|
|
|
Alpha and Omega
Alpha and
Omega - the first and last letters of the Greek Alphabet.
Then I
saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and the former earth had
passed away, and the sea was no more. I also saw the holy city, a new
Jerusalem, 3coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned
for her husband. I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold,
God's dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will
be his people and God himself will always be with them (as their God). He
will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or
mourning, wailing or pain, (for) the old order has passed away." The one
who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." Then
he said, "Write these words down, for they are trustworthy and
true." He said to me, "They are accomplished. I (am) the Alpha and
the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give a gift from
the spring of life-giving water. The victor will inherit these gifts, and I
shall be his God, and he will be my son. But as for cowards, the unfaithful,
the depraved, murderers, the unchaste, sorcerers, idol-worshipers, and
deceivers of every sort, their lot is in the burning pool of fire and sulfur,
which is the second death." -- Revelations 28:1-8
I
John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the
kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos,
for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the
Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest,
write in a book, and send [it] unto the seven churches which are in Asia;
unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto
Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. And I turned to see the
voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;
And in the midst of the seven candlesticks [one] like unto the Son of man,
clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a
golden girdle. -- Revelations 1:9-13
And he that sat upon the
throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for
these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am
Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is
athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall
inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the
fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and
whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their
part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second
death. -- Revelations 21:5-8
And he
saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the
time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is
filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be
righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I
come quickly; and my reward [is] with me, to give every man according as his
work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and
the last. Blessed [are] they that do his commandments, that they may have
right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
For without [are] dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and
idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. I Jesus have sent mine
angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the
offspring of David, [and] the bright and morning star. -- Revelations
22:10-16
Keep
silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew [their] strength: let
them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment.
Who raised up the righteous [man] from the east, called him to his foot, gave
the nations before him, and made [him] rule over kings? he gave [them] as the
dust to his sword, [and] as driven stubble to his bow. He pursued them, [and]
passed safely; [even] by the way [that] he had not gone with his feet. Who
hath wrought and done [it], calling the generations from the beginning? I the
LORD, the first, and with the last; I [am] he. -- Isaih 41:1-4
|
|
|
David's Harp
The
spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and he was tormented by an evil
spirit sent by the LORD. So the servants of Saul said to him: "Please!
An evil spirit from God is tormenting you. If your lordship will order it,
we, your servants here in attendance on you, will look for a man skilled in
playing the harp. When the evil spirit from God comes over you, he will play
and you will feel better." Saul then told his servants, "Find me a
skillful harpist and bring him to me." A servant spoke up to say:
"I have observed that one of the sons of Jesse of Bethlehem is a
skillful harpist. He is also a stalwart soldier, besides being an able
speaker, and handsome. Moreover, the LORD is with him." Accordingly,
Saul dispatched messengers to ask Jesse to send him his son David, who was
with the flock. Then Jesse took five loaves of bread, a skin of wine, and a
kid, and sent them to Saul by his son David. Thus David came to Saul and entered
his service. Saul became very fond of him, made him his armor-bearer, and
sent Jesse the message, "Allow David to remain in my service, for he
meets with my approval." Whenever the spirit from God seized Saul, David
would take the harp and play, and Saul would be relieved and feel better, for
the evil spirit would leave him. -- 1 Samuel 16:14-23
And
one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of
Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the
seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of
the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been
slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God
sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right
hand of him that sat upon the throne. And when he had taken the book, the
four beasts and four [and] twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having
every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the
prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take
the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast
redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people,
and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall
reign on the earth. -- Revelations 5:5-10
And I
looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred
forty [and] four thousand, having his Father's name written in their
foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and
as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping
with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and
before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but
the hundred [and] forty [and] four thousand, which were redeemed from the
earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are
virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These
were redeemed from among men, [being] the firstfruits unto God and to the
Lamb. -- Revelations 14:1-4
Praise
ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his
power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent
greatness. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the
psaltery and harp. Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with
stringed instruments and organs. Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him
upon the high sounding cymbals. Let every thing that hath breath praise the
LORD. Praise ye the LORD. -- Psalms 150:1-6
|
|
|
Chi Rho (Labarum)
XP (in
Greek Chi Rho) is a monogram incorporating the first two letters of the name
of Christ.
