Advent meditation: For many years, the Israelites lived in the land of Canaan without a king. After hundreds of years, David became the king of Israel and God established a covenant with him. God told David that his throne would last forever! This was because Our Lord Jesus Christ would one day take up the throne of David, and He now reigns forever over the new Israel, the Catholic Church. God called David to build Him a house, a temple in Jerusalem. This temple matches the structure of the initial creation in Genesis: the Holy Place corresponds to the throne room of God, the Holy Place corresponds to the firmament, with the 7 branched lampstand symbolizing the 7 visible planets, and the courtyard corresponds to Earth, with the altar being called earth and the laver of water being called sea. This is because the whole world is a temple, and so the whole world is God’s house. God reminds us of this by having us build special sacred places, which in the new covenant are now churches.
Prayer: O come, O Key of David, come and open wide our heavenly home. Make safe for us the heavenward road and bar the way to death’s abode. (From O come, O come, Immanuel)
Scripture: The Lord came to Nathan, “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: Would you build me a house to dwell in? I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling. In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’ Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel; and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. When he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men; but I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before me; your throne shall be established for ever.’” (2 Sam 7:4-16)
