Ezekiel 40:46

There are moreover priests of a lesser order who keep watch for the ministry of the altar, who namely investigate carefully the sins of those who transgress in aid of their superiors, and correct the life of carnal men, and bring them to the point where through the laments of penance they set ablaze, as it were, the flesh in sacrifice which they had previously permitted to live in sin. For those who preside over the holy Churches are not able to do all things by themselves. But while they themselves are occupied with spiritual matters, if any wicked and carnal deeds are committed, they entrust these to others to be examined and corrected. Through whom, when the carnal life is corrected and those making progress arrive at the pursuit of abstinence and prayer, the flesh is now set ablaze, as it were, upon the altar, so that in the sight of the almighty Lord a sacrifice may give forth fragrance from that very source whence formerly sin was displeasing.

But concerning both orders of priests it is added: These are the sons of Zadok, who approach from the sons of Levi to the Lord to minister to Him. Zadok in Latin means just. But who is just, except Him to whom it is said: You are just, Lord, and Your judgment is right? And who are the sons of the just, except those of whom it is written: But as many as believed in Him, He gave them power to become sons of God? Now Levi is interpreted as taken up. But who has been taken up by the Lord, except the faithful people, who through the sacraments of faith have been separated from the faithless? Therefore all who perseveringly devote themselves to spiritual activities are sons of the just. And from the sons of the people taken up they approach the Lord to minister to Him, because from those same faithful ones are chosen those who come to the ministry of almighty God and devote themselves to heavenly studies for the instruction of the people.

But in this matter a question arises, since it was said above that the treasury chambers had their fronts toward the Southern way, by what reasoning is it now said that the treasury chamber which looks toward the southern way belongs to the priests who keep watch in the guardianship of the temple, and the treasury chamber which looks toward the way of the North belongs to the priests who keep watch at the ministry of the altar. For if both fronts extended toward the Southern way, how is it now said that one looks toward the southern and the other toward the way of the North? But in these words we recognize that the treasury chamber of the priests who keep watch in the guardianship of the temple had been positioned so that it looked only toward the southern way; but the treasury chamber of the priests who keep watch at the ministry of the altar was so situated in the court that it extended both toward the Southern way and toward the face of the North, so that it might both look toward the southern way together with the treasury chamber of the priests who keep watch in the guardianship of the temple, and yet the treasury chamber of the priests who keep watch at the ministry of the altar, apart from the treasury chamber of those same priests, might see the way of the North. But what is this, dearest brothers? What mystical meaning can we perceive in these words, except what the spiritual hearer already understands according to the things that have been set forth above: that the priests of the greater order, who keep watch in the guardianship of the temple, look only toward the southern way, because, occupied solely with spiritual pursuits, they always attend carefully to those things that pertain to the love of God; but the priests of the lesser order, who preside over examining the sins of those who transgress, also turn their eyes toward the way of the North, so that they may see what cold of torpor exists in the mind of sinners, and by bringing these through words of correction all the way to the groans of repentance, they may, as it were, burn flesh upon the altar of the Lord? Let them also look toward the southern way together with the great priests, because, as far as concerns themselves, they burn with the fire of charity and are kindled with the flames of the love of God. But because they frequently correct the sins of transgressors, they also turn…