Most of you, upon reading the title of this post, are probably thinking right about now that I've left the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church for some non-discrpit, evangelical, "Left Behind" flavor of Protestation having discovered the key to the scriptures in "The revelation of Jesus Christ (Apoc 1:1)." Although some of you may be disappointed, I am still a Catholic... despite the fact that I have been studying the final book of the Sacred Scriptures. Furthermore, I've learned that it is the long-standing tradition of Christianity that the Apocalypse is in fact the key to understanding the Bible, but not in any of the ways you may have heard before. While I cannot promise too much, it being the middle of a busy semester, I hope to continue this exploration in to John's visions with periodic installments. So stay tuned.
Before I proceed, I need to mention two books I have been reading so that 1) you can read them and 2) you don't think that I'm coming up with all of this myself. You should, or rather, must read the Navarre commentary on Revelation and Scott Hahn's The Lamb's Supper. This, of course, presupposes that you have a basic understanding of the Old Testament and the Gospel according to John (both of which I'm working on). Also, in order to follow along with this post, you will need a good translation of the Bible with you, because I'm not going to type out every verse to which I refer here.
So, what do cherubim have to do with the Apocalypse of John? Upon reading the book, you will notice that this "rank" of angelic being is not mentioned at all... and that is precisely why this topic is important. (Very brief review of the angelic hierarchy: Seraphim (from seraph, or burning ones) who are highest and nearest to the Divine Essence, then Cherubim (or guardians), "Thrones," Dominions, Powers, Authorities, Principalities, Archangels, and lastly Angels. This is attested to in the Tradition from psydo-Dionysius, to Origen, Aquinas to Dante. Also see Col 1:16, Eph 1:21 and 1 Pet 3:22).
Now, the role of the Cherub through out the Old Testament is that of Guardian; not necessarily those personal guardian angels, with whom we should have good relationships, by the way (story of Tobit), but of the Holy things of God. In Genesis 3:24 (go get your bible and read it, because I know you haven't even located it yet), after our first parents have eaten of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the Lord drives Adam and Eve out of Paradise and he "placed the cherubim, and a flaming sword" at its entrance "to guard the way to the tree of life." Because of sin, the first people are barred from Paradise, death entered the universe and the tree of life is closed and guarded.
Fast-forward to Exodus 37:6-9 (go to it, J-Dub). This is the Lord's instruction for the construction of the Ark of the Covenant. Does anyone, besides my wife, know what was/is contained inside the Ark? Not only the stone tablets upon which the finger of God wrote the Decalogue, but also the Staff of Aaron (the first High Priest), and (drum-roll please) manna come down from heaven to sustain the Israelites in the desert. It is the Ark which is set up in the Holy of Holies in the Temple and is the location of the presence of God on earth for the Jews. Now, notice who/what is on top of the Ark, "overshadowing" or guarding the presence of the Lord from man; it's the cherubim. To refresh you memory, only the high priest was allowed to enter into the presence of the Ark once a year on the Day of Atonement.
When Solomon builds the Temple in Jerusalem we see another use of the cherubim. In 1 Kings 6:23-28, two more cherubs guard the "inner sanctuary," or Holy of Holies. Their wing span is equal to their height and both their wings completely span the width of the temple. Just like the cherubim who guard the entrance to Eden, these cherubim allow no one to enter into the presence of God. Coincidence?
Finally, we go to Revelation. We first need to look at the description of the vision of the heavenly court John sees (Apoc. Ch 4). Here there is a throne on which the Father is seated. Above him is an emerald rainbow (Baldacchino?). All around him are the 24 elders--the 12 tribes of Israel and 12 Apostles (con-celebrants?)-- seated on thrones (remember "thrones" is a class of angels). Then there are 4 six-winged seraphs (Is 6:2). What is missing from this description of a heavenly liturgy? In all of the OT liturgical functions, cherubim stand guard over the presence of God, lest nothing impure defile him. Here in Revelation, clearly, this is the presence of God and there are no guards. In Apoc. 11:19, "God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple..." Earlier, the Lamb (Apoc. 5:6) appears "as though it had been slain" and plays a central role in the heavenly liturgy.
