We were taking about the Ark of the Covenant since the video was explaining how Mary is the new Ark. They mentioned this passage of the Old Testament where one of the person that was carrying the Ark touched it and died. They asked why a person died for that reason. Does this death have a negative meaning?

A/

First of all, God had commanded that the ark of the covenant be transported in a specific manner, namely, on poles held by Levites (members of the tribe of Israel set apart by God for the administration of things pertaining to divine worship). By carrying the ark on an unstable cart, therefore, Israel had already sinned by failing to transport the ark on the manner prescribed by divine law. Uzzah committed a further sin by touching the ark, since he was not a priest, and the ark could only be touched by the priests. His death was a punishment for his sin. It also showed the rest of the Israelites their own sin in failing to transport the ark properly. The lesson here is reverence for the things of God, particularly those things set apart for divine worship. Priests and laity who treat the Eucharist irreverently are like Uzzah and the other Israelites.