The Ark of the Covenant was a large treasure chest which the Jews carried with them during their desert sojourn and finally enthroned in the temple of Solomon in the inner sanctum called the Holy of Holies. The contents of this sacred trunk are mentioned in both the Old Testament and the New Testament.
First of all, the Ark held the two tablets of the law, that is, the Ten Commandments. Certainly these relics must have been the pride of Israel, the very emblem of God’s great expectations for his people. The Ark also was the resting place of Aaron’s staff, the walking stick of Moses’ priestly brother which had miraculously blossomed while the Jews were discerning a leader to assist Moses. And lastly, the Ark received a golden jar holding some of the manna that had sustained the Jews for 40 years as they traveled through the wilderness.
Now the Ten Commandments, Aaron’s staff and some manna from the desert might seem like glorious relics from Jewish history, and indeed they were. Imagine a Christian treasure chest that contained some wine from the wedding feast at Cana, some palms from the entrance into Jerusalem and even Eucharist from the Last Supper. These would indeed be valued remnants from the life of Christ. But the contents of the Ark were not just happy mementoes. The tablets, staff, and manna represented events in Jewish history when the Jews had failed in their commitment to God and their trust in his providence.
The bestowal of the Ten Commandments on the Jewish people through the ministry of Moses was a noble event in Jewish history. But it was attended by a shameless display of revelry and debauchery at the foot of Mount Sinai by a faithless people who had grown impatient with the dalliance of Moses. The Commandments were a reminder of God’s concern but also a souvenir of Jewish infidelity. Similarly, Aaron was an able aide to his brother Moses but his selection as lieutenant was not without controversy. The Jews could not agree about the leadership needed for the success of the Jewish nation so God had a staff from a member of each of the twelve tribes placed in a tent over night.
When Aaron’s staff budded this second time, the Jews accepted this as sign of his election by God. Nonetheless, the budded staff remained a reminder of the rebelliousness and stubbornness of the Jews. Finally the manna, although an admirable preview of the wondrous gift of the Eucharist, was also connected with the shame of the wandering Jews. The Jews grumbled as they marched through the desert, complaining that they were better off in Egypt with three meals a day and a roof over their heads. God offered them manna to placate them and forestall their protests. In the first reading for this Sunday’s Mass, Joshua explains that once the Jews arrived in the Promised Land, the manna ceased since now they could provide their own food. With this, the reproach of the Jews for their rebellious infidelity also ceased. The elimination of the manna was a fresh start.
In reality, the Ark of the Covenant and its contents were actually a reproach to the Jewish people, a constant reminder of their infidelity, their rebelliousness and their ingratitude. The Ark of the Covenant was a perennial commemoration of the Jewish need for redemption.
Not too long ago, a ruling went out from Rome that every Catholic Church had to have a reasonable representation of Christ crucified wherever Mass was celebrated. It had become fashionable towards the end of the last century to install representations of the Risen Christ, the Glorified Christ, the Triumphant Christ, in Catholic sanctuaries. A church that had lost its sense of sin and forgotten its need of redemption saw no need to contemplate the dying of Jesus. Spiritual success seemed well within reach.
The church fathers in Rome knew better. Like the nomadic Jews who had to carry the burden of their sins in the Ark of the Covenant as a constant reminder of the need of God’s grace, so the Catholic world is well reminded of its own need of redemption; its own need of salvation; its own need of liberation from sin every time the believer’s eyes are drawn to the Crucifix. Like the Jewish journey in the desert, Catholic redemption is a work in progress.
