4th November Trinity
Revelation 21: 9-27
And he carried me in spirit-form up to a great high
mountain, and let me see how the Holy City, Jerusalem, the City of Peace,
descended out of the spiritual worlds, coming forth from the being of God,
wrapped in the most intimate splendor of the revelation of God.
Her shining [gleaming] is like that of a precious
gemstone, like the stone jasper, clear as crystal.
Her walls are of mighty size and height; she has twelve
gates and at the gates stand twelve angels. On the gates are written the names
of the twelve sons of Israel; three gates from the East, three gates from the
North, three gates from the South, and three gates from the West.
And the wall of the City rests on twelve sacred
foundations, and the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb work in them.
And he who spoke with me carried a golden measuring rod,
in order to measure the City and her gates and her walls.
And the City is
spread out in a square; her length is the same as her width. And he measured
the City with the measuring rod. It measured twelve thousand miles; the length
and breadth and height were alike. And he measured her walls at one hundred
forty-four cubits [ells], the measure of a man, which now the angel was using.
The covering of her walls was of jasper, and the City
herself of purified gold, clear as glass. And the sacred foundation of the wall
were adorned with every precious stone:
the first, a jasper,
the second, a sapphire,
the third, a chalcedony,
the fourth, emerald,
the fifth sardonyx,
the sixth, carnelian,
the seventh, chrysolite,
the eighth, beryl,
the ninth, topaz,
the tenth, chrysoprase
the eleventh, hyacinth,
the twelfth, an amethyst.
The twelve gates were twelve pearls, and each of the
gates made of a single pearl. And the city was of purified gold, like a
transparent crystal.
I did not see a temple in the City, for the Lord God,
Ruler of All, is her sanctuary, and the Lamb.
And the City needs neither sun nor moon, for she shines
from within; for the shining revelation of God is streaming brightness in her,
and her light is the Lamb.
And all nations shall walk in her light, and the rulers
of the earth will carry their spiritual treasures into her. And her gates will
never be closed by day, for there, night will be no more.
And all the shining treasures of the revelations of the
world, and all the spiritual worth of the nations and all achievements of the
soul will be brought into her.
And nothing can enter which is not spiritualized
[consecrated], nothing which perverts the image of Man, nothing which remains
under the power of the Lie, but rather only those who are written into the Book
of Life of the Lamb.
4th Nov Trinity
 |
| Heavenly Jerusalem, Maronite |
Revelation 21: 9-27
November 22, 2015
All endings are also
new beginnings. As we finish the liturgical year, we are given a mighty picture
of the future of humankind. The image is that of a city, built on a twelve-fold
foundation. These twelve foundations are pictured as twelve precious stones.
They represent the soul and spiritual qualities, the virtues of all humankind.
These precious gems of the virtues, the foundations of our own future, are
The amethyst of devotion, the hyacinth of equilibrium, the
chrysoprase of perseverance; topaz of unselfishness, beryl of compassion;
chrysolite of courtesy, carnelian of contentment, sardonyx of patience;
chalcedony of courage, sapphire of discretion, emerald of truth and the jasper of generosity of spirit.*
It is the common task of humanity to develop these virtues,
so that our next dwelling place, the new creation of the city of Peace, will
have a firm foundation in goodness.
The jasper of magnanimous generosity holds a special place. It
will rise as walls of love that will surround and protect us. And the openings through
those walls of love are the twelve gates of pearl, that lustrous substance
created in response to suffering. For it is through our suffering that we will
ultimately enter the city of peace.
All these spiritual treasures of the soul of humanity make us into the Bride, the wife of the Lamb of God, who is Christ. For that is our ultimate goal – to choose, in love and devotion, to be wed to Christ whose fullness of Life is enveloped in Love.
*The Apocalypse, Friedrich Benesch
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