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What's New
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July 2026
New article: “The Book of Revelation” (Revelation).
New article: “The Letters to the Seven Churches” (Revelation).
New article: “The Liturgy of Heaven” (Revelation).
New article: “The Woman, the Dragon, and the Lamb” (Revelation).
New article: “Babylon and the Judgment” (Revelation).
New article: “The New Jerusalem” (Revelation).
New article: “The Catholic Letters” (Catholic Letters).
New article: “The Letter of James” (Catholic Letters).
New article: “The Letters of Peter” (Catholic Letters).
New article: “The Letters of John” (Catholic Letters).
New article: “The Letter of Jude” (Catholic Letters).
New article: “The Book of Acts” (Acts).
New article: “Pentecost” (Acts).
New article: “The Church of the First Days” (Acts).
New article: “The Gospel to the Nations” (Acts).
New article: “To the Ends of the Earth” (Acts).
New article: “The Book of Hosea” (Hosea).
New article: “The Book of Micah” (Micah).
New article: “The Book of Jonah” (Jonah).
New article: “The Book of Habakkuk” (Habakkuk).
New article: “The Book of Zephaniah” (Zephaniah).
New article: “The Book of Malachi” (Malachi).
New article: “The Book of Daniel” (Daniel).
New article: “Faith in the Trial” (Daniel).
New article: “The Kingdoms That Pass” (Daniel).
New article: “The Son of Man and the Resurrection” (Daniel).
New article: “Susanna and the Wisdom of God” (Daniel).
New article: “The Book of Jeremiah” (Jeremiah).
New article: “Jeremiah, the Tested Prophet” (Jeremiah).
New article: “The New Covenant” (Jeremiah).
New article: “The Fall of Jerusalem and the Lamentations” (Jeremiah).
New article: “Baruch and the Hope of Exile” (Jeremiah).
New article: “The Song of Songs” (Song of Songs).
New article: “The Movement of Love” (Song of Songs).
New article: “The Garden of Symbols” (Song of Songs).
New article: “Love Strong as Death” (Song of Songs).
New article: “The Senses of the Song” (Song of Songs).
New article: “The Book of Job” (Job).
New article: “The Prologue and the Trial” (Job).
New article: “Job and His Friends” (Job).
New article: “God’s Answer” (Job).
New article: “My Eyes Have Seen You” (Job).
New article: “The Book of Ecclesiastes” (Ecclesiastes).
New article: “The Quest for Happiness” (Ecclesiastes).
New article: “A Time for Everything” (Ecclesiastes).
New article: “The Joy That Is God’s Gift” (Ecclesiastes).
New article: “Remember Your Creator” (Ecclesiastes).
New article: “The Book of Wisdom” (Wisdom).
New article: “The Righteous, the Wicked, and Immortality” (Wisdom).
New article: “Wisdom, the Breath of God” (Wisdom).
New article: “Wisdom, Guide of History” (Wisdom).
New article: “Knowing God and the Folly of Idols” (Wisdom).
New article: “The Book of Sirach” (Sirach).
New article: “The Fear of the Lord, Source of Wisdom” (Sirach).
New article: “Wisdom and the Law” (Sirach).
New article: “The Choice of Life and Everyday Wisdom” (Sirach).
New article: “The Praise of the Ancestors” (Sirach).
New article: “The Book of Proverbs” (Proverbs).
New article: “The Fear of the Lord and the Two Ways” (Proverbs).
New article: “Personified Wisdom” (Proverbs).
New article: “Wisdom for Daily Life” (Proverbs).
New article: “The Valiant Woman” (Proverbs).
New article: “The Psalter, Prayer of Israel” (Psalms).
New article: “The Psalms of Praise and Thanksgiving” (Psalms).
New article: “The Psalms of Supplication and Trust” (Psalms).
New article: “The Royal and Messianic Psalms” (Psalms).
New article: “The Psalms of Ascents and Wisdom” (Psalms).
New article: “The Psalms on the Lips of Christ” (Psalms).
New article: “The Crisis and the Profanation of the Temple” (1 Maccabees).
New article: “Eleazar and the Seven Brothers” (2 Maccabees).
New article: “Judas Maccabeus and the Dedication of the Temple” (1-2 Maccabees).
New article: “Jewish Independence” (1 Maccabees).
New article: “Tobit” (Tobit).
New article: “Judith” (Judith).
New article: “Esther” (Esther).
New article: “The Return and the House of God” (Ezra).
New article: “Ezra and the Return to the Law” (Ezra, Nehemiah).
New article: “Nehemiah and the Rebuilt City” (Nehemiah).
New article: “Samuel and the Rise of Kingship” (1-2 Samuel).
New article: “Saul and the Rise of David” (1 Samuel).
New article: “David, the Covenant, and the Promise” (2 Samuel).
New article: “Solomon and the Temple” (1 Kings).
New article: “The Schism and the Northern Kingdom” (1-2 Kings).
New article: “Judah until the Exile” (2 Kings, 2 Chronicles).
New article: “The Entry into the Promised Land” (Joshua).
New article: “The Division of the Land and the Covenant at Shechem” (Joshua).
New article: “The Time of the Judges” (Judges).
New article: “In Those Days There Was No King” (Judges).
New article: “Ruth the Moabite” (Ruth).
New article: “Abraham, Father of Believers” (Genesis).
New article: “Isaac and Jacob” (Genesis).
