Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00 Some 16th centuries ago. That great father Dr The church, Pope Saint Leo, the great said quote, Pentecost holds within it. Great mysteries wherein is most clearly revealed to us that the sacred rights of the Old Testament had served as the foundations for the gospel. Close quote Saint Leo, the Great Pentecost clearly reveals to us the sacred rights the old testament served as foundations for the Gospel. What does this mean? How does Penn have class clearly reveal to us that the old writes an Old Testament, we're foundations for the gospel. In order to understand this, we'll back up and spend a few minutes considering what happened in three places, the garden of Eden Babble, Mount Sinai. Then we'll take a quick look at some aspects of Old Testament worship and then apply what we've seen there to Pentecost and to what we're doing here today. Garden of Eden, we need to always remember that everything we do here, whatever we do here, all of it is related in some way to the garden of Eden will never understand our holy religion.
Speaker 0 01:15 In fact, it is impossible to understand our holy religion without keeping that in mind. So everything we do is somehow related to the garden of Eden. Now, Eden Paradise means a hedged in garden. Moses tells us that in the beginning before the guard was destroyed in the great flood, there are four great rivers that flowed out of the garden of Eden since Eden was hedged in and since rivers generally speaking, flow down hill that tells us something. It tells us the garden of Eden is an enclosed sanctuary set on top of a mountain. It's the very threshold of heaven. It's the place where man could live in the intimate presence of God, but that relationship with God was based on obedience. Adam was assigned as God's steward to keep the garden, not to lounge Ron and clown about without any responsibilities. The privilege of living in God's presence was based on responsible obedience.
Speaker 0 02:21 If man disobeyed, he'd be punished with death. If man disobeyed, the whole natural order would be disrupted. If man disobeyed childbearing would become painful. If man disobeyed work would become difficult and tiring. If man disobeyed, he'd be driven away from the privilege of living in God's presence and he would no longer be able to live that beautiful sanctuary on the mountaintop out of which flowed rivers of water. You don't need me to tell you that man disobeyed and all these fell upon him and he was driven out and Eden was close to him. Man was no longer holy. The holy place where he wants walked with God was veiled. He no longer had any access to it and God plays Cherubim and a flaming sword that was turning every way in order to keep Manny one from entering the garden and approaching the tree of life.
Speaker 0 03:24 What lessons can we draw from Eden, the Garden of Eden? We see a prototype of the conditions and environment which man can safely encountered God. For example, we're introduced to the idea that separation is an essential aspect of holiness. There are degrees of holiness. Time has different levels of holiness. The Sabbath is more holy than the other days of the week. It's been a set aside for God. Space has different levels of holiness. The sanctuary, the garden. On the mountain top is holier than the outside. Things have different degrees of holiness. The tree of life is holier than the other trees in the garden. People have different degrees of holiness. There's no comparison between his Adam's holiness before he fell and afterwards. So the key notion is holiness is determined by the degree to which something has been set aside for and dedicated to God. We see a basic pattern in the garden of Eden.
Speaker 0 04:29 Adam was given a command to garden, keep the first sanctuary on earth, the garden of Eden. He disobeyed and he and all his descendants were driven out. The basic principle here is the closer that man approaches to the ineffably holy presence of Almighty God, the more his accountability increases and the stricter has punished him to come for any infractions. We see a basic temptation in Eden, the idea of self determination, all do what I want. The lie of the serpent was that men could become as gods deciding what was good and evil, but in spite of Devil's lies, man remains a creature and as a creature, he's bound to Bei. The love is creator. In other words, man, his bond to do what God wants and man can only have a true authentic relation with God in that basis by carefully keeping divine law.
Speaker 1 05:27 Okay.
Speaker 0 05:28 Tower of babble. Babbles located down on the plains of center, out of the mountains, down in the realm of fallen man. Scripture quotes the men of Babel saying, let us make a city in a tower the top where of May reached to heaven and let us make our name famous. Notice in their pride, they weren't, can use any natural, uh, materials either like wood or stone. Instead, let us make bricks and let us bake them with fire. And what were they trying to do? They're trying to build a manmade mountain, build their own mountain, exalt their own name rather than name of God. They will come to God on their own terms. The Jewish historian, Josephus right in the first century, described this in a Babel pointing out that quote, Nimrod persuaded men to believe that it was not because of God, but rather it was their own courage which gave them happiness.
