“And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks: and in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, one like to the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the feet, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. And his head and his hairs were white, as white wool, and as snow, and his eyes were as a flame of fire. And his feet like unto fine brass, as in a burning furnace. And his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars. And from his mouth came out a sharp two edged sword: and his face was as the sun shineth in his power.”
St. John turns to pay attention to the source of the voice, and sees seven golden candlesticks. There was, in the tabernacle that Moses erected, a golden candlestick: “Thou shalt make also a candlestick of beaten work of the finest gold” (Exodus 35:31), a prefiguring of the Holy Spirit’s presence within the temple of the Church. Therefore, by Christ standing in the midst of the seven candlesticks: “And the candlesticks are the seven churches” (Apocalypse 1:20), it shows the presence of Jesus and the Holy Spirit in the Catholic Church, Christ present in the Eucharist and in His people, and the Holy Spirit being the fire of love and bond of doctrine that safeguards the Universal Church. There is an additional mystery here, that they are not called candles, but candlesticks, because “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14), for by grace you have been made into a shining light: “That you may be blameless, and sincere children of God, without reproof, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation; among whom you shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15), upheld by the Church and her ways, illuminating the world with love: “He that loveth his brother, abideth in the light, and there is no scandal in him” (2 John 2:10). In the midst of the seven golden candlesticks is “one like the Son of man.” The term “son of man,” being an Aramaic idiom for “human being,” is seemingly Jesus’ favorite title for Himself: “For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath” (Matthew 12:8); “The Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins” (Mark 2:10); “Even as the Son of man is not come to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a redemption for many” (Matthew 20:28). It is an invitation to His humanity, that encountering Jesus is not being filled with light, fire, silence, theology, words, etc., but in thinking on His humanity and letting yourself be yourself around Him: “I am a wall:” against anything but Him, “and my breasts,” which are acts of love and God and neighbor that come from the heart, “are as a tower since I am become in his presence as one finding peace” (Canticle 8:10). Though He is fully God, and has been given “power, and glory, and a kingdom: and all peoples, tribes and tongues shall serve him: his power is an everlasting power that shall not be taken away: and his kingdom that shall not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:14), He emphasizes throughout the Gospels that He is also fully man, and has become Incarnate that you may love Him and be loved by Him, and that by meditating constantly on His humanity, you may realize the sublimity of His divinity, as is seen here. This Son of Man is clothed with the garments of the Levitical high priest: “He shall be vested with a linen tunick” (Leviticus 16:4); “For in the priestly robe which he wore, was the whole world: and in the four rows of the stones the glory of the fathers was graven, and thy majesty was written upon the diadem of his head” (Wisdom 18:24), as well as in a garment of perfect justice: “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, and my soul shall be joyful in my God: for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation: and with the robe of justice he hath covered me, as a bridegroom decked with a crown, and as a bride adorned with her jewels” (Isaias 61:10). This shows that the dignity and office of the high priest is perfectly fulfilled by Jesus: “For a blameless man made haste to pray for the people, bringing forth the shield of his ministry, prayer, and by incense making supplication” (Wisdom 18:21), and that His love is always perfect, orienting you in the Church to the best place for both you and her: “The Lord ruleth me: and I shall want nothing. He hath set me in a place of pasture… He hath led me on the paths of justice, for his own name’s sake” (Psalm 22:2-3). The golden sash wrapped around His breast is the choirs of the angels and saints, who abide close to His Heart in love, being represented by the gold of a righteous life, and the “paps” are mentioned to denote the Old and New Testaments, and how all His action in both point towards His love: “Thy breasts are better than wine” (Canticle 1:1). The love cultivated by the saints is His triumphant garment, thus St. Paul says that “You are our epistle, written in our hearts, which is known and read by all men” (2 Corinthians 2), while being so near and dear to the Divine Bridegroom. After describing these attributes of His garments, St. John describes Jesus Himself. The whiteness of His head is a look into the transfiguration: “And he was transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sun” (Matthew 17:2), in which His divinity, the glory of the words “I Love You,” were manifest: “And we saw his glory, the glory as it were of the only begotten of the Father” (John 1:14). The whiteness of the hair shows His eternity and perfect wisdom: “I beheld till the thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days sat: his garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like clean wool” (Daniel 7:9), for love alone is eternal, and the way Jesus loves is that of perfect wisdom: “All wisdom is from the Lord God, and hath been always with him, and is before all time” (Ecclesiasticus 1:1). His eyes are as a flaming fire, that is filled with love, because there is little in the world that transcends the wonderfulness of looking into the eyes of one that loves you, and eyes that say, “I love you” brings a peace and comfort that all men crave: “His eyes as doves upon brooks of waters, which are washed with milk, and sit beside the plentiful streams” (Canticle 5:12). Or, this can mean that Jesus, His eyes anointed by the sight of the perfect love of the Father, then comes to bring this light and love to you, that in His humanity you may see the divine love of God: “He that seeth me seeth the Father also” (John 14:9). His feet have two meanings: The first is in His people that take His message of love to others, their love purified by the fire of trials, the second is in His own way of life, the purity, love, and steadfastness of His actions being so perfect that they shone like brass: His legs as pillars of marble, that are set upon bases of gold” (Canticle 5:15). His voice is as the sound of many waters, because He praises God in the mouths of His faithful throughout the world: “Their sound hath gone forth into all the earth: and their words unto the ends of the world” (Psalm 18:5), either by chanting the Psalms: “Praise ye the Lord, because psalm is good: to our God be joyful and comely praise” (Psalm 146:1), extemporaneous prayer: “Sing ye to the Lord a new canticle: because he hath done wonderful things” (Psalm 97:1); or the rush of the heart towards the Beloved to pour out affection: “Let him kiss me with the kiss of his mouth” (Canticle 1:1), for everyone expresses their love in different ways. The seven stars denote both the order of bishops as well as the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which He gives as He will: “The Father loveth the Son: and he hath given all things into his hand” (John 3:35), therefore, it is only by drawing close to the Son and resting your head on His Heart that gifts may spring from Him in an abundance of love: “Follow after love, be zealous for spiritual gifts” (1 Corinthians 14:1). As for the sword which proceeds from His mouth, many refer to the harsh condemnation of sinners, which should not be taken lightly, but for the lover of God, it is through the words of Scripture that He may pierce the absolute depths of your soul: “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), for it can reprove and lift up, humble and encourage, show you what needs improving as well as how loved you are, if you let your heartstrings be plucked by the Divine Musician as you read it: “Thou hast made known to me the ways of life, thou shalt fill me with joy with thy countenance: at thy right hand are delights even to the end” (Psalm 15:11). In addition, the Lord is one to be imitated, and St. Paul invites you to walk in the footsteps of your Beloved: “Take unto you… the sword of the Spirit (which is the word of God)” (Ephesians 6:17), with the Carmelite Rule making the excellent exhortation to let the words of God abound in your heart and mouth: “And his mother kept all these words in her heart” (Luke 2:51), for just as one beloved keeps the thought and words of her lover in her mind and heart at all times, so too does the Lord invite you to keep Him and His love letter to you near you in all things. Finally, His divinity is described as being more glorious than the sun: “Thou shalt no more have the sun for thy light by day, neither shall the brightness of the moon enlighten thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee for an everlasting light, and thy God for thy glory” (Isaias 60:19), for love shines brighter than all the heavenly bodies, more radiantly than the sun, bringing a shine to the lover like a halo, and so the source of all love, the essence of love, will be beyond all fathoming, thus His face shines like the sun, as it shines with love for you.