Ezekiel — Chapter 43
The glory of God returns to the Temple through the east gate with the same sound as in the initial vision (ch. 1). Lapide reads this as the fulfillment of ch. 10's departure of the divine glory — now returning in Christ's Incarnation (the east gate = the dawn of the Sun of Justice), establishing permanent dwelling in the Church.
Verse 2
'Et ecce gloria Dei Israel veniebat ab via orientis' — the glory of the God of Israel came from the east: Lapide develops his theology of Christ as the Orient (Oriens ex alto, Lk. 1:78) — the new sun rising from the east to fill the Temple of the Church with divine glory. He cites Malachi 4:2 ('the Sun of righteousness will arise') as parallel.
Verse 7
'Hic locus solii mei, et locus vestigiorum pedum meorum' — This is the place of my throne and the place of the soles of my feet: Lapide reads this as the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist — the 'throne of God' which is the tabernacle of Catholic churches. He quotes Trent's decree on the Eucharist and uses this verse against Protestant denial of the Real Presence.
Verse 12
This is the law of the Temple: on the top of the mountain its whole territory all around shall be most holy: Lapide reads the holiness of the entire mountain as the universal consecration that Christ's sacrifice extends to all creation. He cites 1 Tim. 4:4 ('everything created by God is good') and develops a theology of cosmic redemption.
Verse 18
The altar measurements and the consecration rites extending over seven days: Lapide reads the seven-day altar consecration as typifying the seven sacraments of the Church, through which souls are progressively consecrated to God. He notes the blood-sprinkling rites as types of baptism and the Mass.