Consecration Question

[Lil Red]

+J.M.J.+
i'm doing my total consecration right now according to St. Louis de Montfort. on page 76, 33rd day, it says:
[quote]The Holy Ghost, by the mouth of the Fathers, also styles the Blessed Virgin the Eastern Gate, by which the High-Priest, Jesus Christ, enters the world, and leaves it. By it, He came the first time, He will come the second, by it.[/quote]

say what? that's confusing. anyone have any thoughts on this? thanks!

[StColette]

This wording might help a little bit

[quote]The Holy Spirit speaking through the Fathers of the Church, also calls our Lady the Eastern Gate, through which the High Priest, Jesus Christ, enters and goes out into the world. Through this gate he entered the world the first time and through this same gate he will come the second time.[/quote]

The Eastern Gate is the main entrance into the Temple area. Jesus entered through the Eastern Gate when he entered into Jerusalem riding on the donkey. I wonder if St. Louis is referencing Christ's entrance into the Eastern Gate here. Our Lady is often called the Gate of Heaven, it makes sense that she could be called the Eastern Gate as well because she is a symbol of the Temple of God. Christ's entrance into the Eastern Gate really started the Passion, in my opinion. So I guess one could say that when he entered into the actual Eastern Gate, which not too long after he was crucified, and in that way through his death and resurrection he went out into the entire world. Also Christ entered into the womb of the Blessed Virgin through the Holy Spirit and from her womb entered the world.

The Prophet Ezekiel makes reference to the second coming in Ez 43:1-5

1
Then he led me to the gate which faces the east,
2
and there I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. I heard a sound like the roaring of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory.
3
The vision was like that which I had seen when he came to destroy the city, and like that which I had seen by the river Chebar. I fell prone
4
as the glory of the LORD entered the temple by way of the gate which faces the east,
5
but spirit lifted me up and brought me to the inner court. And I saw that the temple was filled with the glory of the LORD.

He references the gate at the eastern side of the Temple. So St. Louis could be referencing just as Christ entered through the Eastern Gate of the Temple in Jerusalem, and never exited, He will return through that Eastern Gate, out into the world at His Second Coming.

A few Saints have also wrote that Blessed Virgin will play a role in Christ's second coming. I would have to go home and read through some Mariology books to find this out. Thus it would reference the Blessed Virgin as the Eastern Gate again.


I could be completely wrong on this though.

[StColette]

True Devotion has a continuation of what you quoted as well LilRed

[quote]262. The Holy Spirit speaking through the Fathers of the Church, also calls our Lady the Eastern Gate, through which the High Priest, Jesus Christ, enters and goes out into the world. Through this gate he entered the world the first time and through this same gate he will come the second time.

The Holy Spirit also calls her the Sanctuary of the Divinity, the Resting-Place of the Holy Spirit, the Throne of God, the City of God, the Altar of God, the Temple of God, the World of God. All these titles and expressions of praise are very real when related to the different wonders the Almighty worked in her and the graces which he bestowed on her. What wealth and what glory! What a joy and a privilege for us to enter and dwell in Mary, in whom almighty God has set up the throne of his supreme glory![/quote]

The following comes from Wikipedia about the Eastern Gate

In Jewish tradition, this is the gate through which the Messiah will enter Jerusalem. Ottoman Sultan Suleiman I sealed off the Golden Gate in 1541 to prevent the Messiah's entrance. The Muslims also built a cemetery in front of the gate, in the belief that the precursor to the Messiah, Elijah, would not be able to pass through, since he is a Kohen. This belief is erroneous because a Kohen is permitted to enter a cemetery in which primarily non-Jews are buried.

The Golden Gate is one of the few sealed gates in Jerusalem's Old City Walls, along with the Huldah Gates, and a small Biblical and Crusader-era postern located several stories above ground on the southern side of the eastern wall.

[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Gate_(Jerusalem)"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Gate_(Jerusalem)[/url]

According to Chrisitian tradition the Eastern Gate will not be reopened until the Second Coming.

Edited May 30, 2008 by StColette

[StColette]

for Red

[phatcatholic]

wow, that's interesting jennie! thanks for posting all of that!

[StColette]

[quote name='phatcatholic' post='1557276' date='Jun 4 2008, 11:28 AM']wow, that's interesting jennie! thanks for posting all of that![/quote]

yw lol St. Louis de Montfort's writings are a passion of mine lol That's why Heidi bought me a hardback of his complete collection lol

Also

Jesus Living in Mary - Handbook of the Spirituality of St. Louis de Montfort is awesome!

[Lil Red]

+J.M.J.+
i find a lot of his stuff to be confusing, which is why i need help on a lot of things

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[quote name='phatcatholic' post='1557276' date='Jun 4 2008, 11:28 AM']wow, that's interesting jennie! thanks for posting all of that![/quote]
My wife's a genius. Now, if only I could smell of elderberries all the knowledge out of her cute little brain...

[StColette]

[quote name='Lil Red' post='1559195' date='Jun 5 2008, 01:08 AM']+J.M.J.+
i find a lot of his stuff to be confusing, which is why i need help on a lot of things[/quote]

Keep asking It's never wrong to ask. And St. Louis can be confusing because he uses so much typology in his writings.