Yesterday, Today, and Forever by Maria Von Trapp Read Free Book Online

how much had happened to her in that short time. First her espousal to Joseph, then the earthshaking moment of the annunciation. Her visit with Elizabeth, maybe the happiest months of her life; then the heart-rending weeks when she witnessed Joseph’s worries. The trip down to Bethlehem, the mystery of the Holy Night, the shepherds and their story about the angels. Now here she was back at the temple — not alone, but with her husband and her son, pondering in her heart the great things said to her by the angel and by Elizabeth.
    The temple — how much do we know about it — its shape, size, cervices, porches, gates, courts, and priests? For our Lord it will always be the house of the Father. It will be said of Him in the words of the Sixty-ninth Psalm: “Zeal for thy house will consume me” (John 2:17). One day He will cleanse it in vigor and wrath. Of the last days of His life it is said, “And he was teaching daily in the temple” (Luke 19:47). Just how familiar are we with it? Most of us do not give it a second thought and take the temple simply for something like a big church. How astonished we are, therefore, when we find out that at that time the temple occupied a square of more than 950 feet. This would make it more than half again as long at St. Peter’s in Rome, which measures 613 feet.
    During recent excavations of the temple, stones have been found measuring from 20 to 40 feet in length and weighing about one hundred tons. In the back of the large confraternity edition of the New Testament is a colored plan which gives us an idea. Soon we find ourselves hunting for pictures and more information and, if possible, a scale model. They are very rarely to be found, though, so why not make one yourself? It is exciting and interesting.
    There are whole books written on the temple, one by Alfred Edersheim:
The Temple, Its Ministry and Services as They Were in the Time of Christ.
In a book by Father O’Shea,
Mary and Joseph, Their Life and Times,
are three very helpful chapters on the temple: “The Priests of Jehovah,” “The House of Jehovah,” and “The Hour of Incense.” 1 If, after some study, we try to reconstruct the temple on a small scale with our girls and boys — must not our Lord be pleased that we show so much interest in the house of the Father so dear to His heart? After having worked with cardboard, paper, and glue for weeks that way, we shall find ourselves richly rewarded, because we don’t feel like strangers any more.
    We understand better when we read together the following passages in the New Testament: “Then the devil took him to the holy city, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple” (Matt. 4:5). “Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar” (Matt. 23:35). “And throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple” (Matt. 27:5). “Two men went up into the temple to pray” (Luke 18:10). “Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching” (Mark 14:49). “And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom” (Matt. 27:51). “The one who sat for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple” (Acts 3:10).
    We can closely accompany the holy family when they pass through the royal gate entering the temple. First they walked through the royal cloisters, a hall bigger than any Christian basilica has ever been , a richly carved roof carried by 162 beautiful pillars a hundred feet high. There were benches for everyone who wanted to rest. This was the place for all the beggars and the blind and deaf and dumb and those afflicted with many sicknesses, all of them exhibiting their troubles to move the charity of the many passers-by. At the time there were no hospitals in Jerusalem, and no board of social welfare.
    After they had passed the covered cloister, the holy family stepped out into the vast Court of the Gentiles. Here were the tables of the moneychangers and the temple markets. As pilgrims came to Jerusalem