Reverence
by VP
Posted on Wednesday February 15, 2023 at 11:00PM in Meditations
"The Christian Temple is the house of God, the place of prayer, and the gate of heaven. It is the tabernacle of God with men, where He hears the cry of their distress, and pours out the fullness of grace and mercy. It is their paradise upon the earth. Surely ecclesiastics, who approach to God in this His mercy seat, will not by irreverence or contempt commit sin or iniquity in the holy place. In their celebration of the Holy Sacrifice, in the public offices of the Church, their whole conduct and manner will breathe a spirit of piety and devotion. Moreover, it will be impossible for ecclesiastics to enforce on the laity the due and necessary respect for God's house, if they be never seen to exhibit it themselves. How can they ask the laity to fulfill an obligation which they themselves should be the first to observe, and which they are the first to violate?
Above all, the Christian Temple contains in the tabernacle, the Holy of Holies, the living bread which came down from heaven, the great victim and propitiation for sin, the food and nourishment of holy souls. Behold the great reason for the respect and reverence of all - for the fear and awe with which we approach the sanctuary of God. Had we eyes to see, we should behold the angels with their faces veiled in profound adoration before the holy tabernacle, and had we ears to hear we should hear the voice of God crying out: "Locus iste terribilis est." Pavete ad sanctuarium meum."
Ecclesiastical meditations suitable for priests on the mission and students by Ecclesiastical meditations
