“In the first year of Cyrus king of the Persians, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremias might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of the Persians: and he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and in writing also, saying: ‘Thus saith Cyrus king of the Persians: The Lord the God of heaven hath given to me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he hath charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judea. Who is there among you of all his people? His God be with him. Let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judea, and build the house of the Lord the God of Israel: he is the God that is in Jerusalem. And let all the rest in all places wheresoever they dwell, help him every man from his place, with silver and gold, and goods, and cattle, besides that which they offer freely to the temple of God, which is in Jerusalem.’”
Where Solomon, the great king of Israel, had previously had the dignity of building a temple to God: “And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of the reign of Solomon over Israel, in the month Zio (the same is the second month), he began to build a house to the Lord” (3 Kings 6:1), this task is instead given to Cyrus, king of the Persians, a Gentile: “Who say to Cyrus: ‘Thou art my shepherd, and thou shalt perform all my pleasure’” (Isaias 44:28). This stirring up is an inspiration of God, for all good things proceed from Him, that fulfills the prophecy of Jeremiah: “When the seventy years shall begin to be accomplished in Babylon, I will visit you: and I will perform my good word in your favour, to bring you again to this place” (Jeremias 29:10). Where great kings had brought Jerusalem into exile, one greater returns them, and in the confusion of the spiritual life, when all is desolate and dark, and one feels exiled from God, there is a greater movement at play, to refine you, perfect you, and bring you back to His embrace, that you may know the deeper things of God with a heart that is refined by a greater desire for Him: “As the hart panteth after the fountains of water; so my soul panteth after thee, O God” (Psalm 41:2). Cyrus, according to St. Bede, loved those Israelites that were under his domain, and by his intercession they returned home, and in this is a spiritual meaning, that when you are in times of desolation and struggling, it is the time to reach out to another, that the enemy may not find you alone and in his clutches, but fortified with the counsel, prayer, and companionship of another, who may be able to be the vessel of grace by which God returns you to His warmth and love: “It is better therefore that two should be together, than one: for they have the advantage of their society: if one fall he shall be supported by the other: woe to him that is alone, for when he falleth, he hath none to lift him up… If a man prevail against one, two shall withstand him: a threefold cord is not easily broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12). Cyrus is also a type of Jesus, for just as Cyrus overcame Babylon and set the people free, that they may build a temple to the Lord, so too did Jesus overcome the devil and set you free, that you may build a temple of righteousness that is the place where God is pleased to dwell: “If any one love me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and will make our abode with him” (John 14:23). Thus, Cyrus decrees that the Judeans return to their rightful dwelling place go to their rightful dwelling place, an intimation to send you to do what you think to be just under the Holy Spirit’s guidance: “Do what thou hast a mind, but not in sin or proud speech” (Ecclesiasticus 32:16). Thus, Jerusalem can be representative of you and your temple, the presence of God being the animating spirit of love, with the surrounding cities being representative of the different expressions of love that come about in your life, indicated by the virtues and fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit. These cities then protect Jerusalem from siege, just as different expressions of righteousness protects your bond of love from the enemy: “Therefore take unto you the armour of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and to stand in all things perfect” (Ephesians 6:13). God is with you, Theophila, even when you cannot feel it, and to keep Him before you in thought and in your heart, even during your activities, helps build this union of love as you build a beautiful temple to God with yourself. Finally, those that help every man from his place with silver and gold and other things that can be offered to the temple take a literal interpretation of those that chose to remain in Babylon rather than returning to Israel. In one sense, it is a look into the plundering of great philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle for a deeper understanding of reality and truth: “They asked of the Egyptians vessels of silver and gold, and very much raiment. And the Lord gave favour to the people in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them: and they stripped the Egyptians,” (Exodus 12:35-36) taking joy in the wisdom and truth they bring while discarding what they get wrong: “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Or, for a simpler path that does not risk the tangles of philosophy, and fill the head rather than the heart, it can mean that you can bring your whole life experience forward to God, offering to Him what is good in you: “Let every man abide in the same calling in which he was called” (1 Corinthians 7:20), and adding to your nature the graces of God, letting everything in you be amplified by love, rather than torn down and rebuilt: “I am come that they may have life, and may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Therefore, what you choose to offer to God should be a treasure of affection, and not a ripping down, for God is gentle and not aggressive, not seeking to overpower, but to exchange gifts, and as you give Him what is precious to you, He will give in greater abundance what is precious to Him: “And God is able to make all grace abound in you; that ye always, having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:7).