Labarum
is the name by which the military standard adopted by Constantine the Great
after his celebrated vision (Lactantius, "De mortibus
persecutorum", 44), was known in antiquity. The original labarum,
designed under the emperor's direction on the day subsequent to the
appearance of the "cross of light", is described by Eusebius (Vita
Constant., I:26) as "a long spear, overlaid with gold", which with
a transverse bar formed the figure of a cross. "On the top of the whole
was fixed a wreath of gold and precious stones, and within this the symbol of
the Saviour's name, two letters indicating the name of Christ by means of the
initial letters, the letter X intersection P at the centre." These two
letters formed what is known as the monogram of Constantine, so called -- not
because it was the invention of this emperor, for it had been a familiar
Christian symbol prior to his conversion -- but because of the great
popularity it enjoyed from the date of its appearance on the imperial
standards. From the cross-bar of the spear, was suspended a purple banner
with the Greek inscription TOUTO NIKA -- i. e. conquer by this (sign), usually
rendered in Latin "In hoc signo vinces" (in this sign thou shalt
conquer).
|
|
|
IHS
IHS
stands for the three first letters of Jesus in Greek (from the first three
letters of the greek name of JESus [IHSOYS]) and mean "Jesus Savior of
Men". The symbol IHS was used very frequently from the middle ages on.
 We give honour to the Name of Jesus
because the Name of Jesus reminds us of all the blessings we receive through
our Holy Redeemer. To give thanks for these blessings we revere the Holy
Name, as we honour the Passion of of Christ by honouring His Cross
(Colvenerius, "De festo SS. Nominis", ix). At the Holy Name of
Jesus we uncover our heads, and we bend our knees; it is at the head of all
our undertakings, as the Emperor Justinian says in his law-book: "In the
Name of Our Lord Jesus we begin all our consultations". The Name of
Jesus is invoked with confidence.
|
|
|
Tabernacle
The
Tabernacle was a structure built by the children of Israel under the
supervision of Moses, around 1450 B.C. The layout of the Tabernacle and the
materials of its construction were specified in great detail to Moses by God
at Mount Sinai, a few weeks after the children of Israel had left hundreds of
years of slavery in Egypt (the Exodus). The Tabernacle was a portable
construction, made by wise, skilful workmen and transported by one tribe (the
Levites) through the 40 years in the desert wilderness and on into the land
of Canaan.
John, one
of Jesus' disciples, tells us that "the law was given through Moses, but
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17). The word 'truth'
here is alethia in Greek, meaning 'reality'. The 'truth' John speaks of is
Jesus Christ as the Word, who was God and who became flesh and tabernacled
among us (John 1:1,14). (The Greek word sometimes translated as 'dwelt' here
is more literally translated 'tabernacled'). Therefore, the Tabernacle is a
picture, a foreshadow of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the book of Exodus, when
God dictates to Moses the detailed design of the Tabernacle (some 1450 years
before the birth of Jesus), He speaks forth a description of just who and
what the coming Messiah (the Christ) would be. In the four gospels,
particularly in John's account, Jesus shows Himself to be the reality of
every item in the Tabernacle. The real Tabernacle of God with men is
therefore the Lord Jesus Christ.
|
|
|
Holy Eucharist
No one
can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him
on the last day. It is written in the prophets: 'They shall all be taught by
God.' Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. Not
that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen
the Father. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am
the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;
this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not
die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this
bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life
of the world." The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, "How
can this man give us (his) flesh to eat?" Jesus said to them,
"Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man
and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats 19 my
flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last
day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my
flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living
Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who
feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down
from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this
bread will live forever." -- John 6:44-58
On the
first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, 9 the disciples approached Jesus
and said, "Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the
Passover?" He said, "Go into the city to a certain man and tell
him, 'The teacher says, "My appointed time draws near; in your house I
shall celebrate the Passover with my disciples."'" The disciples
then did as Jesus had ordered, and prepared the Passover. When it was
evening, he reclined at table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he
said, "Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me." Deeply
distressed at this, they began to say to him one after another, "Surely
it is not I, Lord?" He said in reply, "He who has dipped his hand
into the dish with me is the one who will betray me. The Son of Man indeed
goes, as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is
betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had never been born."