Speaker 0 06:23 Nimrod said, if God should have a mind to draw, drown the world again. He had built a tower too high for the waters to be able to reach and then he would avenge himself on God for destroying their forefathers. Now, the multitude were very ready to fall on him, Rod, and to consider it cowardly, to submit to God. When God saw that they acted so madly, he caused it to them all to among them by producing them diverse languages so that they should not be able to understand. One another close quote, Flavius Josephus obviously then these men are aligned to themselves deciding what is good and evil. But of course, man has made to know and love and serve God, not himself, since God and God alone is worthy of glory. So although the men of Babel are United in a common cause, it's a cause of self fulfillment because of self esteem.
Speaker 0 07:17 It's a union of evil to choir voices shouting, we will not serve. We will do it our way. So babble stands for the total inversion of reality. We will dictate liturgical relationships to God. We will set ourselves apart from his law. We will ascend. We will be a law unto ourselves. We will exalt our name in. Although men are bonded and unity precisely because in this case, it's a unity of secular humanism. We can almost hear God's size. He says, quote, behold it is one people in all have one tongue and they'd be gun to do this. Let us go down and there confound their tongue that they may not understand. One another speech. Close quote. So Tyler Babel teaches us clear that sin not only leads to further separation from God, but even from each other. There's an important symmetry here. Again, holiness, obedience and closeness to God.
Speaker 0 08:14 All those go together and they're opposed to sinfulness, rebellion and distance from God. And one another. Mount Sinai, 50 days after Israel pass to the Red Sea, Moses goes up into the cloud on Mount Sinai. Why a cloud? Remember that since the fall of Adam, man couldn't walk freely in the presence of the Lord. So why a cloud? According to the ancient tradition, this cloud veiled the Lord so it protected Moses. It made it possible for him to enter into God's presence without being killed. And so Moses goes into the cloud and receives the 10 Commandments, the whole the mountain smoking. It's shaken with earthquakes. There's flames and bolts of lightning in the roar of thunder and the Blair of trumpets and whirlwinds and storms. As he's up there. Well, all that's going on, the people rise up and commit idolatry. Now it's important to picture that scene right in front of him.
Speaker 0 09:13 There's this huge mountain that smoking, it's covered with the cloud. There's flames, lightening and thunder and angels blasting on trumpets and whirlwinds and they rise up in sin, set up an idol right in God's face and refuse to serve him. It's right in his face. And when Moses comes down and says, if any man be on the Lord's side, let him join me. Then the tribe of Levi took their swords and killed the rebellious to adulterers. There's thousands. They killed thousands because of their obedience, because they there. They put their love for the will of God before their love for their own flesh and blood. God set aside the priestly tribe of Levi to be his priest, the whole tribe, because they served him by killing their neighbors that ride all trees. The Mount Sinai, we see that the law, the word of God carved on stone tablets, is handed down from God to man on a mountain top in elevated sanctuary and destruction of the centers by the swords and Levi's.
Speaker 0 10:13 We see again that the closer man approaches to the ineffably holy presence of the Almighty God, the more his accountability increases and the stricter his punishments become for any infractions and the selection of the Levi's as the priestly tribe, we again see the key notion that obedience to God's will leads to holiness and holiness means being set farther apart from profane use and dedicated to God. Okay. Remember we're trying to understand what Pope Saint Leo the great meant when he said that Pentecost clearly reveals to us the sacred rights of the old testament served as foundations for the Gospel. So now we've taken a brief look at Eden at Babel and Mount Sinai. We have enough background information to take a brief look at some aspects of the old testament worship and then we'll tie that to Pentecost and today, worship and the Tabernacle and temple.
Speaker 0 11:04 The true worship of Old Testament Times was handed down a Mount Sinai directly to Moses, to God, who dictated even the very smallest details of all the religious ceremonies and Holly were to be performed. For example, in the Torah, which is also called the law or the Pentateuch. That's the first five books of the Bible are written by Moses. There are whole lists of infractions, which God told Moses were offenses against His Holiness. For example, the Lord tells Aaron, he's the high priest. The Lord tells Aaron that here his sons must not drink any intoxicating drinks before going into serve and he tells them they must be properly clothed. The punishment for either fence is death, not a god mean that would god really kill Aaron or one of his sons for going into the holy place drunk if we're not wearing the proper clothing.
Speaker 1 11:56 Okay,
Speaker 0 11:56 you better believe it. Just before this warning about drinking, he had struck dead. To have an sons for liturgical abuse. God means what? He says. He isn't going to get a new idea. He already knows it all. He doesn't need our advice and if he says something that's just flat, plain cut and dry, it's the way it is. That was a divine punishment for liturgical abuse in the olden days. Now if you think that we preached to the new covenant, we'll get away often easier. Think again.
