An orator will often put his most powerful argument at the
very end of his speech in order to really drive home his point. Well, throughout the Sundays of Easter, our
second reading each week is taken from the Book of Revelation. The book of Revelation is of course the last
book of the Bible, and it’s been said that If the entire bible was lost and
only the book of revelation remained, you’d still have the whole message—you’d
still have the heart of the Christian message.
So this is a very important book for Christians. It’s also one of the least read books of the
Bible. Partially, I think because it’s
so difficult. It’s filled with complex
symbolism.
A college friend of mine said that she didn’t read the book
of Revelation because the idea of the end of the world scared her. It’s true, Revelation is filled with plagues
and earthquakes and disasters, and famines and battles and horrific beasts, terrible
sufferings and trials. But equally,
Revelation is the story of the victory—of the eternal praise and exultation of
the victorious Lamb of God.
We heard in today’s reading this great multitude “from every
nation, race, people, and tongue” standing “before the throne and before the
Lamb” worshipping and praising him. This
is the eternal destiny of the faithful Christian.
The word itself—Revelation—means “unveiling”—so in the book
of Revelation the curtains are pulled back—the mystery of heaven is unveiled. The author of the book of Revelation, John the
evangelist, now an old man exiled to the island of Patmos, narrates this vision
of the end, when “God’s people will neither hunger nor thirst anymore, when the
Lamb who is in the center of the throne of heaven will shepherd them and lead
them to springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from
their eyes.”
The message of Revelation is that despite the darkness of
history, despite the persecution of the Church, despite the sorrows and
suffering of our lives, those who are on the side of Christ will share in his
ultimate victory.
The book of Revelation is also very clear and very honest
that the Church has real enemies, that there is real evil, that there does seem
to be a demonic intelligence at work. It
is very clear that there is a real spiritual battle taking place throughout
history.
And the early Church, the original audience of the book of
Revelation, had already begun to experience what Christ had promised, that
those who followed him would be persecuted for his sake. The Roman Empire for the first three hundred
years after the birth of Christ led horrible persecutions and tortures against
the early Christians.
Last week, I was able to make pilgrimage, with some
parishioners of Saint Columbkille, to the great city of Rome. Visiting Rome is always quite moving, being
so immersed in thousands of years of history.
I am always struck by the contrast between the ruins of ancient Rome—the
old Roman forum, the ancient pagan temples, and the Coliseum, on one hand, and
on the other, the splendor of the Catholic Church, the majestic basilicas of
Saint Peter and Saint John Lateran. The
splendor of the Catholic architecture is a testimony, that we won. It is not the power of the violence of a
secular state that brings victory and salvation, rather it is the power of
God’s love and compassion and peace and self-sacrifice. Being able to witness a hundred thousand
people gathered in Saint Peter’s square to spend time with Pope Francis is such
a contrast to the thousands of Roman citizens who used to gather with the Roman
Emperor for the persecution and torture of Christians.
The Spiritual Battle in the book of Revelation also reminds
us that every Christian is engaged in his own, personal, spiritual battle. He faces temptation, he faces the tendency of
self-centeredness and self-aggrandizement and selfishness on a daily
basis. There is a constant struggle to
keep God at the center of our life, to pray as we ought, to reflect on
scripture as we ought, to engage in works of charity as Jesus teaches us, and
to allow him to lead us in the ways of holiness. The great cloud of witnesses, the Saints,
remind us that holiness is possible, that the power of Christ’s victory can do
amazing things when it is unleashed in our lives.
While in Rome, last week, we were also able to visit the
Christian catacombs—burial places on the outskirts of Rome, where because of
the persecutions, Christians were forced to worship in secret. One of the images found in many of the
catacombs is the image of the Good Shepherd: Christ the shepherd, holding the
lambs on his shoulder. What a powerful
image for those Christians who if arrested for refusing to worship the emperor
as a divinity could be thrown to the lions in the arena. The Good Shepherd who promises that God is
greater than all violence, all evil, all sorrow. The Good Shepherd promises eternal life to
those who follow him.
The fourth Sunday of Easter is of course known as Good
Shepherd Sunday, it is also for Catholics a world-wide day of prayer for
vocations. We need men and women who are
willing to consecrate themselves in dedicated service to the Church. We need priests, deacons, and religious to
serve the Church. Even though Pope
Benedict XVI was an absolute genius, and explained the faith in an unparalleled
way, Pope Francis offers us a unique insight, this humble man reminds us that
ordinary folk are called to serve the Church—ordinary folk like you and me,
your sons and daughters, and grandchildren.
Last week, we had a young man from our parish, who is
considering a call to the priesthood visit the seminary. And, after four years here at Saint
Columbkille, I believe we have several young people being called to priesthood
or religious life. But they don’t just
need my encouragement, they need your encouragement and prayers.
I hope that everyone here present today, has in mind one
person that they will pray for or encourage to consider a religious vocation. We need priests to continue the ordained
ministry and sacramental life of the Church, we need consecrated religious
brothers and sisters to remind us that holiness is possible in the world, and
we need families to pray for and promote vocations…vocations come from
families. And to hear from one’s mother
or father or aunt or uncle that they are supportive in you pursuing a call to
the priesthood or religious life is invaluable.
So may we be obedient members of the Shepherd’s flock, open
to the ways in which he wants to use us as his instruments, amidst so many
evils of the world, instruments filled with joy and his Holy Spirit for the
glory of God and salvation of souls.
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