Let us start with a simple observation, the “To Me” of Exodus 19:4. “I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself” (Ex 19:4) We can easily say that this is a Promise and that it is not yet fulfilled. “to me” is: not fully realised at Sinai, nor in the Tent, nor even in the Temple. It is a universal call to intimacy with God, but realised only progressively, and in a limited way under the Old Covenant. Let’s unpack that in light of Scripture and theology:
1. The Tent of Meeting (Tabernacle): A Partial Fulfillment
Initially, with rare exceptions only Moses (and later the High Priest) could enter and speak with God (Ex 33:11). God’s glory was overwhelming and veiled, even for Moses (Ex 33:20: “you cannot see my face and live”). The people remained at a distance, and even the Tent was outside the camp for a time (Ex 33:7).
Brevard Childs (Exodus Commentary): “God’s presence is mediated, selective, and limited. Even Moses’ access is partial.”
2. The Jerusalem Temple: Centralised, but Still Distant
Once the Temple was built by Solomon, the intimacy (the “to me”) wasn’t total. Only Levites could serve. Only priests could enter the Holy Place. Only the High Priest, once a year, could enter the Holy of Holies (Lev 16:2–34). The presence of God was hidden behind a veil (פָּרֹכֶת / paroket). So the ordinary Israelite—even the most devout—could never come into God’s immediate presence. The “to me” remained symbolic, communal, and mediated, but not yet personal and intimate.
Joseph Ratzinger / Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth, vol. 2: “The Temple was both the place of presence and the place of separation. God is there—but unapproachable.”
3. In Jesus Christ: The “To Me” Is Finally Fulfilled
Jesus is: The true Temple (John 2:21) The High Priest who enters the real Holy of Holies (Heb 9:11–12) The one who tears the veil (Matt 27:51) The one who draws all to himself (John 12:32) “No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) This is the true and final “to me”.
Through Him: Access is no longer restricted (Heb 10:19–22). God’s dwelling is now within us (John 14:23; Rom 5:5). The promise of Exodus 19:4 reaches its personal, universal, and eternal form. The Letter to the Hebrews (esp. chs. 9–10) is the most complete NT commentary on this progression.
Summary Table: The Journey of “To Me” (Ex 19:4)
| Stage | Mode of Presence | Access Level | Fulfillment Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sinai | Theophany (cloud, voice) | Moses only | Beginning of fulfillment |
| Tabernacle | Glory cloud at times | Moses, Aaron | Partial, mediated |
| Temple | Behind veil in Holy of Holies | High Priest, once/year | Still distant and selective |
| Jesus Christ | Incarnate Word, crucified & risen | All who believe | Full realization |
| Holy Spirit | Indwelling in hearts | Universal (baptised) | Permanent, transformative |
Patristic Echoes
St. Gregory of Nazianzus: “In the Old Covenant, only the High Priest could enter; now, through Christ, all are invited to enter the Holy of Holies.”
St. Augustine: “What was veiled is now revealed. What was distant is now within. We are brought not to Sinai, but to the heart of God.”
Scholarly Sources
- Ratzinger, Joseph (Benedict XVI). Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week. Ignatius Press, 2011.
- Childs, Brevard. The Book of Exodus: A Critical, Theological Commentary. Westminster, 1974.
- Gurtner, Daniel. The Torn Veil: Matthew’s Exposition of the Death of Jesus. Cambridge, 2007.
- Levenson, Jon D. Sinai and Zion: An Entry into the Jewish Bible. HarperOne, 1987.
- Wright, N.T. Hebrews for Everyone. SPCK, 2003.
Divine Intimacy as the Core of Christian Life
The Johannine vision of divine intimacy is perhaps the most luminous and radical in all of Scripture, yet in the lived experience of many Christians, this intimacy is often neglected, obscured, or simply unknown. Let’s explore this gap more deeply.
1. Johannine Theology: Intimacy as the Core of Christian Life
The Gospel of John reveals a transformative, personal union between the believer and God. Here are the key Passages: “Abide in me, and I in you.” (John 15:4) “We will come to him and make our home with him.” (John 14:23) “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.” (John 15:9) “This is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (John 17:3) This isn’t metaphorical. John is speaking of real, indwelling communion—a participation in the inner life of the Trinity (cf. John 17:21–23).
Hans Urs von Balthasar: “John’s Gospel is not about ‘religious experience’—it is about ontological transformation through divine indwelling.”
2. But in the Church’s Lived Reality?
Your observation is tragically true: this intimacy is not at the heart of many Christians’ actual lives. Why
a) Poor Spiritual Formation
- Most catechesis focuses on external practices, doctrine, and morality—but not on union with God as a lived experience.
- Prayer is often taught only as petition or duty, not as encounter and transformation.
Fr. Jean Corbon (The Wellspring of Worship): “Many Christians live a life adjacent to God, not in Him. They are baptised, but not interiorly awakened.”
b) Fear of Subjectivity
- In reaction to emotionalism or mysticism, many traditions fear talking too much about intimacy.
- Yet the New Testament speaks freely and consistently of indwelling, love, mutual abiding, etc.
c) Secularisation and Noise
- Intimacy requires silence, stillness, receptivity—conditions often absent from modern life and even modern Church life.
- Many Christians live in a functional atheism: God is a category, not a Person intimately present.
