THE ARK OF THE COVENANT
“And the temple of God was opened in heaven: and the ark of his testament was seen in his temple…” Apocalypse 11:19. Then following, the very next chapter tells us who this ark is. “And a great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars:” 12:1. This woman is Mary, who is the Mother of Jesus Christ, the one true God, and the dragon is the devil. “And that great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, who seduceth the whole world; and he was cast unto the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” Verse 9.
She is in labor to bring forth her child, which is speaking of Jesus Christ and his Church. How do we know the Child is Jesus? Because verse five says he will rule them with an iron rod. Where do we find this expression of Jesus again in the Scriptures? Psalm 2:7-9, the Father is talking about His Son Jesus, and He says the Son will rule them with an iron rod. “The Lord hath said to me: Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I will give thee the Gentiles for thy inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt rule them with a rod of iron, and shalt break them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” So we know if Jesus is the child, the mother has to be Mary. But why is she in labor, since she had no labor pains bringing forth Jesus Christ in His birth? Because Jesus Christ and His body the church and members are one, Ephesians ch. 1 and 5, drbo.org. Therefore, she is suffering labor pains for the Church, because we are all sinners. She could say, more than St. Paul, “My little children, of whom I am in labour again, until Christ be formed in you.” Galatians 4:19.
This chapter also shows Mary to be the spiritual mother of all Christians who have the testimony of Jesus Christ and keep the commandments of God. The dragon tries to devour her child when he is born, but He is taken up to heaven. He tries to destroy the woman but she is taken out into the desert and protected by God. So the devil, angry at being unsuccessful, goes off to make war with the rest of her seed. We are the other seed of Mary. “And the dragon was angry against the woman: and went to make war with the rest of her seed, who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” verse 17. So if you are a Christian and are keeping the commandments of God, then Mary is your spiritual mother.
Therefore, there are two reasons why we honor Mary. First is because she is the mother who brought forth our Saviour for the salvation of our souls. That’s a pretty good reason. Secondly, because she is our spiritual mother of our souls, and what child does not often run to its good mother for help when it needs it? We should remember that all the honor we pay to her redounds back to Christ who made her, just as the praise of an artist’s work redounds back to the artist who painted it. A lot of the protestants having nothing good to say to her, reluctantly admitting that she is blessed to be the mother of the Redeemer, St. Luke 1:48: “For behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. Because he that is mighty, hath done great things to me; and holy is his name.” St. Luke 1:48-49. If only protestants were as good at avoiding sin as they are of avoiding Mary. Perhaps they should read: What Do The Protestants Condemn When They Condemn The Rosary? At https://motherofGodlibrary.org/2021/04/04.
The ark in the Old Testament was a figure of Mary. It contained the manna, which was a figure of Jesus Christ, the bread of life, St. John 6:48-69. “Having a golden censer, and the ark of the testament covered about on every part with gold, in which was a golden pot that had manna, and the rod of Aaron, that had blossomed, and the tables of the testament.” Hebrews 9:4. The rod of Aaron represented the priesthood of Jesus Christ; and the tables of the testament were a figure of Jesus Christ in His blood, “For this is my blood of the new testament, which shall be shed for many unto remission of sins.” St. Matthew 26:28. All these figures represented Jesus Christ, contained in the ark of the covenant, and Jesus Our Lord was contained in Mary’s womb for 9 months. Therefore, Mary is the ark of the covenant that St. John saw in heaven, as noted above.
It should be noted by Catholics and non-Catholics alike, who venerate the Sacred Scriptures, that the ark was considered to be very holy, and that it should be treated with the utmost respect, and that only the priests and no one else were allowed to touch it, lest they die. But let us look at an example in the Old Testament regarding this sacred ark, that was forbidden by God to be touched, out of reverence. ”And when they came to the floor of Chidon, Oza put forth his hand, to hold up the ark, for the ox being wanton, had made it lean a little on one side. And the Lord was angry with Oza, and struck him, because he had touched the ark; and he died there before the Lord. ”1 Paralipomenon 13:10, drbo.org. Yet, you see, the ark was very holy, and they were forbidden to touch it, even when it was falling, and God killed Oza for touching the ark. Now Mary, being the true ark of God, told Sr. Lucy of Fatima, regarding men who speak evil of her and blaspheme, she said,”There are many souls whom the justice of God condemns to hell for sins committed against me, that I have come to ask for reparation.” Meaning the 5 first Saturdays where we make reparation for these sins. Protestants do not touch her physically but they do so spiritually with their hateful words, disrespect and blasphemies. Would you let a man speak evil of your mother? Neither does Our Lord. To be continued.
Kindle E-book: Ten Books About the Faith & Salvation : Ten of the Most Important Books to Help You Save Your Soul by Larry Wethington