other people or things in our lives are gifts. That is actually what grace means: “gift.”

God created us out of nothing… try to think about that. No one can actually conceive what it is like really, because our minds can only picture darkness and interpret that as nothing. Try to imagine the absence of darkness, light, air, matter, existence; that is nothingness. Only God existed in the beginning, the ultimate and true existence. Out of this, He brought all that is; think of the trees, beasts, all people, the stars, and galaxies… the universe.

Additionally, and even more amazingly, He created the higher order of the spiritual realm, which is closer to His own nature (though infinitely far from it, seeing as He is infinite). The angels, far above humans in intellect and power, are the handiwork of the Lord of all. Our very own spirits, able to dwell in a physical body while maintaining their spiritual elements, are also of this creation, though different from the angels’ spirits. Angels are pure spirit, while we are both spirit and body. A funny fact a theologian once stated was that an angel could not handle being in a physical body, because they would essentially go insane, just as an animal would not be able to function with a human spirit within it. These are, of course, impossible scenarios, but the point that we as humans are very unique is what needs to be understood from these words.

We, who are so special, were made out of absolutely nothing. There was no matter with which to shape us in the beginning. God first created us from this nothingness, and then decided to love us totally, absolutely, completely, fully. He gave us the earth and all of its fruits, He gave us companions, He gave us humor, and on top of it all, He gave us His only-begotten Son, one in being with the Father. The Father sent the Son, with whom He is so intimately connected, in order to make it possible for us, who have fallen into sin, to have a chance the be with Him in heaven. He did all of this in order that we might have a chance to be in full and intimate union with Him, to be so enveloped in the Holy Spirit (the love “between” the Father and the Son, which is the third person of the Trinity) that we are no longer separate from God but are united with Him forever.

How can we, who are simply nothing, acted upon by the Lover of our souls, sin against Him who keeps us alive and gives us all we can possibly conceive of having? How can we sin against Him who suffered and died on the cross for us, that we may be able to love Him back?

Our free will is the mode by which we can choose to sin. Some may ask how we can do anything wrong if all we receive is grace, and it is because of the grace called, “free will.” God allows us to choose Him or to choose things contrary to Him because, if there were no choice, then there would be no love. One must choose to love another, and we must choose to love our Lord back. This is what happened in the beginning, with Adam and Eve. They had all of the grace that one could hope for but, because of the dignity accorded to all of God’s children, they were given a choice as well. They fell, just as we now fall every day.

Let us re-evaluate our lives, brothers and sisters, in order to find a way to eliminate sin from all our days. It is foolish to have pride, and here is an analogy to help us understand why:

God creates us, clothes and feeds us, places us on a road, and puts many forks in that road. At each fork, there is a “red light” and a “green light.” Of course, the green light is the path towards Him, and the red light is the path away. When we choose the green light and are proud of ourselves, it is as if we are saying, “Wow, look at me. I have chosen the right path.” The right path is obviously the better path, and it was laid out for us by the Lord. How can we be proud of ourselves for following the reasonable road? We should not think ourselves better than anyone else, because some are simply at a fork a little further back on the road. The only reason that we “got this far” is because God brought us here. Instead, let us guide others through the forks and so bring them closer to Christ.

Rejecting pride, we turn to you Lord, and we fall on our knees before You. Judge us not by what we deserve, Lord, but have mercy on us and open our hearts to the movements of Your Holy Spirit. Just as Jesus led people to holiness, even on the road to Calvary, may we, too, by carrying our cross, lead others into holiness. Amen.

Old Testament Background/Preparation; the Eucharist

I would like to extend a quick thank you to Professor Michael Barber of John Paul the Great Catholic University, from who I have received much instruction and so many great resources. Anyone who would like to read his (and Brant Pitre's) blog can find it at http://www.singinginthereign.blogspot.com/

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I would like to point out some of the numerous Old Testament "preparations" and "types" of the Eucharist, later to be fulfilled and perfected by Jesus at the Last Supper, seeing as so many people have no idea that they exist...

Genesis 14 contains an account of Abram's encounter with a priest called Melchizedek, and of him it is said, "Mel-chiz'edek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was priest of God Most High." Here is the first bread and wine sacrifice in the Bible, offered by the priest of the Most High God.

