This past Thursday, as we were celebrating the Eve of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple, the Church offered us a reading from the Third book of Kings in the Old Testament, that described the moment that the Ark of the Covenant was brought into the newly created “Solomon’s Temple”. Scripture says that at that time, the only thing that was in the Ark was the two stone tablets that Moses had received from God, after Israel was delivered from Egypt.
The priests brought the Ark into the Holy of Holies, which was the highest and most sacred place behind the veil, and they placed the Ark there. When they came out, the presence of God in the form of a cloud filled the entire temple, so much. So that “the priests could not stand there ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the House” (3 Kings 8:11)
King Solomon, standing before the altar of the Lord in front of the entire assembly of Israel, offered a dedication prayer in which he said: “Will God indeed dwell with men on earth? If the heaven and the heaven of heaven will not be sufficient for You, how much less even this temple I built in Your name?” (3 Kings 8:25)
Despite building this incredibly beautiful temple, Solomon was asking God how any kind of earthly temple would be worthy to house Him? This was a question that, little did he realize, would be answered 1000 years later through one of His descendants.
On the feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos, we remember how Mary, when she was just a few years old, was dedicated to the Temple in Jerusalem by her parents Joachim and Anna. In a symbolic way, she replaced the Ark of the Covenant when she entered into that temple…and ultimately, this was the beginning of the answer to King Solomon’s question.
What temple would be sufficient for God to dwell on earth? Not one built with gold, but rather the womb of a simple peasant girl from the tribe of Judah. The Ark of the Covenant, which once held the word of the law, is now being replaced by the new Ark, the Theotokos, who will soon hold within her THE WORD…the Logos…God Himself.
After she was dedicated into the Temple, Mary spent the next decade before the Annunciation, unknowingly preparing this Great Mystery that would take place within her. In a very real way, it should remind all of us of the preparation that we also should be undertaking as we approach the Great Feast of the Incarnation. I’m not speaking about all of the Christmas cards that need to go out or the way our house is decorated, or the way we display our trees and stockings. Like King Solomon reminded us…all of these externals are not worthy to House the Living God.
We are on day 8 of 40 in our preparation for the Nativity. Have we been preparing our inner temples and curbing our desires by denying ourselves meat and dairy during the fast?
Have we increased the amount of prayer and quiet contemplation of God within our families and homes?
Have we given alms to the poor, or dedicated any of our time in service to others?
Have these last 8 days been different, set apart, or more “holy” than the days leading up to the Nativity Fast?
There is often a lot of confusion surrounding fasting in the Orthodox Church. Sometimes, people on the outside think that the Church demands things like daily prayer, fasting, and approaching the Holy Eucharist in order to somehow “earn” our salvation through works…but we know as Orthodox Christians that this couldn’t be further from the truth.
This period of Advent, and the upcoming Great Lent in a few months, are special times during the year that the Church teaches how to regain control over our bodies and over the direction of our soul. We are so used to blindly following our passions and bodily desires, almost like animals…with animal instincts. Our stomach gurgles and we immediately to go the pantry to get something to eat (see food, eat food). When we get angry at someone, our first instinct is to raise our voice (my dog does this when he sees someone out the window). When men and women are afflicted with lust, they might turn to self-abuse (again, animalistic instincts)
When we fast, we are seeking and training ourselves to once again gain control over those animalistic instincts…and once again become human. When we desire a burger during the fasting periods, we train ourselves to say “no”. When we want to buy something that we want, we train ourselves to say “no” and give that money to others in need. When we are too tired to pray after a long day, we say “no”, and force ourselves to our icon corners. We do this so when we are faced with anger, or lust, or gluttony on a daily basis, we have the strength to say “no”.
Disciplining ourselves with practices like fasting and almsgiving is necessary for our, not only because we don’t want to act like animals, but because we know the truth! We are created in the image and likeness of God. We are special and unique in all of creation….and like the Theotokos, for those who are prepared to receive the Holy Eucharist at every Divine Liturgy, God indeed dwells within us! Does He have a place to lay His Head?
May we look to the example of our Mother, the Theotokos, and continue to prepare the temple of our bodies for the coming of the Incarnation. Amen!