The Conversion of the Jews, a Profound Thesis

Summary:

Now, the central error of the Jewish people is that they fail to recognize that all that truly matters are the things of the heart, of inner renewal. Hence, their conversion hinges on the ability to recognize that only spiritual conversion matters, and not external realities. Yet, we have just seen that the process of inner renewal is completely journeyed in their major history. In other words: The very key to their eyes being opened is present in their overall, three-stage historical journey with God!

More specifically, a case can be made that the Three Stages, or Ways, of the saint--the purgative, the illuminative and unitive--are in fact just a microcosmic example of the historical way of an entire People, of Old and New. In other words, it can be shown that both Peoples of Old and New, respectively, that is, the Jews before Christ, and the Church after Christ, journey a macro form of the ways of the saint in the major spiritual phases of their history, from inception to the respective Coming of Christ.

Now, Christ fulfilled in His Flesh their entire journey: threes! For three days and three nights, Jesus lingered in the earth before rising. On the third day He arose from the dead, in accordance with the Scriptures. Christ fell three times in the way of the cross. Christ progressively prayed three times in the Garden to accept the Will of His Father for the Passion. Three times Peter denied Christ, and three times He was reconciled (Peter do you love me.) Three times, Jesus spoke to Mary Magdelene at the tomb to open her eyes. For three days and three nights, Mother Mary and St Joseph looked for the Christ before finding Him in the Temple.

All these types filled up the three phases of the Jewish People, yet they have not believed. Hence, what other option is there (No other sign shall be given unto this generation except the sign of Jonas), except that what will enable the Jews to convert is to see the same three stage process filled up in the flesh of the Body of Christ, His Church. Hence, as the Church herself journeys the same three-fold path of renewal, fulfilling the same OT history of the Jews in a spiritual sense, the Jews shall progressively recognize this renewal, so that, in the climax of NT Antichrist, fulfilling Antiochus, the OT Antichrist, the Jewish People shall exclaim with St Mary Magdalene, Rabboni, which means, Teacher!

Article:

This is a profound, yet common sense suggestion as to why the Jewish People will convert at the end of the world. Let us start out from my previous article on the pregnancy analogy, Pregnancy, Wonderful and Beautiful! Revelation of the Developing Old Testament?

with a recollection that the ages of salvation history are as follows, from previous theology:

The two lies of the fall in succession each with Positive Divine Discipline:

1. Anti-Baptism, followed by a Baptism, the Flood

2. Anti-Marriage, the material creatures pursuit of a fornication with the world instead of acceptance of God's spousal invitation:--the selfish and arrogant pursuit of a purely materialistic dominion and glory--followed by a marriage: the division of humanity by confounding of tongues and calling of a remnant nation to be the seed Spouse of God, the Prefiguring People [the Jews, or Hebrews].

Then, we have seen that the Prefiguring People [the Hebrews] traverse the Catholic way of the saint, or the pilgrim way, the three ages--the purgative, the illuminative, and the unitive--after which Incarnate One comes. Then, the general rest of the nations, derivatively, the "Gentiles" and the Catholic Church, traverse the same path of the pilgrim, followed by the Second Coming of Incarnate One, the end of human history as we know it.

3. The Purgative of Prefigurement, Egypt

4. The Illuminative of Prefigurement, Exodus, Holy Land, Prophets, Dark Night of Soul, pre-Exile wickedness of Jews,

5. The Unitive of Prefigurement, Exile, Repentance, Renewal, Restoration, Martyrdom, Maccabees.

With martyrdom of the People of Old, the darkness of the unitive way, the People of Old have reached full spiritual maturity, and so Jesus is ready to come. Hence, Maccabees is the last OT Historical Scripture, making the next Scriptural history the First Coming of Jesus Himself.

Jesus, of course, forms the Church, the New, Fulfilling Covenant. Then, the way of the pilgrim--again, the purgative, the illuminative, and the unitive--is traversed by the rest of the nations, the New Kingdom, the spiritual kingdom, the Church.

