“And behold the veil of the temple was rent in two from the top even to the bottom, and the earth quaked, and the rocks were rent. And the greaves were opened: and many bodies of the saints that had slept arose, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection, came into the holy city, and appeared to many. Now the centurion and they that were with him watching Jesus, having seen the earthquake, and the things that were done, were sore afraid, saying: ‘Indeed this was the Son of God.’ And there were there many women afar off, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him: among whom was Mary Magdalen, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.”
Jesus cries out with a loud voice and dies, and at the moment of His death, the curtain of the Holy of Holies in the temple is ripped in two, that God, who in His presence could only be approached once a year by the high priest after a sanctification ritual: “Into the second, the high priest alone, once a year: not without blood, which he offereth for his own, and the people’s ignorance” (Hebrews 9:7), whereas now He can be approached daily in the holy sacrifice of the mass, to be encountered often and intimately: “Every day I will bless thee: and I will praise thy name for ever; yea, for ever and ever” (Psalm 144:2). Or, it can be a rending of the outer curtain, that the mysteries in Israel’s temple and scriptures may, now having reached their fulness, be spread everywhere: “Go ye into the whole world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15), while the inner curtain of God’s essence will only be encountered at the rending of the Holy of Holies of death, that the veil of life may be opened for the eternal life of love: “By his own blood, entered once into the holies, having obtained eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:12). Thus, where deep encounters can be had with the Lord in this lifetime through prayer and the mass: “He was caught up into paradise, and heard secret words, which it is not granted to man to utter” (2 Corinthians 12:4), these are still only crumbs from the table of God’s essence, on which His beloved will feast in the life to come: “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). Heaven and the earth quake in disgust at their crucified Lord, and rocks shatter, themselves bearing witness of mightiness of the Word of God: “For the word of God is living and effectual, and more piercing than any two edged sword; and reaching unto the division of the soul and the spirit, of the joints also and the marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). When the hardest substances on earth rend themselves before His death, it is a testament to the hardness of the hearts of men, who can look upon God dying for love of them and feel nothing: “They have turned their backs to me, and not their faces” (Jeremias 32:33). Many Old Testament saints are then said to rise after the Lord’s resurrection, for He is “the first-born from the dead” (Colossians 1:18), coming into Jerusalem and seen by many. Now, these many were those that believed in Jesus, and celebrated with and in those that were risen, being companions with the great saints in the glory of Christ’s love: “You are no more strangers and foreigners; but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and the domestics of God” (Ephesians 2:19). Those that rose then went with Jesus in the Ascension, for to lay them back into death would have been cruel, whereas God is “him who is able to do all things more abundantly than we desire or understand” (Ephesians 3:20), and thus He brings them with Him as the first fruits of the resurrection. Concerning this resurrection, it is the soul taking such inexpressible joy in the sight of the essence of God that it loves radiantly and desires to share, which is the reason for the intercession of the saints, for they desire to pull the Church Militant to heavenly glory. However, this also extends to the body, which is an object of charity according to St. Augustine, and, desiring to be reunited with the material aspect of which it is the animating principle, the soul, from a pure abundance of delight and love, reanimates the body in glory through the power of the Holy Spirit, that the body too may share in the delights of God’s love. Thus, these saints were wrapped in heavenly celebration and ecstatic love: “It is sown in corruption, it shall rise in incorruption. It is sown in dishonour, it shall rise in glory. It is sown in weakness, it shall rise in power. It is sown a natural body, it shall rise a spiritual body” (1 Corinthians 15:42-44). As extraordinary as these events may be, they spiritually take place in your daily life, for, by the merits of Christ’s death in you, you can open the veil of the sacred mysteries through theology or imaginative meditation, and by this, the earth quakes, that is, what was once stable and unmoving in your soul is then spurred into action from an abundance of joy: “For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). The rocks are the mysteries of the Old Testament, which open from knowing the mystery of Christ, and due to the depth and eros contained within them, they reanimate the soul and quicken it to a radical love and walk with Jesus in newness of life: “As Christ is risen from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also may walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). Before all of these wonders, the centurion cries out that Jesus was indeed the Son of God, and as you seek both the Heart of Jesus and the truth in prayer, study, and the wonders of creation, you will be awed by the sublimity of the mystery: “He that is a searcher of majesty, shall be overwhelmed by glory” (Proverbs 25:27). It is a call, Theophila, to be as this centurion, to see the veil of God’s love open through loving prayer, to shake the earth of your being with the words of Jesus, to open the rocks of the Old Testament with piercing knowledge, and shake your soul out of the dust through the Psalms: “My soul hath cleaved to the pavement: quicken thou me according to thy word” (Psalm 118:25), and thus you will know both the sublimity of the divinity of Christ and be wrapped in love of His humanity: “Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep” (John 10:7), proclaiming Him to truly be the Son of God, with an understanding of what that entails. Then are described the women that ministered to Jesus; it was a Jewish custom for the women to tend to the great teachers with material aid: “Certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities; Mary who is called Magdalen, out of whom seven devils were gone forth, and Joanna the wife of Chusa, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who ministered unto him of their substance” (Luke 8:2-3). It is an interweaving of charity: “If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great matter if we reap your carnal things?” (1 Corinthians 9:11), that the teacher may not be so proud as to refuse temporal aid from his students, but rather reap the fruits of his labor. The women that remained with Him were the deepest lovers, letting their hearts, full of compassion, carry them with Him through His crucifixion. As for the women themselves, there is a mystery in their names and in their ordering, for “Mary” means “beloved,” and “Magdalen” means “of the tower,” which recalls romantic tales of women trapped in towers as a knight comes to save them and marry them, which is true in a spiritual sense of St. Mary Magdalene: “Out of whom seven devils were gone forth” (Luke 8:2) and of all other sinners who then come to know the Bridegroom of their souls. Next is Mary the mother of James and Joseph, for from being loved comes children, be they physical or spiritual, with “James” meaning “to follow” and “Joseph” being “God will increase,” for in following the footsteps of the Lover of Souls in love and being loved, God will grant a magnificent increase of spiritual graces and children. Finally, the mother of the sons of Zebedee is named “Salome,” meaning “peace,” for from an abundance of holy desires: “Give me children, otherwise I shall die” (Genesis 30:1) comes the realization that God will satisfy these desires abundantly, but it is better to simply consider it done and rest on your Savior’s breast. It is of great spiritual benefit not to be worn down by what must be done, but rather to simply drink of the Lord’s love, which is His gift, thus “Zebedee” means “Gift of God,” thus does the Psalmist say, “Delight in the Lord, and he will give thee the requests of thy heart” (Psalm 36:4). Work is merely a means to an end, for thinking of Jesus or Mary and listening to their loving words is what is more important, and to be so caught up in labor that it severs this connection is to lose the one thing necessary: “Martha, Martha, thou art careful, and art troubled about many things” (Luke 10:41). In losing oneself in God, on the other hand, one finds grace for the world, drawing souls to Him by the thousands by docile requests rather than by force and agitated action: “Be nothing solicitous; but in every thing, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasseth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).