Father Mike Schmitz hosts The Bible in a Year podcast, a daily Scripture reading program brought to you by Ascension Press. Using The Great Adventure Bible timeline structure, the podcast guides listeners through the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation, helping them discover how salvation history unfolds and their place within it.

This episode covers Day 44 of the reading plan, focusing on detailed instructions for the tabernacle's altar and priestly vestments from Exodus chapters 27-28, moral and ceremonial laws from Leviticus 20, and verses 57-120 of Psalm 119. Father Mike reads from the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition, specifically using The Great Adventure Bible from Ascension Press.

The discussion emphasizes the theological significance of priestly garments as symbols of God's glory rather than human status, the priestly role of carrying people's names before God, and the practical applications for modern Catholic priesthood and parish life.

The Bronze Altar and Tabernacle Court Specifications

The altar of burnt offering must be constructed of acacia wood, measuring five cubits square and three cubits high, completely overlaid with bronze including its horns.

All altar utensils - pots, shovels, basins, forks, and firepans - must be made of bronze, with a bronze grating network for the fire.

The tabernacle court requires specific dimensions: 100 cubits long on north and south sides, 50 cubits wide on east and west, with 20 bronze-based pillars and silver hooks.

Pure beaten olive oil must be provided for the continual lamp, tended by Aaron and his sons 'from evening to morning before the Lord' as a perpetual statute.

Priestly Vestments: For Glory and Beauty, Not Personal Status

God commands that holy garments be made for Aaron 'for glory and for beauty' - emphasizing that vestments highlight God's glory rather than the priest's importance.

The required priestly garments include a breastpiece, ephod, robe, checkered coat, turban, and sash, all crafted from gold, blue, purple, and scarlet materials with fine linen.

Father Mike explains that modern priestly vestments serve the same purpose: 'when the priest puts on his vestments, he himself as an individual is lost and Jesus can be seen.'

The ephod features two onyx stones engraved with the names of Israel's twelve tribes, six names per stone, set in gold filigree on the shoulder pieces.

The Breastpiece of Judgment and Priestly Intercession

The breastpiece contains twelve precious stones representing the twelve tribes, 'and Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment upon his heart when he goes into the holy place.'

The Urim and Thummim placed in the breastpiece enable Aaron to 'bear the judgment of the sons of Israel upon his heart before the Lord continually.'

Father Mike connects this to modern priesthood: 'your names are inscribed, engraved over his heart so that every time he approaches the Lord, he's not just approaching the Lord as Father Joe or Father Mike.'

The priestly role reveals 'what it truly is to be a priest. It is to be a father, and it is to carry the names of his sons and daughters in his heart as he approaches the Lord.'

Levitical Laws: Moral Boundaries and Consequences

Child sacrifice to Molech carries the death penalty: 'Any man of the sons of Israel...who gives any of his children to Moloch, shall be put to death.'

Various sexual violations including adultery, incest, and bestiality are punishable by death or being 'cut off from among their people.'

God commands Israel to 'make a distinction between the clean beast and the unclean' and warns that violating these laws could cause the land to 'vomit you out.'

Mediums and wizards face execution by stoning, as God declares 'You shall be holy to me, for I, the Lord, am holy, and have separated you from the peoples.'

Psalm 119: Scripture as Life's Guide and Delight

The psalmist declares 'Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path' and 'Oh, how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.'

Despite affliction, the psalmist finds comfort: 'It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes' and 'The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.'

The psalm emphasizes Scripture's permanence: 'Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Your faithfulness endures to all generations.'

Father Mike notes the psalm's dual nature: expressing both faithfulness to God and desperate pleas for help, reflecting the human condition of trusting God 'even when we are at our wit's end.'