Speaker 0 12:28 The tent liked church Israel years before they built temple was called the Tabernacle. It was designed by God and as we've seen, it was guarded and served by the men from the priestly tribe of Levi. The holy of holies was a small sacred place of the Tabernacle and later on in the temple, which is a permanent structure with the same basic patterns, a tabernacle built on Mount Moriah and Jerusalem. Inside the holy of holies was Ark of the covenant, which until the temple was built, traveled with Israel. Now the ark is a wooden box covered, completely covered with gold, built exact specifications given by God. It contained a number of items including the two tablets containing the word of God. 10 Commandments carved in stone by God himself contained a jar full of Manna, which is that bread that fell from heaven. The Arquette of Golden Lid with two Cherubim on top of it, lid was called the mercy seat or which the glory cloud of the Lord would appear and hover over that.
Speaker 0 13:26 That's the old testament equivalent of the old testament foreshadowing of the real presence. The arch was so holy, it couldn't even be touched. It could only be carried by certain members. The tribe of Levi and they couldn't touch it. They had to slide gold, covered poles through rings that were on the side of the arc and then pick it up and pack it on their shoulders like that. They couldn't touch it. Remember what happened to OSA when King David was having arch moved up to Jerusalem, they put it on a cart but look like it was going to slip off and fall on the ground. So always it reached up to touch it and steady it, and as soon as he's touched it, he was struck dead right then and there. When God says, don't touch something, he means it. He's God. The sacred vessels used for holding sacrificial blood in the worship of old tests that were also holy and not meant to be used for any profane thing.
Speaker 0 14:15 If you remember in the book of Daniel how King Baltas our Babylon was having this big party and decided that all the vessels, they alluded when they'd gone to Jerusalem and burnt down the temple, they looted the vessels and they brought it back. So you decided, bring them up for the party. Let's drink out of those vessels. No sooner do they do that. Then all of a sudden you have that really terrifying apparition with the hand writing on the wall. Okay? Everybody remembers that and that very night King Balta soar was killed and his kingdom was over throne. When God says handle something reverently, he means it.
Speaker 1 14:48 Okay?
Speaker 0 14:49 We have to remember that every time man enters into a holy place, his accountability increases. Every infraction is strictly punished by God who's all holy. We have to be reverend. We all that to God. We have to be reverend. We have to be careful not to get too casual with God, not to get too casual with holy things. God loves us, but we have to pay attention to what he says. We have to have that reverential fear of the Lord and not act like followers and Nimrod like the men from Babel when we're in his presence, and that just doesn't apply to us. That up in the sanctuary that applies to everyone here and I hope you young people are listening. God means what he says. God dictated even how the smallest details, the religious ceremonies were to be carried out. The commander that the entrance to the holy of holies should be covered with a massive vale embroidered with the images of Cherubim.
Speaker 0 15:45 Why was the holy of holies veiled and why were there Cherubim embroidered on the veil? Because the holy of holies is a symbolic garden of Eden, Mount Sinai and heaven. How's that? We'll remember because of the original sin man's driven out of Eden and Eden and heaven are both close to him. The entrance to Eden is closed. It's covered, it's veiled, and man is no longer holy. The holy place where he wants walk with God was veiled. He no longer had access to it. So how can it be symbolically, the garden of Eden? CZ, the holy of holies is where the place where the arc of the covenant is placed, where the glory cloud of the Lord, the presence of God would dwell over the mercy seat and sits man had been driven out from enjoying the privilege of living in an intimate union with God.
Speaker 0 16:34 The holy of holies, which is the liturgical garden of Eden, was veiled. It's close to all men except for the high priest who could only enter on one day per year. Okay, so the holy of holies is covered. The entrance is covered with a massive veil. Why? They're Cherubim embroidered on the veil, just as God placed chairman at the entrance to the garden of Eden to keep men out after the fall. So also the chairman on the veil are symbolically guarding the way to the holy of holies, reminding everyone, even the priests, that there's no longer any access to the holy of holies to the intimate presence of God except for the high priest once a year and there was no longer any access at all to the inside of the arch, to the man of the bread for heaven. These things had been veiled to mankind, but in spite of the fact the holy of holies was closed to men, the priests representing the Jewish people perform, writes that symbolize the service of their nation as a whole, right there in front of the holy of holies right there at the very threshold of the place where God was present.
Speaker 0 17:36 And it's not accidental that the word scripture uses to describe the duties of the priests and Levites as they work in and guard the sanctuary are exactly the same words. They're used to describe Adam's duties of working and guarding the, okay, so we can see how the holy holies represents Eden. What does it have to do with Mount Sinai? When Moses met face to face with God and man top of Mount Sinai to receive the law, he did it in a thick cloud, which veiled the majesty of the Lord. And as we've seen this cloud avail protected Moses, it made it possible for him to enter into God's presence without being killed. When God dictated to Moses the precise rubrics that the priest must use when approaching the holy of holies, he commanded the priest, you as a cloud of incense for protection. Why quote that he may not die.
