Anointing the stone; Angels: Day 085

Anointing the stone

When Jacob had his vision of the angels on the ladder, he anointed the stone at his head. Why? Because, says St. Augustine, the stone is a figurative representation of Christ, which means “anointed.”

So the Lord goes on to say, “Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these.” What greater things does he mean? “And he said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see Heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man’ ” ( John 1:50-51).

Brethren, there is something greater in what I have just said than just in those words, “I saw you under the fig tree.” It is more important that the Lord justified us when we were called than that he saw us lying under the shadow of death. Would we have been any better off if we had remained where he saw us? Wouldn’t we still by lying there?

What greater thing is this? When have we seen angels ascending and descending upon the Son of Man?

In a dream, Jacob saw a ladder, and on the ladder angels ascending and de- scending. He anointed the stone he had placed at his head (Gen. 28:12-18).

Now, you know that Messiah and Christ mean  the same thing, and Christ and

Anointed mean the same thing. Jacob did not place the stone he had anointed so that he could come and adore it—that would have been idolatry, not a figurative representation of Christ. But what he did was a figurative representation—as far as it was appropriate to make such a representation. And the thing represented was Christ. The stone was anointed, but not as an idol.

Why was it anointed, then? Because it was Christ, from Chrisma, which  means anointing. –St. Augustine, Homily 7 on John, 22-23

IN GOD’S PRESENCE, CONSIDER . . .

St. Augustine sees a connection between Jacob’s vision of the angels and what Christ said to Nathanael. When I read the Old Testament Scriptures, am I careful to look for the ways in which the New Testament lies hidden there?

CLOSING PRAYER

Angels who constantly ascend and descend, always point my way to Christ, the Son of God.

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