New article: “Joseph” (Genesis).
New article: “The Creation and the Rest” (Genesis).
New article: “The Garden and the Fall” (Genesis).
New article: “From Cain to Babel” (Genesis).
New article: “Personal Responsibility” (Ezekiel).
New article: “The Ministry of the New Covenant” (2 Corinthians).
New article: “The Collection for the Saints” (2 Corinthians).
New article: “Strength in Weakness” (2 Corinthians).
New article: “The Decalogue.”
New article: “The Law of the Neighbor.”
New article: “The Law of Worship and Holiness.”
New article: “The Law and Christ.”
New article: “The Law, Gift of the Covenant.”
New article: “Freedom and idols” (1 Corinthians 8-10).
New article: “The charisms and the assembly” (1 Corinthians 12 and 14).
New article: “The Cardinal Virtues”.
New article: “Prudence”.
New article: “Temperance”.
The French Bible of the site is now the Chérubin translation, with section headings in the reader.
New article: “Resentment and Forgiveness”.
New article: “Judging One’s Neighbour”.
New article: “The New Temple and the River of Life” (Ezekiel).
New article: “The Restoration of Israel” (Ezekiel).
New article: “The Oracles Against the Nations” (Ezekiel).
New article: “The Symbolic Actions and the Judgment of Jerusalem”.
New article: “Ezekiel, the Prophet of the Exile”.
New article: “Anger and Meekness”.
New article: “Love”.
New article: “The Desire to Feel the Spirit”.
New article: “The Dark Night of the Soul”.
June 2026
New article: “Consolation and Desolation”.
New article: “Discerning the Movements of the Heart”.
New article: “The Fall of Nineveh”.
New article: “The God Who Judges and Who Saves”.
New article: “Nahum and the Assyrian Empire”.
New article: “Justice, the Day of the Lord, and Hope”.
New article: “The Visions and the Rejected Worship”.
New article: “The Judgment of the Nations and of Israel”.
New article: “Amos, the Shepherd Prophet”.
New article: “The Glory of the Second Temple”.
New article: “The Four Oracles”.
New article: “Haggai and the Rebuilding of the Temple”.
New article: “The Expansion of Christianity”.
New article: “All Under Sin”.
New article: “The Epistle to the Romans”.
New article: “Sinai and the covenant”.
New article: “The deliverance”.
New article: “The bondage and the call”.
New article: “The oracles against the nations”.
New article: “Sadness”.
New article: “Fear”.
New article: “The finger of God”.
New article: “The baptism of Christ”.
New article: “The Resurrection and the Glorification”.
New article: “Holy Week”.
New article: “The third year: the opposition”.
New article: “The second year: popularity”.
New article: “The first year: the inauguration”.
New article: “The preparation for the ministry”.
New article: “The prologues and the coming of Christ”.
New: the “Memorise” tool.
New article: “The Real Presence.”
New article: “The four Servant Songs”.
New article: “Trito-Isaiah”.
New article: “Deutero-Isaiah”.
New article: “Proto-Isaiah”.
New article: “Predestination”.
New article: “The Angel of the Lord”.
New article: “Wars of Extermination in the Bible”.
New article: “Slavery in the Bible”.
New article: “The Nature of God”.
New article: “The Age of the Martyrs”.
New article: “The Abode of the Dead”.
New article: “The Canon and the Deuterocanonical Books”.
New article: “The Deacon”.
New article: “The Priest”.
New article: “Sola Scriptura”.
New article: “The Angels”.
New article: “Sola Fide”.
New article: “Once Saved, Always Saved”.
New article: “Elijah at Horeb”.
New article: “Turning the Other Cheek”.
New article: “Buy a Sword”.
New article: “Let the Dead Bury Their Dead”.
New article: “Jesus before Pilate”.
New article: “Jesus and Nicodemus”.
New article: “Invincible Ignorance”.
New article: “The Prophet and His Time”.
New article: “The Eight Night Visions”.
New article: “Joshua, the Branch and the Crown”.
New article: “Fasting and Restoration”.
New article: “First Oracle: The King Who Comes”.
New article: “The Book of Obadiah”.
New article: “Second Oracle: The Pierced One”.
New article: “The Day of the Lord”.
New article: “The Plague and the Day of the Lord”.
New article: “Conversion and the Spirit Poured Out”.
New article: “The Judgment of the Nations and the Salvation of Zion”.
New article: “The Three Ways of the Interior Life”.
New article: “Freedom and Responsibility”.
New article: “The Moral Conscience”.
New article: “Doubt and the Moral Systems”.
New article: “Doing Evil for a Good”.
New article: “Adoration and Praise”.
New article: “Why God Asks for Adoration”.
New article: “Faith and Science”.
New article: “The Theory of Evolution”.
New article: “The Woes of Isaiah”.
New article: “The Dwelling, the Priesthood and the Sacrifices”.
New article: “The Forty Years in the Desert”.
New article: "The Discourses of Moses".
New article: "The Death of Moses".
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The Law of Worship and Holiness