6. The Purgative of Fulfillment, Pagan Rome

7. The Illuminative of Fulfillment, 300 - present: Catholic doctrinal development, dark night of soul, modern secular apostasy, and

8. The Unitive of Fulfillment: [yet future] Minor Chastisement, Renewal of Catholic Christendom, Age of Our Lady's Immaculate Heart and Peace, Martyrdom, NT Antichrist and Great Apostasy

After this pilgrim way of the New People, the Church has reached full maturity, and so then end of history follows, the crossing of the threshold, the Second Coming of the Messiah, when the world is recreated and iniquity utterly defeated.

Hence, again, the nature of any salvation history is predetermined to be five ages for the Old Law-- two preeminent stages of the fall digested by all humanity, followed by the three stages of the pilgrim's way for the People of Old--then the Coming of Messiah, the New, Fulfilling Covenant--followed by the same three stages of the pilgrim's way for the New Covenant People. That is eight total ages.

Now, this theology of human history will be central to our thesis on the conversion of the Jews, but before we enter in that same theology of Jewish conversion, we need to expand this historical theology and probe it.:

The Way of the Saint is the Spiritual Path of the People of God, of both Old and New Covenants

Now, the way of the pilgrim for the individual saint seems a necessary path for a saint in this world, since it is observed in countless saints. It is theologically sound, and so is like a law of growth in holiness and spiritual maturity. But then, if this is true, shouldn't the same process apply to the People of God as a whole, historically, who traverse a spiritual walk in the Covenant and Revelation of God? Therefore, the spiritual way of the individual saint becomes but a microcosmic example of what the People of God pass through relative to the Covenants, both the Prefiguring and the Fulfilling.

But now someone will object: "The Old Covenant was not in and of itself salvific. They had no sacraments in the true sense. How, then, could an Old Testament person be holy? That is, the OT covenant was not intrinsically salvific, meaning, the rituals, the eating of the literal Passover lamb, etc, were not themselves truly saving? Circumcision does not really save, nor does eating the literal animal lamb at Passover!" Well, here is what we can say: we can argue that nevertheless, the holy ones of Old Testament times still walked by grace, although they didn't fully know about it!

Which is to say, although the animal sacrifices atoned for nothing in the true sense, were not the Incarnate One's future merits applied to the just of Old? For was not Jesus' Passion applied to David's sins, or to Moses'? Did not Abraham, nevertheless love God in his soul by grace, even though He did not know that God is Triune, much less that the Son whom He did not know explicitly would become the true sacrifice that his literal son Isaac only prefigured, as testified by St Paul, who countless times in his letters confesses the faith of Abraham as justifying? For how did Abraham remain faithful to God apart from grace, throughout all of the heroic virtue he exercised? Therefore, because major Revelation, even if Prefiguring, and the unseen and as of yet, not fully comprehended, grace was given in the times of Old, should not the necessary path follow historically, even in the times of Old?

Therefore, do the just of both Covenants, as a whole historically, walk the way of the pilgrim!

Now, let us probe deeper the pilgrim way and how it works out historically in the Peoples of God, both of Prefiguring, or Old, and of Incarnate One, or New.

The Purgative Way

I. The flesh of the dark night of the senses is fulfilled historically in the world and its tendencies. For no sooner does God form the Covenant People, than that they shall flourish. But the spirit of the world, driven according to pride and selfish ambition, sees the blessings upon God's children as a threat to their material dominion, and so naturally reacts against them, which is to say, to either oppress them (as Egypt did to the Jews through Enslavement), or persecute them (as pagan Rome did to the Catholic Church). Hence, the sting of persecution on God's Holy People fulfills the individual saint's purgation, or dark night of the senses.

The Illuminative Way

II. But behold the dark night eventually ends; for, just as the saint eventually conquers the greater resistance of the flesh, his greater sinful tendencies being overcome and cast out, so the oppression and/or persecution of the world on God's People ends, and the People of God are freed or delivered from the more severe sting of the world's resistance. The OT fulfillment of this was the deliverance of the Jews in the Exodus. The NT fulfillment was the conquering of Christianity over pagan Rome, which eventually transformed the continent of Europe into a Catholic civilization.

Hence do the People of God enter the Illuminative Way, which is to say, the development of the contemplation of the Divine Revelation of the Covenant. For the OT, this is the Old Law and the Age of the Prophets, who develop the application of the Law unto the Prefigured People, who grow in intimacy with God. In the NT, it is the doctrinal development of the Church, where she contemplates the Deposit of Faith more deeply, and draws forth the fuller implications of what Christ and the Apostles left Her.

But behold, just as the flesh of the saint resists the incoming Spirit, so the outside world becomes colder to the depths of the Saint's intimacy in truth with God, so that darkness in various punctuated manifestations progresses toward the dark night of the soul, when the whole Deposit of Revelation seems a lie, that the Divine Consolation is utterly taken away. So then also is this for the just of the Covenant People.

In the Old Testament, it is the prophets who are the just, whose intimacy in depth of the Law grows with God, while the Jews on the outside of them grow colder and more deaf to the imploring of the prophets. Finally, just before the vindication of their Revelation, there is the dark night, when all the Jews scoff at the righteous preachers of the Old Law, holding in contempt the totality of their witness.

In the New Testament, it is the just of the Church herself, especially the Magisterium, that fulfills the role of the saint. For, as the Church develops the Deposit through the Ecumenical councils and constant teaching of the Ordinary Magisterium, so the outside Gentiles grow harsher in their relationship, progressively rejecting more of the Deposit of Faith, becoming ever more in the spirit of apostasy. Effectively, this has been the last 500 years: Protestantism (only Scripture and Reason), Enlightenment and Age of solo-Ratio (only Reason), and Secular Apostasy (not even Reason, total darkness).

The Unitive Way

III. The saint's dark night of the soul eventually ends, and the Divine Consolations return, which is to say, the vindication of the Divine Truth developed and contemplated. Similarly, a chastisement on the unjust vindicates the words of the just of the People of God. In Jewish history, this happened in the exile. The Jews repented in the exile and turned their hearts back to God.

In likewise fashion, Private Revelation tells us, more or less, at least, if the majority of reliable ones will come to pass, that the Gentiles are about to be carried away into the exile of the consequences of their sins, where they repent and return to the Church, what is called the Minor Chastisement.

And so ushers in the unitive way for the People of God.

For, after the Jewish exile, idolatry was mostly rooted out of her. She returned home and rebuilt the Temple. She walked with God fairly holy under pagan rule until the final cross, the martyrdom of Antiochus, the Old Testament Antichrist who enforced an apostasy. And this stage of utter persecution was the final historical book of Divine Revelation until the Coming of the Messiah, which began a new age, which crossed the threshold of a dispensation, from Old to New, just as after literal martyrdom, the saint enters the next age, heaven.

In regards to the New Covenant, returning to the Catholic mystics, they, again, prophesy that after the current dark night of intermediate apostasy, the Gentiles shall repent, Christians shall be reunited, and the world restored to Catholicism, the age of peace, the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart. Finally, after this great age of light, when the Gentiles shall fully walk with God in the New Covenant, the Reign of the Immaculate Heart, so it shall dissolve into the great apostasy, when the Church shall pass through the ultimate martyrdom, the persecutions of the New Testament Antichrist, after which all humanity shall cross the threshold of this age into the next, the eternity of the New Creation.

So it is that the People of both Old and New walk the path of the saint.

The Conversion of the Jews: a Theological Theory

Why, then, will the Jews convert at the end? Let us make a totally common sense suggestion.

In brief, the Prefiguring Covenant uses material pictures of what really matters, inner renewal, to point to their fulfillments, in part because, humanity in infancy is still very much attached to the material order and needs images before abstractions, much like the child must learn through the same illustrations before they graduate to written word without visual aid.