3. Theological Diagnosis: Missing the Center
If we follow the path laid out in John’s Gospel, intimacy with God is not an “extra”—it is the Christian life itself: “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) “I in them and you in me, that they may be perfectly one.” (John 17:23)
Yet many Christians: Know about Jesus, but do not live in Him. Attend sacraments, but do not allow them to transform their inner life. Serve actively, but rarely “sit at His feet” (cf. Luke 10:39).
4. A Call to Rediscover the Core
Spiritual Formation is of utmost importance and often neglected. Shaping a complete spiritual formation which follows spiritual growth offering the best means for growth with the description and discernement of the stages of growth is more urgent that ever. Through it one can come closer to the experience of authors like: St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila, Brother Lawrence, Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity, St. Francis de Sales, Bl. Marie-Eugène of the Child Jesus, Fr. Jean Lafrance
Deep, personal prayer—leading to inner union with God—is the true center of the Christian life.
Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity: “It is not enough to believe in a distant God. We must believe in the God who is present in the soul by grace.”
Conclusion: A Longed-for Renewal
The “to me” of Exodus 19:4, fulfilled in Christ’s indwelling, has not yet become the lived reality of most Christians. But this is exactly the renewal the Church needs today: a rediscovery of interior life, of contemplative intimacy, and of the transforming presence of the indwelling Trinity. “Do you not know that you are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Cor 3:16)
Priestly Identity Is Intimacy with Christ
The deepest root of the crisis in the Church today: the lack of interior formation in divine intimacy, especially among priests and those in formation for the priesthood. Unless this is addressed, any pastoral or missionary effort remains superficial or unsustainable.
Let’s unfold your insight in a structured way, supported by magisterial teaching, saints, and theological reflection.
1. The Foundation of Priestly Identity Is Intimacy with Christ
Vatican II: Presbyterorum Ordinis §14: “Priests must grow in the awareness that they share in Christ’s own mission and being… This requires that they develop intimacy with Him in prayer, in Scripture, in the Eucharist.”
The priest is:
- Alter Christus not only sacramentally, but interiorly.
- Not merely a functionary, but a man of union with God, in order to transmit God Himself.
St. John Paul II, Pastores Dabo Vobis §46: “The priest should be first of all a man of deep communion with Christ, seeking Him in prayer and love. The formation of future priests must have this communion at its core.”
PDV (1992) remains the most authoritative guide to priestly formation—yet, as you note, its core demand for interior life is often bypassed.
2. Spiritual Formation Must Be the Soul of Seminary Life
But often it is not.
In many seminaries:
- Doctrinal, philosophical, and pastoral formation are emphasised.
- But spiritual formation is reduced to:
- Routine devotions
- Some direction
- Occasional retreats
Yet this is not enough. As Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange insisted: “The priest must not only know the truths of the faith, he must live them interiorly. Without the life of union with Christ, doctrine becomes sterile.” (The Priest in Union with Christ, 1945)
3. Divine Intimacy Is a Journey — It Has Stages
You’re absolutely right: intimacy with God is not a fixed experience, but a path of transformation.
The classic stages of growth:
| Stage | Characteristic |
|---|---|
| Beginners | Conversion, vocal prayer, moral purification |
| Proficients | Meditation, inner stability, deeper virtues |
| Advanced / Contemplative | Prayer of quiet, infused contemplation, union |
| Transforming Union | Spiritual marriage, deep conformity to Christ |
St. John of the Cross, St. Teresa of Avila, and Bl. Marie-Eugène offer detailed maps of this journey, grounded in Scripture and lived experience.
This is the path the priest must first walk personally, if he is to guide others credibly.
4. Pastoral Ministry Flows from Interior Union
Without divine intimacy:
- Preaching becomes moralizing or theoretical
- Sacraments become ritualistic
- Evangelization becomes organizational activism
But when a priest lives in union with Christ:
- He speaks with authority (Luke 4:32)
- He becomes transparent to the Spirit (John 7:38)
- He leads others to encounter God, not just Church
St. John Vianney: “The priest is not for himself—he is for you. But he must be with God first, if he is to bring you to Him.”
5. What Needs to Change in Seminary Formation?
Priority Shift:
- Spiritual formation should not be one of four “pillars”—it must be the heart of them all.
- Everything else—intellectual, human, pastoral—should be ordered toward the growth of divine intimacy.
- See this article on Priestly Formation
Practical Elements:
- Daily silent prayer (Prayer of the Heart) as non-negotiable.
- Lectio Divina as a lifestyle.
- Spiritual direction focused not just on discernment, but on guiding real spiritual progress.
- Teachers who are men of God, not just professionals.
Bl. Marie-Eugène, I Want to See God: “Formation must aim at awakening and developing the mystical life in the soul—this is not a luxury but the normal path for every soul consecrated to God.”
Sources & Documents
- St. John Paul II, Pastores Dabo Vobis (1992): Vatican link
- Second Vatican Council, Presbyterorum Ordinis (1965): Link
- Congregation for the Clergy, The Gift of the Priestly Vocation (Ratio Fundamentalis, 2016): Link
- Garrigou-Lagrange, The Priest in Union with Christ, 1945
- Bl. Marie-Eugène of the Child Jesus, I Want to See God
- Congregation for Catholic Education, Spiritual Formation in Seminaries (1980): still valuable.