An immense part of the Law orders worship: how Israel is to draw near to its God, serve him, and remain a holy people in the midst of the nations. These are the precepts the Church calls ceremonial, the sanctuary and the priesthood, the sacrifices and the blood, the clean and the unclean, the feasts and the sabbath. All ordered the meeting of God and his people, and all bore beforehand, in figures, the mystery of Christ who was to come and fulfil them.

The Sanctuary and the Priesthood

God willed to dwell among his own, and he had them build a dwelling, the tent in the desert and then the Temple at Jerusalem, where his presence rested. “They are to make me a sanctuary, and I will dwell among them.” Exodus 25:8 This sanctuary was ordered with extreme care, from the most holy to the most common, to teach the people that God is near but that he is holy, and that one does not approach him in any manner one pleases. To serve him, God chose a family, that of Aaron, and instituted a priesthood: the priests offered the sacrifices, bore the people before God, and blessed in his name, while the high priest alone entered, once a year, into the most holy place. A whole order governed this approach, to engrave into gestures the distance between the most holy God and sinful man, and the price of crossing it.

The Sacrifices and the Blood

At the center of worship stood the sacrifices. Animals and the fruits of the earth were offered to God, as a holocaust wholly consumed to adore him, as a sacrifice for sin to be purified of it, as a peace offering to give thanks and commune with him in a shared meal. The blood held the first place, for it bears life, and life belongs to God alone. “for it is the blood that makes atonement, because it is life.” Leviticus 17:11 Once a year, on the great Day of Atonement, the high priest obtained pardon for the whole people by a striking rite: on the head of a goat he confessed the faults of Israel, then it was driven into the wilderness, carrying the sins away from the camp. “Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the transgressions of the sons of Israel… he shall put them thus on the head of the goat and send it into the wilderness.” Leviticus 16:21 These rites told a truth the people had to learn: sin separates from God, it costs a life, and no one draws near to him without being purified.

The Clean and the Unclean, a School of Holiness

The Law distinguished the clean from the unclean, in food, in the body, and in the gestures of life. These rules did not aim at hygiene, but at the education of a people: they engraved into the most daily acts, even into what one ate, that everything in life stands before God, and that Israel was to keep itself distinct from the nations and their unclean cults. To eat, to wash, to touch, all became an occasion to remember God. All this discipline had a single purpose, summed up in a word that commands the whole book of Leviticus. “Be holy, for I am holy, I the Lord, your God.” Leviticus 19:2 The holiness of the people was to reflect the holiness of its God, not by a performance, but by belonging: Israel was set apart because God had chosen it.

The Sacred Times

The Law sanctified time as well, so that Israel might live to the rhythm of God. The sabbath, the seventh day, was given to God and became the sign of the covenant, the weekly reminder that God creates and that he sanctifies his people. “the sabbath is a sign between me and you, throughout your generations, so that you may know that I am the Lord who makes you holy.” Exodus 31:13 The whole year was marked by great pilgrimage feasts, on which the people went up before God. The Passover made memory of the exodus from Egypt, when the blood of the lamb had spared the houses of Israel. “I will see the blood and pass over you, and no destroying plague will touch you.” Exodus 12:13 Fifty days later, the feast of Weeks celebrated the harvest and the gift of the Law. In the autumn, the feast of Booths recalled the march in the desert, when the people lived under huts. “so that your descendants may know that I made the sons of Israel live in huts when I brought them out of the land of Egypt.” Leviticus 23:42-43 Thus time itself became prayer and memory.

Figures That Call for Christ

All this worship was true and willed by God, but it was not the term: it announced and prepared what was to come. For the blood of beasts could not, of itself, blot out sin. “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” Hebrews 10:4 These rites were the shadow of a higher reality. The sanctuary announced the true Temple, Christ, in whom God dwells among us; the priesthood of Aaron called for the one priest, who enters not into a sanctuary of stone, but into heaven itself. “he entered the sanctuary once for all, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, obtaining an eternal redemption.” Hebrews 9:11-12 The countless sacrifices awaited the one sacrifice of the Cross, where the Lamb of God takes away the sin of the world; and the goat laden with faults, driven into the wilderness, prefigured the one who bore our sins outside the city. Since the reality has come, the shadow has done its work, and these feasts, these sabbaths, these rites all speak of the body of Christ. “all this was only a shadow of the realities to come; the reality is the body of Christ.” Colossians 2:16-17

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