It is the tradition of the Catholic faith that the heavenly liturgy is the Mass, or rather, the Mass is the heavenly liturgy on earth (straight from Scott Hahn). It is Christ, the fulfillment of the old covenant who "is worthy to opens the scroll"--open the OT scriptures--who also opens the heavenly temple to all men (the temple veil is torn in two (Luke 23:45), while Jesus' also-seamless tunic is not torn, but remains in tact (John 19:24-25)). The total absence of the cherubim from an otherwise heavily OT-esque scene points to the end of the guardianship role of the cherubim; Christ has re-opened Paradise and, since sins are wiped away, has given all men access to the Tree of Life, the Cross, upon which Jesus offers his own Body and Blood as bread and wine (remember the manna in the Ark) in the Eucharist.
This is one solitary aspect of this amazing book. I am growing more and more convinced that it is impossible to be a serious Catholic without at least a basic understanding of what the Holy Spirit is revealing through the Beloved Disciple in the book of the Apocalypse. Go read it!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
Friday Photo Favorites
Fact: Two year-olds do not have an endless supply of energy. They have the ability to syphon energy from their parents and any unsuspecting stranger.
We witnessed this while grilling the other day.
Running full speed, hunched over pushing a dump trunk in a dump truck in a dump truck.
Notice the tongue action.
Go go gadget legs!
Oops! Lost one of the dump trucks.
And when the dump truck wears out move on to the firetruck.
Anyone else feel energized?
Monday, September 21, 2009
Safe and Sound
Last night I held my babies a little tighter. The boys and I were traveling back from a quick trip to Uncle Ash and Aunt Mere Mere's. (Mere Mere was gearing up for the arrival of Ribby with a baby shower.) The trip back was purposefully designed with a later start, in hopes that the three hour trip would be peaceful and quite (mainly, be only three hours). We headed out and quickly were informed of approaching storms via Daddy. (He is a good man and knows I am not so fond of driving in rain or at night for that matter. What can I say it rarely rained in Panhandle.)
As I listened to the talk radio, in efforts steer my mind away from it's achy, tired body, I heard the fourth emergency broadcast from the National Weather Channel. "Beeeeeep Beeeeep Beeeeep." The first three were informative and the storms were likely to have no impact on our trip. This one, however, made my stomach tighten: winds of 60mph, hail and dumping 2-3 inches of rain. Being the good worry-wart that I am, I called my Dad. Okay, I actually called my Mom knowing she would consult Dad, thus I could avoid appearing too needy and scared, to Dad at least. Yes, even at 25 Daddy's are still heroes and all-knowing. With the help of the internet and a cell phone it was determined that in 15 minutes I would be in the thick of storm. QED, better to get gas now and wait it out at the station.
In the next 15 minutes the wind picked up and I found a gas station. "Good, we beat the rain to the pump," I thought. After filling up and waiting 10 minutes, only little sprinkles were in the sky. There was talk that if I hurried, I might out-run the watery beast. So with an error in judgement we continued on. Just as I pulled onto the ramp it arrived! I could barely follow the semi in front and vowed to exit at the first chance. Then my northern star took the right split as I followed the left. In just a few passing moments I found myself outside the city lights, without my guide and on a downward slopping turn. I tried my utmost to follow the white dashed lines for bearings. Prayers pounded out with my racing heart. Then a sudden flash of lightening and to my horror the little white lines were not running parallel to us, but rather perpendicular. I was completely disoriented and navigating myself and the most precious cargo into on-coming traffic. With grace and angels we made it back to our original lane, begging God to just get us to an exit. That was the longest and most adrenalin filled mile of my life! We were not alone, several other cars joined us as we weathered the weather.
The burden of parenthood has never been so real to me. Last night I was responsible for my two boys' life. Four years ago this situation would have been every bit as externally frightening, but it was this internal, parental aspect that is truly terrifying.
Where was Philip in all of this? I wondered that as he missed my two calls, one before and one after. He was praying a rosary for a safe trip.
As I listened to the talk radio, in efforts steer my mind away from it's achy, tired body, I heard the fourth emergency broadcast from the National Weather Channel. "Beeeeeep Beeeeep Beeeeep." The first three were informative and the storms were likely to have no impact on our trip. This one, however, made my stomach tighten: winds of 60mph, hail and dumping 2-3 inches of rain. Being the good worry-wart that I am, I called my Dad. Okay, I actually called my Mom knowing she would consult Dad, thus I could avoid appearing too needy and scared, to Dad at least. Yes, even at 25 Daddy's are still heroes and all-knowing. With the help of the internet and a cell phone it was determined that in 15 minutes I would be in the thick of storm. QED, better to get gas now and wait it out at the station.