Exodus 12, the Passover is instituted. So much Eucharistic connection can be found here... "Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old...They shall eat the flesh..." (Exodus 12: 5,8). So a young, unblemished (pure) male lamb, will be killed, and his blood will be shed to save his people from death (death in sin, in Jesus' case). Additionally, as part of the Passover, the lamb's bones were not to be broken, just as Jesus' bones are not broken at the crucifixion. All of the lamb was to be eaten, his entire body.

In Exodus 25, the Lord is instructing the Israelites on how the Sanctuary is to be to built, and what is to be contained therein. Starting in Exodus 25: 23 (and continuing through verse 30), the instructions for a table are given. The interesting part of this passage, the beautiful part, is that it says, "And you shall make its plates and dishes for incense, and its flagons and bowls with which to pour out libations; of pure gold you shall make them. And you shall set the bread of the Presence [the bread of the Face, the shewbread] on the table before me always" (Exodus 25: 29-30). The golden flagon, or chalice, has libations (or wine) inside it, and the golden plates and/or bowls have bread, but specifically the bread of the Presence of God (also translated as the bread of the Face of God or shewbread).

"The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, 'You are a priest for ever after the order of Melchiz'edek'" (Psalms 110:4). Such was the Lord's promise to David, who's sons were priests as well according to 2 Samuel 8:18. After David brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jeru-Salem after having conquered it, he offered sacrifices. One of these sacrifices was called the Todah, or thank offering (sidenote; Eucharist means "thanksgiving"). You can find references to the Todah in Leviticus 7 first, but David brought it to prominence. In Chronicles 16: 4-6, it is said of David that, "he appointed certain of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the LORD, to invoke, to thank, and to praise the LORD, the God of Israel… [and the priests were to worship] continually, before the ark of the covenant of God." Just as today, when the Eucharist is celebrated continually all over the world every day, David instituted the Todah to be continually celebrated. On only one day of the year was the Todah not to be celebrated (see Pesiqta, I, p. 159, ancient rabbinic tradition), just as Catholics do not consecrate the Eucharist on only one day of the year.

As one can see, the Lord was preparing us for the fulfillment of these sacrifices since early in time. Is it not beautiful?

The God of the Old Testament: Why So Grumpy?

I would like to address a question that I have seen in several places, from many people. This question is basically, "Why did the God of the Old Testament order the slaughter of many nations? Isn't He a loving, compassionate God?" Here's why He did these things:

Even from the beginning, contact with the evil people of the world caused the downfall of the righteous. After killing Abel in Genesis 4, Cain was exiled and "had relations with his wife, and she bore Enoch" (Genesis 4:17). Adam and Eve had another son, called Seth, and Seth in turn had children like Cain had. The line of Seth was righteous, and the line of Cain was wicked. Genesis 6:4 tells us of the mingling of these two lines: "...the sons of God had intercourse with the daughters of man, who bore them sons."

Up until this point, there had been two distinct lines. The line of Seth were those that "began to invoke the LORD by name" (Genesis 4:26). Cain's descendants, in their arrogance and pride, built large cities and named these cities after themselves, practicing all types of evil, like Lamech, who "took two wives" (Genesis 4:19).

When the two lines came together and Seth's line took wives from Cain's line, evil spread throughout the world. In Genesis 6:5-8, We read about God's decision to wipe out the world. There was still one man, however, who had "stuck with" God... and we all know that this was Noah.

After Noah and his sons, along with their wives, had survived the flood, they all disembarked from the ark, but everything was not to be perfect. Ham, the son of Noah, sinned greatly and was exiled, leaving two other sons, the most righteous of whom was Shem.

From Ham (who had a son named "Canaan," as it turns out) came forth those that constructed the tower of Babel, trying to make a "shem" (Hebrew for "name") for themselves. God confounded their efforts to defy him (they were trying to build the tower so high that, if God tried to flood them again, He would have to drown himself to kill them).

From Shem's line came Abram, later known as Abraham, and so forth until Moses. Still, even then, the evil of Ham's line had continued to spread, and many nations had sprung forth from his loins. The Israelites, after escaping Egypt, wandered through the desert, and God tried to build their faith.

