Episode 3084: The Twelve Tribes: Connection to the Mystical Body of Christ - by Sharon - Part 1

The Twelve Tribes: Foundations of the Mystical Body of Christ
From a Traditional Catholic perspective, the Old Testament is the foundation of the Catholic Church because Christ was to be fulfilled through the old testament. You’ve heard me say that if we truly believe in the Trinity then we must believe that from the beginning everything that flows through scripture flows with Christ. So in the spirit, the Twelve Tribes of Israel are not just historical clans they are also deeply typological, mystical, and prophetic, each playing a role in the prefiguration of the Church, the New Israel, which finds its fulfillment in Christ and His Mystical Body, the Catholic Church.
So before we start lets begin with prayer.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
O God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob Father of our Lord Jesus Christ we thank Thee for revealing to us the fullness of the Old Covenant in Thy Son. As we reflect upon the Twelve Tribes of Israel, grant us the grace to see how each tribe prefigured the Mystical Body of Christ, the Holy Catholic Church. May this meditation increase our love for Sacred Scripture and our fidelity to the truths entrusted to the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Now let’s discuss the 12 tribes from a summary view Tribe by Tribe.
1. Reuben: “Behold, a son”
• Meaning: Firstborn of Jacob, symbolizing natural birthright.
• Symbolic Trait: Strength, dignity, but unstable as water (Genesis 49:3-4).
• Fate: Lost his birthright due to sin (incest with his father’s concubine).
• Catholic Typology: Reuben prefigures those who are called first (like the Jews) but lose their spiritual inheritance through disobedience.
• Lesson for the Church: The Church does not rest on birthright, but on grace and fidelity.
2. Simeon: “God has heard”
• Symbolic Trait: Violence and anger; he and Levi massacred Shechem (Genesis 49:5-7).
• Fate: Scattered among Israel (Simeon absorbed into Judah).
• Catholic Typology: Prefigures the purification of zeal righteous anger without virtue leads to destruction. The Church spiritualizes zeal (cf. St. Paul before and after conversion).
• Lesson: Zeal must be united to charity and truth.
3. Levi – “Joined”
• Role: The priestly tribe; they received no land, for the Lord was their inheritance (Numbers 18:20).
• Fate: Scattered, but in a holy way dwelling in cities among all tribes to teach the Law.
• Catholic Typology: Prefigures the ministerial priesthood of the New Covenant. The Levites are fulfilled in the ordained Catholic clergy.
• Lesson: Priests must be set apart, holy, and reliant on God, not material goods.
4. Judah – “Praise”
• Role: The tribe of kings David and ultimately Jesus Christ (Lion of Judah).
• Symbol: The lion; royal authority.
• Fate: Southern kingdom (Judah & Benjamin) survives longer than the northern tribes.
• Catholic Typology: Judah is the tribe from which comes the Messiah, the Eucharistic King. Christ fulfills this line.
• Lesson: Christ’s Kingship extends through the Church; every knee shall bow.