Archdiocese Of St. Louis

Today, our prophetic figure is the Old Testament Prophet Habakkuk, and the symbol is the watchtower. Habakkuk lived in a dangerous time, when enemies could appear without warning to destroy the city. Jerusalem was protected by a wall, which had numerous watchtowers from which soldiers could stand watch. Habakkuk uses the image of the watchtower in his book of prophecies. In chapter 2 we read, “I will take my stand to watch, and station myself on the tower…” But Habakkuk was not using his watchtower to search for enemies, he was watching for the coming of the Lord. When we set a watchtower in our own souls, and wait for the Lord, we will see some challenging images, but we will also see great beauty. Habakkuk saw many things from his watchtower that called for repentance; greed, violence, and injustice, but he also saw that in the end the Lord would be triumphant; “The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord,” and later, “The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence