Flowers Before His Majesty!

Come, let us sing to the Lord
and shout with joy to the Rock who saves us.
Let us approach him with praise and thanksgiving
and sing joyful songs to the Lord.

Is that not a wonderful picture? Shamelessly cribbed from The Crescat (where Carolina Cannonball has a knack of finding great photos and works of art) – we see the child joyfully strewing the path with flowers by the handful and with abandon. She is fearless and self-possessed; the beloved daughter of the King who follows, splendid in apparel. The priest, the gift of his calling is privileged to remain completely anonymous behind the Lord, his own life, heartbeat, skin, heat and humanness made distinct from His Majesty’s by virtue of the Humeral Veil, through which he assists in the Procession.

Behold the King, who treads the path of Humanity and Divinity in One!

For see, the LORD comes forth from his place, he descends and treads upon the heights of the earth. The mountains melt under him and the valleys split open, Like wax before the fire, like water poured down a slope.
– Micah 1:3

When people ask me why some priests and bishops (and especially our dear Pope Benedict) both with the extravagant (and often exquisite) robing, I remind them that they are not only ministers, but priests, that their job is to represent, at various times, both the humility of the man, Jesus, and the glory of the Divine Christ. Particularly when we are worshiping Christ, wholly and really Present in the Eucharist, we are reminded of His glory and our glory to come – we are joyous in His Presence, and would see him in Kingly Splendor – an outsized splendor such as we cannot even imagine.

Good morning! Here is one of the readings from today’s Office of Readings, from a sermon by St Leo the Great:

Beloved, I am both weak and lazy in fulfilling the obligations of my office; whenever I try to act with vigor and devotedness, the frailty of our human condition slows me down. Yet I share in the ever-present atoning work of that almighty and eternal high priest, who is like us and yet equal to the Father; he brought the godhead down to our human level and raised our humanity to the godhead. Rightly, then, do we rejoice in what he established; for, though he delegated to many shepherds the care of his sheep, he has not ceased to watch over in person the flock that is dear to him.
It is from this ultimate inexhaustible source of security that we have received strength in our apostolic tast; for his activity is never relaxed. The powerful foundation upon which the whole structure of the church rests is never shaken by the weight of the temple that presses upon it.
That faith which Christ commended in the prince of the apostles remains forever unshaken. And, just as Peter’s faith in Christ endures, so does Christ’s foundation upon Peter. The structure of truth persists; blessed Peter retains his rock-like strength and has not abandoned the helm of the Church which he took over.
Peter is called the rock; he is declared to be the foundation; he is made doorkeeper of the heavenly kingdom; he is made judge of what is to be bound or loosed, and his judgments remain valid even in heaven; in these various ways he is assigned a rank above the others. By reflecting on the hidden meaning of these titles of his , we can come to appreciate how close he is to Christ. …
And so, if I do anything well, if my judgment is sound, if I obtain anything from God’s mercy by my daily prayer, all this is due to the achievement and the deserts of Peter; it is his power that lives on in his See, it is his prestige that reigns.
This, beloved, is the outcome of that profession of faith which God the Father inspired in the apostle’s heart. That declaration rose above the doubts of all merely human opinion, and took on the solidarity of a rock unshaken by any outside pressure. For in the world-wide church, every day Peter declares: you are the Christ, the Son of the living God, and every man who acknowledges the Lord is enabled to proclaim what those words mean.

Perhaps I will offer up this morning’s prayer for the intentions of Pope Benedict XVI, and ask a blessing on all the priests, and deacons and the non-Catholic ministers I know, too. In thanksgiving for the gift of faith.

Related:
His Love is So Strong