24 November 2017
Memorial of Saint Andrew Dung-Lac, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs
The Jewish feast of Hanukah celebrates the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem after it had been desecrated by the gentiles. Scripture records this event in 1 Maccabees 4, together with the date: “the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, that is, the month of Kislev, in the year one hundred and forty-eight,” which, in today’s calendar would be December 14, 164 B.C.
Some parallels can be drawn between the rededication of the Jerusalem temple and the Christian life. The desecration of the altar by the gentiles corresponds to the damage done to the soul by sin, both personal and original. The removal of the desecrated altar stones by the Jews and their replacement with new stones corresponds to baptism, by which we share in Christ’s death and new life. The dedication of the restored altar by means of Mosaic sacrifices corresponds to the Eucharist, which re-presents the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. The ornamentation of the temple facade corresponds to the ornamentation of the soul with the gifts and the fruits of the Holy Spirit, and with the virtues.
Thus, the Christian life is like the restoration of the temple in Jerusalem. In this sense, we become temples that are purified, dedicated and functioning. “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?” (1 Cor. 6:19)