Jacob’s Ladder

One

Jacob’s Dream

Jacob, one of the greatest patriarchs the Old Testament, was the grandson of Abraham. Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel, became the father of the sons who themselves became the basis for the Twelve Tribes of Israel.

Now, early on in his life, Jacob took a long trip through the wilderness. And one night, on his trip, when he laid down to sleep, he had a dream. He dreamt that he saw a ladder stretching between earth and heaven, and angels were going up and down on this ladder.

This is the famous image of Jacob’s ladder between Heaven and Earth that Jacob saw in his dream. What does it mean?

Two

The Chosen People

On the one hand, the image of the ladder to heaven has a clear reference to the function of the chosen people. Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, the entire nation of Israel, was especially chosen by God to be the means by which all the world, all the nations, could come into contact with the One, True God. All the peoples of the earth who had fallen into paganism could look to the Israelites, could see the wonders God worked for them, and the sublime truths God revealed to them. Their job was to be the ladder, the bridge, the contact point between Earth and heaven.

But of course, far from fulfilling that role, the Israelites repeatedly fell into the paganism and sin of the people they were supposed to provide an example for. In fact, it turned out that the ultimate way the Israelites would fulfill their mission of connecting God and heaven would be by being the people from whom Jesus Christ would come.

Three

Christ – the Fulfillment of the Ladder

If you remember, in the Gospel of John, when Jesus meets Nathaniel, Nathaniel is converted almost immediately when Jesus says, “I saw you sitting under the fig tree.”But then Jesus says, “Do you believe just because I saw you sitting under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this. Amen, Amen I tell you, you will see the heavens opened, and angels ascending and descending on the Son of man.” (John 1:51).

Did you hear that? Angels ascending and descending, that’s exactly what Jacob saw when he dreamt about the staircase to heaven. Jesus is Jacob’s ladder. He is the bridge between God and humanity. He is the connection between the divine and the human that was being prepared since the time of the Patriarchs.

Four

The Church – the Ladder

Since the coming of Christ, the Chosen People has expanded. Christ’s coming, His Taking Humanity to Himself, has universalized those who are given the mission of connecting God and humanity. It’s not just the job of the descendants of Jacob. It’s the job of all humanity. It’s a universal job. It’s the job of that Universal Community, the Catholic Church

Christ has come. The bridge has been established. And you and I are to be the bridge to the bridge, the ladder to the ladder. 

So are you doing that? Are you living like someone who realizes that everything has changed with the coming of Christ? Are we fulfilling our mission as Catholics? The mission of bringing everyone to Jesus, so that Jesus can bring everyone to their home with God?

Five

Are you staying close to Christ?

Christ is able to be the bridge between God and Man because He is God and man. From all eternity He dwells with God. When He was born at Bethlehem, He made his abode with men. He can be the bridge, the mediator because He is one with God and one with humanity.

The point is that you can only be a bridge if you are in contact with both sides of what you’re connecting. Which means you have to stay in contact with Christ. You have to pray. You have to meet Him in the sacraments. Only then can you benefit from the bridge that was born of Mary. Only then can you lead other people to Him.