And yet, we see, these "pictures" in this Prefiguring Covenant are not salvific of their own sense; they only point to what is salvific. Examples: the literal Holy Land of Israel is not an end unto itself, in that, it only points to the true land of fulfillment, the spiritual Kingdom of God in the NT, the Church, and, ultimately, heaven. The literal lamb of sacrifice for Passover is not a true, intrinsic atonement. Only God Himself, taking on flesh and suffering in it, the spiritual Lamb of God, is the true atonement. God heals the People from literal serpent bites in the desert, but in the New Covenant, he heals the People of God from the spiritual serpent's bite, sin!

And so, we anticipate in any material world, when God Incarnates Himself to the Prefiguring People, and unfolds these new mysteries, it is insulting and wounding to the Prefiguring People.

"You mean that you only gave us pictures? We are only a Seed People, as prelude to men of all nations? And all this time, you have told us of your Unicity as One God, and now you tell us there is Family of Persons in Your One Nature to Exist? And that One Divine Personhas become God? You have told us you are only One, and that no man can become God! Blasphemy, we cannot take it!"

Hence, the Prefiguring People remain attached to the pictures, and reject the fulfillment. Hence, they fail to see what the pictures pointed to: From physical blessings, to spiritual renewal. In the end, even if you are in a physical land of milk and honey, only the spiritual ecstasy of heaven, the eternal milk and honey that flows from God Himself, can satiate your desire.

In the end, it is not that a particular animal is unclean, it is rather that you must not partake of the what is spiritually unclean. In the end, no mere animal, which can neither suffer insult nor spiritual pain that you cause Me, can atone for what is infinitely offensive to priceless human dignity, and immeasurable love! Hence, only I, your Maker, can make up for your sin.

And so, again, it is the INNER renewal of grace, of INNER purity, that makes a man pleasing to God, not EXTERNAL.

And yet!!!, The People of Prefiguring still walked by grace, hence, they did, historically journey in holiness, in grace, the spiritual path of the saint. Hence, within their very history, the seed of the mystery exists.

And this spiritual historical path has THREE phases! And WHERE have we seen THREE? Are not THREE's all over the Gospels?! And SO JESUS FILLS UP THESE THREE's SO MANY TIMES in His Life and Death and Resurrection!

Jesus fulfilled in His Flesh their entire journey: threes! For three days and three nights, Jesus lingered in the earth before rising. On the third day He arose from the dead, in accordance with the Scriptures. Christ fell three times in the way of the cross. Christ progressively prayed three times in the Garden to accept the Will of His Father for the Passion. Three times Peter denied Christ, and three times He was reconciled (Peter do you love me.) Three times, Jesus spoke to Mary Magdelene at the tomb to open her eyes. For three days and three nights, Mother Mary and St Joseph looked for the Christ before finding Him in the Temple.

Yet, seeing so many of their details and journey fulfilled in Christ’s Flesh, the Jews are not able to see it. So then, what other options are for the Jews to see the mystery of their spiritual journey? HOW ABOUT NONE OTHER THAN THE MYSTICAL BODY OF CHRIST, THE CHURHC!

Yes! The People of New, of Incarnate One, the People of JESUS, walk this spiritual path, , too! They fill up in their flesh what is lacking in the suffering of Christ! For the sufferings and life of Jesus in His INDIVIDUAL Body could not attain the opening of the eyes of the Jews, but the MYSTICAL Body of Christ will!

And hence, the farther the People of Incarnate One, of New, journey in this path, the more the Prefiguring People recognize a sign of the their spiritual stages before Jesus. And, then, reaching the apex in NT martyrdom of NT Antichrist, fulfilling OT Antichrist Antiochus, they see the ultimate deja vu, and accept the Gospel!

"Only when I have placed my hands in all His Wounds [five, see the five sub-ages of my walk with God prior to Christ fulfilled in the five sub-ages of the New People], shall I believe!", St Thomas.

The New Testament Antichrist will Fulfill Old Testament Antichrist, Antiochus of Maccabees

To restate, we see that as the Church enters the final age of her history, the Great Apostasy and NT Antichrist, it is this final stage of fulfillment of Jewish History that opens the eyes of the Jews to see that the Gentiles and Catholic Church will have arrived at the very same point that the Jews were, spiritually speaking, just before the Messiah came the first time.

And how? Well, simple. In Maccabbees, the final history of the Jews, a blasphemous Gentile attempted to force apostasy from the OLD Covenant on the Jews or else face brutal torture and death. Further, this horrendous ruler, Antiochus, was called Epiphanies because He claimed deity.

Now consider the plight of the Catholic Church just prior to Christ's Second Coming. Firstly, we can note that some Fathers foresee the NT Antichrist as being himself a secular Jew. Consider, therefore, assuming such a scenario, how the tables are turned: A merely Secular Jew attempting to impose on a minority of Gentiles apostasy from the NEW Covenant [Catholicism] or else face torture and death.

From this scenario, I pose a great Divine Joke that the Successor of St. Peter shall play, inspired by the Holy Spirit, to hasten in the conversion of the most stubborn people on earth, the Jews.

Now, we must recall that on many occasions in Maccabbees, the OT Antichrist Antiochus would use the temptation of pork , a forbidden meat to the Jews, to seduce apostasy, in that, on one occasion, Antiochus horrifically tortured seven brothers before their mother because they refused to partake of the forbidden meat.

Now, here, of course, is the irony, and one of the central questions the Jews do not understand: God's division of animals into clean and unclean was merely ceremonial and a primary aspect of God using material things to foreshadow the spiritual. For in the future Acts of the Apostles, Christ appears to St. Peter in a vision with many "unclean" [by the Old, Mosaic Law] animals, and is commanded to kill and eat. Peter exclaims, "But, Lord, these are unclean." Christ responds, "There is nothing unclean that I have not declared unclean." The connotation is that, in the end, no one animal on earth is any more unclean than another, intrinsically. What truly matters, as was intended to be revealed in the New, is the inner heart of a man. For, in the end, it is not those who are physically clean who shall enter heaven, but only those who are spiritually clean, in the state of love.

Hence, as the apostle repeatedly points out, it is a faith that loves God in the heart that truly matters, and not mere external rituals.

For this reason, can we not foresee the Papacy to give a final revelation to the Jews, a little puzzle to figure out: He shall change (because it is discipline, which is mutable) the Friday penance, so that Catholics can only eat what was originally UNclean in the Old Law on Friday, and nothing that was CLEAN meat.

Now think of the humor of this, foreseeing the reaction of the NT Antichrist, a wicked secular Jew who understands the New Covenant but rejects it for fruitless rituals. He, therefore, shall persecute the Christians on Friday as follows:

He shall lay out before the Catholic to be tortured all the meats of all clean species in the Old Law, and command the Christian, one by one, to eat them. At each step, if the Catholic refuses, the men of Anti-christ shall exercise a brutal torture. And having refused to consume all of them, the Catholic will be killed.

Of course, since Catholics can partake of any meat on any other day, the Antichrist will torture only according to dogma on the other days apart from Friday, going down all dogmatic declarations of the Church with respective tortures, just as he does with the meats on Friday.

The Jew will, of course, consider this scenario with utter amazement. He says to himself:

"See these Gentiles, on Fridays, the ruler of this world does not ask them to eat anything unclean, and yet they refuse to the consequence of horrible torture. And yet, if they were asked to eat the supremely unclean meat, they would gladly. This is absurd.

"And even beyond this, this is only Fridays, which is no special day. Whereas on other days, he eats as he pleases, clean and unclean alike. Who are these hypocrites? And yet, on all other days, they pass through sufferings incomprehensible, and over what, matters of spiritual doctrine!?"

