In a recent moment of prayer, I dove into the scriptures. I’ve been recently going through the book of the Prophet Zechariah and in the 11th chapter, there is an oracle which speaks about bad shepherds.
In the oracle, these shepherds snap two staffs – the staff of Unity and the staff of Delight. In the wonderful footnote section, it tells that the staff of Unity is a symbol of Israel and Judah’s unity, which breaks, and the staff of Delight is a symbol of the Mosaic covenant. Now the Old Testament is fulfilled within the New Testament, so these staffs of unity and delight must be resized and restructured.
How has the Lord brought unity? Within the context of God’s chosen people, he’s incorporated us into that divine life. At Baptism, we are brought into the Body of Christ. The entire Church, though many in person, is one living body. Upon receiving the Eucharist, we are participating and receiving the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ and re-entering the reality of being a priest, prophet, and king through our Baptism.
But, none are perfect. That which is united through Christ is divided by sin. Sin causes us to have hearts of stone that turn us away from the Lord. Knowing this, he gave us a way of coming to his mercy and to his healing in Confession, the sacrament of reconciliation.
The theme is the Sacraments of the Church are direct doorways to entering to Christ and entering into his unity, the Trinity. This unity becomes the staff of delight. All the Covenants of the Old Testament are fulfilled with Christ and he institutes the final and everlasting Covenant. He has set up the bridge to himself and the door has been opened.
I wrote this blog because I desire to see the sacraments sought out more. Without them, an individual ultimately snaps the rods of unity and delight in their heart. During this season of Lent, mend the crack in the staffs of unity and delight. Take time in prayer to allow Christ to tell you where he wants to be allowed to enter. Form your Lenten practices around these areas. If you haven’t been to reconciliation recently, I encourage you to step foot into the office of the Divine Physician. If you haven’t been to Mass, come to the Foot of the Cross and the Banquet Table of Mercy. Seek Christ in all things as well. Offer prayers often and always in unity and delight with the whole Church.
Lucas Gerads was raised in St. Cloud and an alumni from Apollo High School. His home parish is St. Mary’s Cathedral in St. Cloud. He is currently attending Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota with hopes of finishing his degree in the spring of 2021. Some hobbies are hanging in his hammock, reading books that tantalize his brain, drinking coffee, learning new things, and rock climbing.