At the moment when the Ark of the Covenant was brought into the Temple, there was nothing in the Ark except the tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments. The Lord’s invisible presence had no need of symbols, none of which could express Him in all His fullness, but any of which could be turned into an object of idolatry, as happened, for example, with the bronze serpent. Yet another symbol was preserved as sacred over the centuries: the tablets, which symbolized the Lord’s relationship with the human world. The commandments inscribed on them are the foundation of life for those who remain faithful to Him, and they are also a sign of His presence in the world.

At the same time, we see once more how incommensurable His manifestations are with everything accessible to human beings. Even the priests, to whom the prayer of the Temple had been entrusted, could not remain standing to minister when the glory of the Lord filled the Temple.

But it is all the more astonishing that the Lord does not reject the little that we can offer Him. For we are dear to Him...