Speaker 0 18:24 Closed quote Leviticus 1613 just as the cloud on Mount Sinai served as avail, made it possible for Moses to be safe and God's presence. So also the cloud of incense used in the sanctuary protected the priest of the old covenant from the divine presence in the holy of holies and Mount Sinai. The faithful couldn't see God giving the tablets to Moses rather quote. All the people saw the voices and the flames and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking clothes, quote unquote, the excite of the glory of the Lord was like a burning fire on top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel. Close quote, similarity. The faithful going up to the temple in Old Testament Times couldn't see the arc of the covenant because it was in the holy of holies and covered with the veil. They couldn't see the altar of incense because it stood in a holy place in front of the holy of holies, but just as they could see the smoke and the fire in Mount Sinai, so also they could see them, but smoke poured out from the top of the temple when the incense was offered and they could see the ultra burnt offerings, which should immediately in front of the holy place in the courtyard of the temple.
Speaker 0 19:25 And on that alter, they could see the perpetual fire that had fallen down from heaven and that the priest had to keep burning on the alter with a VT six quote, a perpetual fire should be kept burning on the altar, not to go out close. Quote, perpetual heavenly fire ever visible the faithful. So now we've taken a brief look at worship in the Tabernacle and temple. Let's start tying all this together. We remember the toddler babble at Babel, the unity of language. Mankind was broken because of the desire of man to exalt their name. Whereas on Pentecost, the unity of language is symbolically restored because of the desire meant exalt the name of God. From the upper room on Mount Sinai on the Holy Spirit began pulling out his rivers of the true look flowing waters of grace to water the earth and glorify the name of the Lord.
Speaker 0 20:13 And immediately representatives of the different nations began flowing into the unity of the one true church. And in contrast to Sinai, when Moses brought down the old law from Mount Sinai and the Levis took swords and slew thousands of sinners, say Peter comes down from upper room on Mount Sinai to bring the new law to preach the Gospel, the word of the Lord, and use the sword of the spirit to slay the sins of 3000 men on that first Pentecost. Remember though heavenly fire in the temple, that perpetual Phi, which fell from heaven upon Altria burned offerings, was kept alive by the priest for generation after generation for shadow, the heavenly fire that fell on the Catholic church. On that first Pentecost, the fire that fell on the blessed Virgin Saint Peter and the apostles, Saint Mary Magdalene and the rest of the 120 in the upper room, a fire that fell on him as if they were each arc of the covenant of Perpetual Fire, that she'll never go out the life and soul of the Catholic church and with the eyes of faith that perpetual fire is ever a visible to the faithful throughout new testament times because it's been kept burning, never to be put out in the hierarchy in the church and the Holy Father and all this bishops and the fire.
Speaker 0 21:22 That filling up room on Pentecost is the same fire that was first sparked in our souls, a baptism that grew with our first confession, first holy communion or confirmation, and then per my state of life, it blazes to ordination when a direct spiritual descendant of one of the apostles passes it on by laying on his hands just as Adam commune with God on top of the mountain and Garden of Eden and just as Moses commune with God on top of Mount Sinai. Just as a high priest commune with God and top of Mount Moriah and just as Saint Peter Commune with God on top of Mount Scion. So also in the mind of this church, this altar right here is a holy mountain. It's a holy mountain, which we can see by the prayers that we say at the beginning of mass. The prayers at the foot of the altar, which contain phrases, the alter of God, the holy mountain like Tabernacle and in the high mass we saw this morning when the priest does go up to the holy mountain, does go up to the holy Tabernacle, does go up to the alter just like Moses going up on Mount Sinai and just like the high priest going up to the holy of holies on Mount Moriah.
Speaker 0 22:21 So also the priest is veiled by a cloud of incense and just as a San Crib, Eden of the temple is a very threshold of heaven where man came into community with God. So also an altar is the very threshold of heaven where the priest by strict obedience to liturgical rubrics not only visibly proclaims the holiness of God's name, but even brings God down in the communion with man. Moses came down from the Holy Mountain with the word of God carved into stone tablets. The priest comes down from the holy mountain with the word of God made flesh. Remember how Mount Sinai was covered with a cloud and smoking flames, whirlwinds and thunder lightning trumpet blast. If all that was going on when Moses received the love from God, when God's word was written on stone tablets for men, just imagine with the eyes of faith what is going on on this altar right here.
