All Roads Lead to the Eucharist (1 of 4)

I'm very blessed to attend Mass at beautiful St. Mary's Church in Mt. Angel, OR.  The neo-gothic architecture, the stenciling, the windows... all a sight to behold.  As I learned in the churches & cathedrals of Europe, no feature of a church is done by accident.  In Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, for example, the Bible stories featured in the windows run chronologically from right to left; it ends with a window of the last judgment.  (do a Google image search to see one of the most beautiful churches every built)  The windows were meant to both tell the story of the Bible and teach souls of the life of Jesus.

St. Mary's is no exception to that rule, that the placement of windows, etc. is deliberate.  A while ago, I noticed that there were four stained glass windows in the apse--directly above the tabernacle and high altar.  When I looked closer, I found that those windows were indeed deliberate.  Here are my thoughts on the first window.  (the other three will follow in future posts)

The offering of Melchizedek (Gen 14:18-20)

To set the stage: Abram comes back from battle, victorious!  Melchizedek, the king of Salem, is named as a "priest of God Most High" (v. 18).  Let's start here.  Mel was a priest before God established a priesthood among the Jewish people.  Aaron would be the first high priest and then the tribe of Levi... interesting that Mel precedes them.  From what little is said about him in Gen 14, we can "spiritually conclude" (my phrase, since exegetes may not approve) that Melchizedek was appointed a priest by God--not men.  This feature of Melchizedek's priesthood is very typological; Jesus also had a special priesthood that wasn't rooted in the line of Aaron or Levi.

The author of the letter to the Hebrews takes up this point in earnest in ch. 7.  He highlights the superiority and priority of the priestly order of Melchizedek and cites Psalm 110: "You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek" (Heb 7:17; Ps 110:4).  Psalm 110 sings of the Messiah as both a king and a priest.  The author of Hebrews picks this up and points directly to Jesus: HE is the Messiah long-foretold; HE is the king that will shepherd the Chosen People; HE is the high priest who received His authority from God ("in the order of Melchizedek").

If that weren't enough to tie Jesus to Melchizedek, the elements of his offering do.  Mel offers bread and wine; praises God Most High; then blesses Abram in the Name of God Most High.  As a sign of respect and gratitude, Abram tithes a tenth of his belongings.

Bread and wine.  That sounds familiar!

Reading the figure of Melchizedek typologically is very fruitful for us to do.  We should remember that the practice of the Eucharist has very deep roots in the Old Testament.  Praise to You, God Most High, for giving us the Mystery of Mysteries in the Eucharist!