And if the Jews can sort out this little puzzle, they will have solved the mystery of the world that God would make and redeem, leading a first group into some revelation, but who shall accept the fullness of such only as last, and a last group into some revelation, but the first to take it all in fullness!

The Resurrected Body of Jesus not fully Recognized, the New Cov not fully Recognized by the Jews

Remember, the Body of Jesus before the resurrection is like the Old Law, which Christ put to death on the Cross. When He Resurrected, the New Law arose and lived in Him. Of course, the pre-Resurrection Body of Jesus is the same body as the Resurrected Jesus, only transformed. Because it is transformed, it is not entirely recognizable. Too, the OT Cov was not destroyed and replaced with something completely foreign. Rather, it was transformed into a reality that made it anew. Hence, some things are the same, but many are different. Too, then, the Resurrected body is the same body, but it is also different. Hence, so many Resurrection characters cannot recognize Him at first.

The Road to Emaus: the Disciples Do Not Recognize Jesus at First

Hence, a first powerful support, the Disciples on the Road to Emaus. They do not recognize Jesus at first. But as Jesus unfolds to them how He fulfilled all the law and prophets, their hearts progressively burned. Of course, in the ultimate Eucharist, their eyes are opened, the separation of the Body and Blood of Christ. Too, can we not see the Church journeying alongside the Jews, and showing how SHE is progressively fulfilling the law and prophets in her HISTORY. Progressively, too, the Jews' hearts burn with fervor. Finally, at the apex, when the Body and Blood of the Church is poured and separated in the Martyrdom of Antichrist, the eyes of the Jews' are opened: "Were not our hearts burning within us!"

St. Mary Magdelene at the Resurrection

Further supportive metaphors of the theology of what shall convert the Jews. Again, they are/will be seeing more clearly as the spiritual stages of their journey before Christ are gradually fulfilled in the New Covenant.

In that regard..., remember that there are three primary nights in this spiritual journey, the journey of the Catholic saint in the Ways, namely:

The Purgative Dark Night of Senses

The Illuminative Dark Night of Soul

The Unitive Martyrdom

Perhaps, then, in my thinking, the three times that Christ speaks to Mary Magdelene, she progressively sees him more, as the Jews progressively see Jesus more clearly as Church history progresses.

In the first instance, He is not on the radar map "They have taken my Lord and I do not know where they have laid Him." This would be the first reaction of the Jews to Christ in pagan Rome, the dark night of the senses: The Messiah was supposed to come and we have no idea where He is!

In the second instance, there is perhaps a greater glimmer of hope: "Sir, if you know where they have taken Him, then please tell me in order that I may go and anoint Him."

In light of this, consider that the modern secular apostasy is the dark night of the soul. Notice how, also, the Jews are in a more favorable relationship to Christ and Christians. They still do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah, (like Mary Magdalene in the second question of weeping), but they see many Christians as righteous Gentiles, and they seem to look upon Jesus and the Church as persons who can perhaps help [them] us find the Messiah [maybe this man, who is NOT the Messiah, is the GARDENER, who can help me FIND the Messiah].

Finally, at the end of the world, martyrdom, the NT Antichrist, per the theology above, when we know from Catholic teaching that the Jews will finally convert, their eyes are opened: "Rabboni!", which in the Hebrew language means, Teacher!

So also, as the final stage of fulfillment, the NT Antichrist fulfills the Maccabbean OT Antichrist; in the Maccabean time, a blasphemous Gentile claimed to be God and tried to force the People of Old to apostatize from the Old Covenant or face torture and death. In the parallel time of the end of the world, a blasphemous secular Jew claims deity and attempts to the force the People of New to apostatize from the New Covenant or face torture and death. They see the ultimate deja vu, and the eyes of the Jews are opened: They see that true salvation is inner renewal, and the Jews, who walked this path through grace before Christ, see the path of renewal unfold in the Gentiles and Catholic Church, hence opening their eyes. RABBONI!

