The prophet Isaiah is easily considered one of the greatest prophets of the Old Covenant. The book of the prophet Isaiah is considered to contain the most comprehensive prophetic picture of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament.
Isaiah is the prophet that most accurately and most extensively describes the coming savior, His Kingdom, and His plans for salvation history. His prophecies include the virgin birth, the suffering servant, the crucifixion (at least four centuries before crucifixions were even a thing), and the second coming.
We, as devout Christians, then should take notice of the prophecies of Isaiah when they come up in our cycle of readings, such as the prophecy we heard read today…praying that the Holy Spirit will make it real in our lives.
What in our readings today could be so important? Ultimately, Isaiah gives us an almost perfect image of what authentic worship will look like in the New Covenant. He gives us an image of how God calls us to worship Him in our day and age.
Let’s break down the major components of his prophecy.
First, Isaiah speaks of the Temple and the throne.
The vision of Isaiah is set in the Temple of Solomon and the throne represents what was referred to as the Holy of Holies. The Holy of Holies is where the presence of God was enthroned among His people.
When we allow ourselves to see our parishes through the sacramental worldview, we begin to see the vision of Isaiah all around us. Particularly the inner sanctuary, easily identifiable by the raised floor. The three steps represent the three levels of ordination: diaconate, presbyterate, and episcopate.
Just as God commanded in the Book of Exodus that vestments be created and worn by those in service to Him in the Holy of Holies, the Catholic Church requires liturgical actions occurring in the sanctuary to be performed wearing the appropriate vestments (such as those Father and I are wearing).
This is just one example of how the Catholic Church embraces the sacramental reality of the authentic worship called for by God and provides ways for us (as His children) to enter into that sacramental reality more deeply.
The core of Solomon’s temple, of course, was the Holy of Holies. In the Catholic Church, the Holy of Holies is the sanctuary. In the sanctuary, of course, is the tabernacle, where the Eucharist is contained. The Eucharist, of course, is the true Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ Himself. True to the prophecy, the presence of the Almighty is enthroned among His people in the Holy of Holies of every Catholic church.
Then, Isaiah speaks of Seraphim singing.
In the Sacramental reality, God exists in the eternal now. In the Mass, we step into the reality of the eternal now. Through the Mass, we are omnipresent to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Calvary as well as the heavenly worship described in the Book of Revelation, just as God is omnipresent to those events.
Angels are also omnipresent to these events, which means angels are present with us here at the Mass. We may not be able to see them with our physical eyes, but the sacramental reality remains true even when our human senses fail.
At every Mass, we join these angels in singing to our God. Just as we saw in the vision of Isaiah, with Angels and Archangels, with Thrones and Dominions, and with all the hosts and Powers of heaven, we sing the hymn of His glory, as without end we acclaim:
“Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.”
Next, Isaiah speaks of the Temple Filled with Smoke.
The use of incense in connection with worship is something that we see throughout Scripture, enough that the biblical connection between the use of incense and authentic worship should be fairly evident.
It isn’t practical to use incense at every single Mass we celebrate. Yet, through the Paschal Mystery, every Mass is connected to those high Solemnities where we use incense thoroughly.
Incense helps us engage our natural senses as it relates to the invisible reality of the sacramental worldview. Incense signifies the Church’s offering and prayer rising in the sight of God. Incense also shows a connectedness between the altar of sacrifice, those offering the sacrifice, and those uniting themselves to the once and for all sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Before being incensed we bow not only as a sign of reverence but as a sign of affirmation. It is an affirmation that like the incense, we offer our lives to God and pray our lives be lifted up and transformed through the Liturgy.
After that, Isaiah speaks of Expressions of Unworthiness
Isaiah said, “Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”
It is clear that Isaish has been convicted by his conscience that he is not worthy to be in the presence of the Lord. Ultimately, that is all of us, right? Like Saint Paul said, we all fall short of the glory of God. As such, we echo Isaiah’s cry when we say, “Lord, I am not worthy for you to enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed”.
Healed in this sense is sanctification and transformation. As it says in the Catechism, “There is no surer pledge or dearer sign of this great hope in the new heavens and new earth ‘in which righteousness dwells,’ than the Eucharist. Every time this mystery is celebrated, ‘the work of our redemption is carried on’ and we ‘break the one bread that provides the medicine of immortality, the antidote for death, and the food that makes us live forever in Jesus Christ.’”
Speaking of the Eucharist, Isaiah also speaks of Food from Heaven
Of course this food is the Eucharist, but we see it represented in Isaish’s vision with the ember that seraphim had taken with tongs from the altar.
Saint Cyril of Alexandria wrote, “One of the seraphim is sent to Isaiah with a burning coal which he took from the altar with tongs. This is clearly a symbol of Christ, who, on our behalf, offered himself up to God the Father as a pure and unblemished spiritual sacrifice with a most pleasing fragrance. In the same way, Christ is received from the altar. We must, however, explain why Christ is like a burning coal. It is customary in Holy Scripture for the divine nature to be likened to fire.”
In the fifth century, Saint Cyril is using the same words of sacrifice to describe the vision of Isaiah that we use to describe the Mass as he affirms that Isaiah is receiving the Eucharist, Jesus Christ Himself, from the seraphim. The vision of Isaiah is the Mass.
After receiving the Eucharist, Isaiah hears, "See, now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, your sin purged."
When we receive the Eucharist with the correct intention and disposition, the life of grace is preserved and increased within us. Also, we are absolved of venial sin and strengthened to resist mortal sin.
Finally, the vision completes when Isaiah is sent by the Lord.
Isaiah hears the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” Isaiah responded with “Here I am, send me!”
The Mass is called the Mass because of the Latin phrase “Ite missa est”, which means “Go, it is the sending”. This is the very end of the Mass, where I proclaim, “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.” To which each of you respond, “Thanks be to God”.
This is your moment to unite with Isaiah to answer the call of the Lord. Let your response to the dismissal truly mean “Here I am, send me!”
Send me, Lord, to your lost sheep that have denied themselves of the gift you have given us in the Mass and the Eucharist. Send me, Lord, to help them find their way to the truth faith, the fullness of the faith that can only be found in the Eucharist. Send me, Lord, to spread the grace I have received through the Eucharist to my neighbors and to extend the Kingdom of the Sacred Heart of Jesus into the world around me.
Thanks be to God!
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