Let Us Go Rejoicing to the House of the Lord"

Today's Mass Readings

In today’s first reading from the Book of Ezra, we see the continued construction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. This reading discusses the Temple’s completion, but it was only a preliminary completion. It was completed in the sense that sacrifices could once again be offered within its walls, but Jews would continue to add to the temple, particularly under the later reign of King Herod. It was in fact not until the time of Herod that the final work on the Temple was completed.
The end of the first reading is the climax of that passage. It says that they celebrated the Passover. The significance of this might be difficult for us to grasp. No one had celebrated the Passover in approximately 60 years. The Passover could only be celebrated with the sacrifice of a lamb, and the lambs could only be sacrificed in the Temple. The later Jewish tradition of using a lamb’s bone to represent the sacrifice at the Passover celebration, dates to after the time of Jesus, after the Temple was destroyed for a second time in 70 A.D. So now, for the first time for an entire generation, the Passover could be celebrated in its entirety, once again. The Passover was one of the most important celebrations in ancient Israel, and in fact was the most important feast. The Passover celebrated God’s saving work when He liberated Israel from slavery in Egypt. More than merely a physical liberation, the exodus event was a spiritual liberation where the Israelites were freed to worship God.

The Eucharist is the fulfilled Passover. Through the Eucharist, we are saved from sin, which the Church fathers saw prefigured as Egypt, and we are brought to the true Promised Land, heaven. The Book of Exodus stipulates that the Passover of the Lord should continue forever, even after entrance into the Promised Land. The Jews of Jesus’ time were expecting a new Passover that the Messiah would usher in, a Messianic banquet. The Eucharist is what they were waiting for, ushered in by Jesus the Christ, the Messiah. It is at the Eucharist that we participate in the wedding banquet of the Lamb, the Messianic banquet. This is the one sacrifice and feast that both the first and second Temples pointed toward. Let us joyfully celebrate Christ’s Passover sacrifice each time we go to Mass.