Veil
“When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, ‘Surely he was the Son of God!’” (Matthew 27:54).
I have been reflecting on the short phrase in the Passion and Death of Our Lord that explains that in the moment of His death, the Veil in the temple tore in two…
“And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split.” (Matthew 27:50-51).
This is a significant thing that happened. A very significant thing.
You see, that veil in the temple was the veil that separated the main area of worship from the Holy of Holies and the section of the Temple where the priests were allowed to worship. If a Gentile walked on that part of the Temple – behind that veil – they would be executed on the spot.
When Christ died, there was a centurion – a gentile – who was the first person to say…
“When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, ‘Surely he was the Son of God!’” (Matthew 27:54).
In other words, the centurion – a Gentile – stepped beyond that veil and stood in the place where the Holy of Holies was – He stood before God Himself.
Significant also is the detail about the direction that the veil tore. Here, the veil tore from top to bottom. This is significant. A person would expect that the tear would be from the bottom to the top normally, as the bottom touched the floor and could easily snag against something on the ground. But this tearing was from the top down and that in itself is significant. You see, it is an indication of the involvement of the Almighty One, who worked from on high to save us…
And I have been reflecting on this today as I have been thinking about all the excuses I make before I present my petitions to my Beloved. I hold back and think about every single other thing. I try to justify that problem or this one. I become distracted by the ants and the flies and the fleas and all the other myriad of things.
And all the time, the Holy of Holies – God Himself – is before me on the Cross and He is waiting – in an infinite patient agony – for me to look at Him and acknowledge Him. He Himself – through His passion and death on the Cross tore the veil of the temple just so that people like me could stand on Holy Ground. And instead of worshipping there, I am counting flies buzzing in the Church and ticking off my to do list in my head.
And it seems to me today that the Evil One does not need to tempt me with anything significant. He can rely simply on my own weakness and place a few distractions in my path, and I will spend my life squandering the view that I have of the Holy of Holies. And if I cannot adore my Beloved here on Earth, how could I ever adore Him in Heaven?
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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