December 23rd meditation

These Last Days News - December 24, 2012

Temple

Above: Detailed scale model of the Jewish Temple area at the time of Jesus.

December 23rd: "O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver"

An Advent meditation taken from Dom Gueranger's The Liturgical Year:

O Emmanuel! King of Peace! Thou enterest today the city of Thy predilection, the city in which Thou hast placed Thy temple--Jerusalem. A few years hence the same city will give Thee Thy cross and Thy sepulchre: nay, the day will come on which Thou wilt set up Thy judgement seat within sight of her walls. But today Thou enterest the city of David and Solomon unnoticed and unknown. It lies on Thy road to Bethlehem. Thy blessed Mother and Joseph her spouse would not lose the opportunity of visiting the temple, there to offer to the Lord their prayers and adoration. They enter; and then, for the first time, is accomplished the prophecy of Aggeus, that great shall be the glory of this last house more than of the first (Agg. 2:10); for this second temple has now standing within it an ark of the Covenant more precious than was that which Moses built; and within this ark, which is Mary, is contained the God whose presence makes her the holiest of sanctuaries. The Lawgiver Himself is in this blessed ark, and not merely, as in that of old, the tablet of stone on which the Law was graven. The visit paid, our living ark descends the steps of the temple, and sets out once more for Bethlehem, where other prophecies are to be fulfilled. We adore Thee, O Emmanuel! in this Thy journey, and we reverence the fidelity wherewith Thou fulfilleth all that the prophets have written of Thee; for Thou wouldst give to Thy people the certainty of Thy being the Messias, by showing them that all the marks, whereby He was to be known, are to be found in Thee. And now, the hour is near; all is ready for Thy birth; come them, and save us; come, that Thou mayst not only be called our Emmanuel, but our Jesus, that is, He that saves us.

"Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel." (Isaias 7:14)

Directives from Heaven... http://www.tldm.org/directives/directives.htm

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