My Name Is Great
Among The Nations
When our Saviour
came, he appeared as a divine temple, glorious beyond any comparison, far more
splendid and excellent than the older temple. He exceeded the old as much as
worship in Christ and the gospels exceeds the cult of the laws, as much as
truth exceeds its shadows.
Furthermore, I might
point out that originally there was just one temple at Jerusalem, in which one
people, the Israelites, offered their sacrifices. Since the only-begotten Son
became like us, and as Scripture says, though he was Lord
and God, he has shone upon us, the
rest of the world has been filled with places of worship. Now there are
countless worshippers who honour the universal God with spiritual offerings and
fragrant sacrifices. This, surely, is what Malachi foretold, speaking, as if in
the person of God: I am a great king, says the Lord; my name is
honoured among the nations, and everywhere there is offered to my name the
fragrance of a pure sacrifice.
With justice,
therefore, do we say that the final temple, the Church, will be more glorious.
To those who are so solicitous for the Church and labour for its construction,
Haggai declares that a gift will be made, a gift from heaven given by the
Saviour. That gift is Christ himself, the peace of all men; through
him we have access in the one Spirit to the Father. The prophet goes on
to say: I will give peace to this place and peace of soul to save all who lay
the foundation to rebuild the temple. Christ
too says somewhere: My peace I give you. Paul will teach how profitable this is
for those who love: The peace of Christ, he says, which surpasses all understanding will keep
your minds and hearts. Isaiah,
the seer, made the same prayer: O Lord our God, give us peace, for you have
given us everything. Once
a man has been found worthy of Christ’s peace, he can easily save his soul and
guide his mind to carry out exactingly the demands of virtue.
Haggai, therefore,
declares that peace will be given to all who build. One builds the Church
either as a teacher of the sacred mysteries, as one set over the house of God,
or as one who works for his own good by setting himself forth as a living and
spiritual stone in the holy temple, God’s dwelling place in
the Spirit. The results of
these efforts will profit such men so that each will be able to gain his own
salvation without difficulty.
Source: The Liturgy of the Hours – Office of
Readings
From a Commentary on Haggai by Saint Cyril of Alexandria
Image
taken from Wikimedia
Commons
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