In the next 15 minutes the wind picked up and I found a gas station. "Good, we beat the rain to the pump," I thought. After filling up and waiting 10 minutes, only little sprinkles were in the sky. There was talk that if I hurried, I might out-run the watery beast. So with an error in judgement we continued on. Just as I pulled onto the ramp it arrived! I could barely follow the semi in front and vowed to exit at the first chance. Then my northern star took the right split as I followed the left. In just a few passing moments I found myself outside the city lights, without my guide and on a downward slopping turn. I tried my utmost to follow the white dashed lines for bearings. Prayers pounded out with my racing heart. Then a sudden flash of lightening and to my horror the little white lines were not running parallel to us, but rather perpendicular. I was completely disoriented and navigating myself and the most precious cargo into on-coming traffic. With grace and angels we made it back to our original lane, begging God to just get us to an exit. That was the longest and most adrenalin filled mile of my life! We were not alone, several other cars joined us as we weathered the weather.
The burden of parenthood has never been so real to me. Last night I was responsible for my two boys' life. Four years ago this situation would have been every bit as externally frightening, but it was this internal, parental aspect that is truly terrifying.
Where was Philip in all of this? I wondered that as he missed my two calls, one before and one after. He was praying a rosary for a safe trip.
All the while they both slept, as they should.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Recent projects.
The creative bug has struck again. With the help of the cousin we put together this banner for a very special seminary, Uncle Matty. The kid's artistic flare was too cute not to share. With heavy negotiating, the two year-olds left most of their face visible. In the end this is what we ended up with.
The next project was a last ditch effort to keep Mommy sane and the boys out of her new teeny-tiny kitchen. Daddy and PT sculpted while breakfast was being prepared.
That is an awesome dump truck!
The wonderful world of homemade play-dough!
Avery has also been...um footy with the projects. Keeping up the tradition we started with Paul Thomas, Avery foot printed various ceramics for keepsakes and gifts. It will be grand to have a wall full of little feet!
Dampness
The sun has been hiding behind a thick blanket of clouds for the better part of a week now. All this dampness has produced a fresh crop of discoveries. Our walks, along with being wet and sticky, have brought about the first snail encounter as well as a snake. (PT was adamant it was a snake, but because I am writing this you can be assured it was merely a worm.) Frogs and mushrooms have also pop up on the scene. It is always so rewarding to see the world through littler eyes.
(Notice how the only non icky thing is pictured! Frogs give me the willies.)
Monday, September 14, 2009
AshMere
Labor Day provided an opportunity to visit Uncle Ash and Aunt Mere Mere in their new house. The Ellis' joined us for a night. That way Mere Mere and Ash could get a broad prospective on how much baby-proofing to do.
Uncle Ash grilled up some nice ribs despite the down pour. Thank goodness for covered porches.
Luci after keeping her Mommy up almost all night.
Peter and Daniel "watching coffee".
I think Avery has the upper hand in this wrestling match.
The girls went out shopping, leaving the men in charge of nap time. Can you tell what Daniel did instead? Look at those lovely lashes! That is better than me most days.
Uncle Jer being the tallest was in charge of tower building.
Nice work J-Dub.
Just as we started to cook out the clouds opened up. The kids had a blast catching rain drops.
Luci got her very first pre-owned car.
Oh she is too cute.
Aunt Mere Mere and Ribby tending to the meat. She looks great! Can't wait to meet this little one.
Interrupting the movie for a quick picture. We had so much fun with everyone and are so excited for Uncle Ash and Aunt Mere Mere. Their house is super cute and is only missing one thing...Ribby in a bassinet.
You guys are a great family. Thank you so much for having us.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
One, Two, Three, JUMP!
This post will do one of two things: make you feel like you were pool side when PT was showing off his new skill of jumping to Daddy or make you want to buy us a video recorder. If it's the latter, we are currently accepting donations.
Love the facial expressions on both boys!
It was too cold (91 degrees) to get out and jump in from the side.
Who knows, maybe we'll have a video of that.
Friday, September 4, 2009
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