However, the people had hard hearts, and Numbers 25:1-5 tells the story of how the Israelites, while living among the evil people, fell into sexual sin and idolatry, worshiping gods other than the Almighty, One True God.

Basically, the reason for God's commands to kill the people of the other nations is that He was more concerned with the spiritual well-being of Israel (the only nation in the world that recognizes Him as God) than the physical well-being of the rest of the world, who were completely submerged in sin and falsehood.

God is unchanging, and He is all perfection. A study of Theology reveals that God's Justice=God's Mercy=God's Compassion=God's Wrath= God's Love= God's Knowledge. All that God is, He is perfectly and all He does, He does with a VERY good reason. Instead of dismissing these issues, please, let us address them and share them with all of our brothers and sisters.

Yours in Christ,
Daniel

Such A Time...

Life in general has, to me, become quite hectic and nerve-wracking, peaceful and happy, all at the same time. Is it not strange, one could say, that this sort of happening occur, not only to myself but really to anyone?

I do not comprehend how life can be so versatile, so eclectic in its aspects and dimensions, nor do I pretend now to understand the mysterious movements of God throughout the framework. I know that He has been constantly present among the intermingling of events and has guided me along the entire way. Yet, still, it is only "after the fact" that I can see His "footprint" or mark, at least in many of the situations and instances.

Why, after so many years, do I not see this evidence earlier? Have I not had the background and teaching that enables one to see? One fact that I am quite aware of now is that I cannot and will not know many things, will not understand the "how" and the "why" of life. It is not for me to wrap my meager mind around such complexities as relationships, how these play in relation to one another, or how they will develop over time.

To believe such a thing to be possible for any person is proud, and utterly ridiculous. I am but a creation, a nothing loved into existence by the supreme power, authority, and judge of all things and people; our Triune God, the Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. None can stand against this most beautiful and majestic, most awesome and compassionate, most just and constant Lord.

This journey is one of which I am, of course, an integral part, at least in relation to my own soul. My patron Saint, Francis of Sales, says that it is quite important to minister to others, but it is vital that we take care of our own soul. Naturally, as he intends to point out, we must be in a state of grace, at peace with God, if we are to effectively bring others to Him.

Hectic... my life has been so because I am enrolled in seven classes at John Paul the Great Catholic University. I have the responsibility not only to excel in these classes, but also to discern what I will do with my life after classes end, upon graduation. I talked with a very good friend about this recently, and I realize that I must begin building myself up in ways that transcend the classroom, through real-world application and the garnering of experience. Such a huge question can have a nerve-wracking effect upon a young lad such as myself. It is as if to say, "OK, now look back on your life, consider what God has given you, where you've been, and what you've done. Good... now, pick the correct path." I know that God will lead me and guide me, but this decision will take up quite a portion of my mental-mulling time. In this way, the looming task of deciding what direction my life will finally take is a fine way to make my life seem... hectic.

Peaceful... because of the ever-present opportunity to pray, and the abundant grace that has been poured out upon me to assist me in the follow-through on inclinations to do so regularly. Not through my own merit can I say that I have prayed more; rather, I attribute this to the prayers of my acquaintances and friends, including my family especially and a few close friends, as well as the Church Triumphant. The happiness comes as a result of the graces that I have received and continue to receive, though I deserve none of it.

For those of you that do not know, I began dating a wonderful Catholic young woman a little over a month ago, and God's gift to me in her is truly inexplicable. I would like to beg anyone who does not know her to pray for her and her family, and anyone who does know her to continue praying for her and her family. Additionally, of course, I would like all people to pray for my family and I... I am praying for all of you.

Is all of this strange? Is it strange that I feel so many different things, seemingly conflicting things, at the same time? I assert that it is not so very strange... or at least rare. Everyone goes through these sorts of situations, each different but similar on some level. It reminds me of a saying that has been coming up often in my life lately; "God never gives you more than you can handle."

I would like to leave you with a passage from Matthew 6: 25-34...

"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, `What shall we eat?' or `What shall we drink?' or `What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day."