Then Judas, his betrayer, said in reply, "Surely it is not I,
Rabbi?" He answered, "You have said so." While they were
eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his
disciples said, "Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took a
cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of
you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of
many for the forgiveness of sins. -- Mathew 26:17-28
|
|
|
Sacred Heart of Jesus
A
heart surrounded by a crown of thorns, engulfed in flames surmounted with a
cross. This is the symbol of the Sacred Heart, or the love of Christ.
Margaret
Mary Alacoque (1647-1690), Visitandine of the monastery at Paray-le Monial,
was chosen by Christ to reveal the desires of His Heart and to confide the
task of inspiring new life to the devotion. That, in which He requested to be
honoured under the figure of His Heart of flesh.
|
|
|
Oil Lamp
 
Then
shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their
lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and
five [were] foolish. They that [were] foolish took their lamps, and took no
oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While
the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there
was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then
all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto
the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise
answered, saying, [Not so]; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye
rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy,
the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the
marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins,
saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto
you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the
hour wherein the Son of man cometh. -- Mathew 25: 1-13
|
|
|
Spear, Arrows and Square
Thomas
[Greek, form toma, twin] , also called Didymos [Greek name meaning a twin]
Judas Thomas, was one of the 12 apostles (Matt 10:3). His sign is carpenter's
square with a spear. In India he is reported to have built a church with his
own hands. Thomas died when he was shot with arrows, stoned and left to die.
A priest then ran a spear through him.
St.
Thomas was a Jew, called to be one of the twelve Apostles. He was a dedicated
but impetuous follower of Christ. When Jesus said He was returning to Judea
to visit His sick friend Lazarus, Thomas immediately exhorted the other
Apostles to accompany Him on the trip which involved certain danger and
possible death because of the mounting hostility of the authorities. At the
Last Supper, when Christ told His Apostles that He was going to prepare a
place for them to which they also might come because they knew both the place
and the way, Thomas pleaded that they did not understand and received the
beautiful assurance that Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. But St.
Thomas is best known for his role in verifying the Resurrection of his
Master. Thomas' unwillingness to believe that the other Apostles had seen
their risen Lord on the first Easter Sunday merited for him the title of "doubting
Thomas." Eight days later, on Christ's second apparition, Thomas was
gently rebuked for his scepticism and furnished with the evidence he had
demanded - seeing in Christ's hands the point of the nails and putting his
fingers in the place of the nails and his hand into His side. At this, St.
Thomas became convinced of the truth of the Resurrection and exclaimed:
"My Lord and My God," thus making a public Profession of Faith in
the Divinity of Jesus.
|
|
|
Holy Spirit
The dove
is the widely used symbol of the Holy Spirit.
Then
Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. John
tried to prevent him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and yet you
are coming to me?" Jesus said to him in reply, "Allow it now, for
thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed
him. After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the
heavens were opened (for him), and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a
dove (and) coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying,
"This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." --
Mathew 3:13-17
The
next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of
God, who takes away the sin of the world. He is the one of whom I said, 'A
man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.' I
did not know him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he
might be made known to Israel." John testified further, saying, "I
saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky and remain upon him. I did
not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'On
whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize
with the holy Spirit.' Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of
God." -- John 1:29-34
|
|
|
Keys of Heaven
 
When
Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi 9 he asked his disciples,
"Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" They replied,
"Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one
of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I
am?" Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Messiah, the Son of
the living God." Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you,
Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my
heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will
build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against
it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on
earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be
loosed in heaven." -- Mathew 16:13-19
|
|
|
Revelation Harp
 
...
And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written
within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel
proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose
the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the
earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much,
because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look
thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of
the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to
loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the
throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb
as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven
Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book
out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. And when he had taken
the book, the four beasts and four [and] twenty elders fell down before the
Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which
are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy
to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and
hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people,
and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall
reign on the earth. -- Revelation 5:1-10
|
|