The Finding of Jesus in the Temple, the Jews find the Messiah in the NEW Temple of God

See also, the finding of Jesus in the Temple: For three days and three nights, Joseph and Mary look for Jesus, but only in the third do they find Him in the Temple, like the number of phases in Church history. Similarly, for three great ages, the way of the saint for the Catholic Church, the Jews are looking for the Messiah. Finally, in the third, they find Him. But while they were looking, never thinking to look in the New Temple of God, the Catholic Church, the Messiah was in that House of God doing the Father's business, redeeming the Gentiles! [Note, also, after one day of looking in the "caravan", or the "diaspora" (they are OUTSIDE of Jerusalem), Jospeph and Mary RETURN to Jerusalem and continue looking. Too, the Jews "went out of Jerusalem" in the first "day of Church history", and now, in the beginning of the second night, they have RETURNED to Jerusalem, eg, 1948, 1967].

The Conversion of the Jews, Part IV, another Resurrection Scripture: Doubting Thomas

Thomas must place his fingers in all the wounds before he believes. A type, perhaps, that only when the Jews have seen EXPERIENCED in the New Body of Christ, the Church, the phases of inner renewal, in entirety, will they believe.

OK , but there are three ways, not five, like the wounds. Ok, but maybe there is way!

The Wounds of Christ's Body fulfill the Way of the Saint

Again, there are **5** wounds, not **3**.

True! But the way of the saint can be sub-divided into the 5 lesser stages! Why? Because the sub-parts of the ways are part darkness and part light (except the purgative way, which is just darkness)! As follows:

The Way of the Saint as 5 lesser stages:

• Purgative Way, darkness (dark night of senses)
• Illuminative Way, light
• Illuminative Way, darkness (dark night of soul)
• Unitive Way, light
• Unitive Way, darkness (martyrdom)

Of course, after martyrdom is eternal life, just as after the five wounds of Christ, Jesus rose into eternal life!

Let us probe it further:

The Five Wounds of Christ:

• Right hand
• Left hand
• Right foot
• Left foot
• After death, the spear piercing the side
• (Resurrection)

The Correlation in more detail:

Common sense says, line up the wounds with each substage of the saint above:

Right Hand merits purgative way of dark night of senses

Left Hand merits illuminative way of light

Right Foot merits illuminative way of darkness, dark night of soul

Left Foot merits unitive way of light

Side Wound merits unitive way of darkness, martyrdom

Resurrection merits eternal life

So, the right hand merits the dark night of the senses of the purgative way Egypt, Pagan Rome.

The left hand merits the light of the illuminative way, the first establishment of the Kingdom. Exodus and Prophets, Catholic Christendom.

The right foot gives strength to the People to endure the dark night of the soul. The Pre-exile, Jewish apostasy, the modern Secular Gentile apostasy from the Church.

The left foot merits the grace to walk the light of the unitive way, which surely puts to death all sin (Christ died after both feet wounds). Sin died greatly when the Jews repented in the exile and rebuilt the Temple. Sin will greatly die in the Coming Restoration of Our Lady's Age of Peace.

The wound in the side then images martyrdom. Even after sin was largely done away with in the post-Exile Jewish Restoration, the final apostasy and persecution in Maccabees arose.. For the NT, this is the great apostasy and ultimate persecutions of NT Antichrist!

And after martyrdom, there is of course, the next age: the saint goes into eternal life, even as the Christ rose from the dead after this wound to the side.

Too, after Maccabees, the next history is NT: the FIRST Coming of Christ, a new age, just as after the NT Antichrist, the next history is the SECOND of Christ, the ultimate new age, eternity.

The Jews, then, like St. Thomas, will not believe until they have felt all these wounds that they experienced filled up in Christ's body the Church. They must see the stages of the wounds of Christ filled up in the Gentiles and the Catholic Church before they believe:

Then, as they "look upon Him whom they have pierced," [the wound in the side], they shall weep that they had missed the time of the Coming of their Anointed One. Then, like St. Thomas, they shall exclaim, "My Lord and my God!"