Speaker 0 23:14 When the priest at the his command, the command of the priest, the word becomes really present body, blood, soul, and divinity. The most blessed sacrament of the alter, and then just as Moses came down from the mountain to teach people the word of God, just as Saint Peter came down from upper room, a mount sign to teach people the word of God saw us. The priest comes down from the holy mountain and it goes out to teach people the word of God, to use the sword of the spirit to slay sin and glorify the name of the Lord. What about degrees of holiness? In terms of space, they're easy to see. Since a church is actually a symbolic portrayal of creation, we could even see it in this situation. It's an architectural representation of reality that's just tip flat. See, there's three levels of reality. There's heaven, there's the earth, and there's the underworld under the earth, so the sanctuary, so architecturally heaven, the nave is architectually earth and the vestibule and things past that.
Speaker 0 24:10 Architecturally, the underworld, we can see physically displayed right here in the sanctuary, there's the holy of holies and also symbolically heaven. So symbolically, the sanctuary is symbolically Eden. It's symbolically Sinai, the holy place, the holy of holies and heaven. Notice to even come up here during liturgical ceremonies, we have to put on special clothing and act in very specific, ritualistic ways because we're in the holiest place. And then of course the priest has on even more specialized vestments, all of which had been consecrated specifically to be used in the worship of God. They have special prayers that are said for each one of these vestments as you're putting them on each. And every article has a prayer that you say as you're putting them on. And of course the priest has the most specifically ritualistic and complicated ways of acting up here. The priests actions remind us that there's always a balance that we have to keep in mind when we approach God.
Speaker 0 25:05 On the one hand, we never want to forget that God loves us with incredible inexpressible, infinite love, a love that is so personal and so caring. These literally numbered every single hair on our heads and we're called to personal loving relationship with this infinite being. That's God, this living God. So that's on the one hand, we don't ever want to forget that, but on the other hand, we also have to keep in mind that God is almighty, that he's infinitely powerful and he's peer complete and honorable holiness, which means that as we approach him, we have to be evermore careful to watch your behavior and not cross any boundaries. We have to watch your behavior and not cross boundaries. It's fair to say that the liturgy directly forms our notion of the holiness of God.
Speaker 1 25:57 Okay.
Speaker 0 25:58 The liturgy directly forms our understanding of the holiness of God. That's one of the principle purposes of the liturgy and the Old Testament and the new testament. It directly forms our understanding of the holiness and reverence due to the Almighty God.
Speaker 1 26:21 Thank you.
Speaker 0 26:23 Look at Sinai. Look at the Tabernacle. Look at the temple. If although things were so holy, think of how much holier are our sacred vessels, which don't hold the blood of a bowls and lambs they hold the precious blood of God himself. Think of how much holier are our holy of holies, our tabernacles hold, the true manna from heaven, which hold not the word of God carved in stone, but the word made flesh was dwelling among us who was veiled himself under the appearance of bread. And now because of the new covenant, the priest can go behind the veil into the holy of holies every day. The priest can give us the fruit of the tree of life. He can open the Ark, the <inaudible>, and because he can do that, we can receive this heavenly bread every day. Only now. It's not a shadow of things to come.
Speaker 0 27:12 It's God himself. Just look at how the men who work closest to God spend years, seven years in my case, going through a whole series of consecrations being set ever farther apart from the rest of you giving up all kinds of natural good things in pursuit of holiness and all this is done precisely so that we can work safely up here. We can safely take your please to God and bring his message to you so we can act in the person of Christ and not be a scandal and a stumbling block to all y'all always remember that a Catholic church is a holy place and everything about it has to speak and teach holiness. It's the house of God and the gate of Heaven. We started by asking how Pentecost reveals to us the foundations for the Gospel where the sacred rights, the Old Testament. We've seen that and now we can understand what Saint Paul is referring to when he says to each of us Catholics, you have not come to a mountain that might be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet, a site so terrifying.
Speaker 0 28:18 Moses said, I tremble with fear, but you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the Living God, the heavenly Jerusalem and innumerable angels and festal gathering and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven and to a judge who's got of all and to the spirits of just men made perfect. And to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant. Therefore, let us be grateful. Receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship with reverence and awe for our God is a consuming fire. Okay, well, there's offer to God acceptable worship with reverence. Sanaa, for God is a consuming fire. Our God is a consuming fire. Hard. God is a consuming fire. Saint Francis of Assisi said, man should tremble. The world should quake. All heaven should be deeply moved. When the son of God appears on the altar in the hands of the priest, prepare yourself.
