Revelation!
I see that, for the next two weeks before Advent, the Mass readings include passages from the last book of the Bible, the book of Revelation, also called the Apocalypse. Some people experience the book as strange and confusing, but I think it is helpful. The people of God have heard our Lord's voice in the pages of the book, and their souls have been stirred and strengthened.
It is more familiar than we often realize. It is found throughout our liturgy. For example take hymns. Revelaton 1:7 says:
Behold, he is coming amid the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him. All the peoples of the earth will lament him. Yea, Amen!
Now think of the majestic Advent hymn "Lo, He Comes with Clouds Descending". It powerfully evokes Jesus's second coming and is inspired largely by Revelation 1:7.
Lo! He comes with clouds descending, Once for our salvation slain;
Thousand thousand saints attending Swell the triumph of his train:
Alleluia! Alleluia! Christ the Lord returns to reign.
Ev'ry eye shall now behold him, Robed in dreadful majesty;
Those who set at naught and sold him, Pierced, and nailed him to the tree,
Deeply wailing, deeply wailing, Shall the true Messiah see.
Yea, Amen! let all adore thee, High on thine eternal throne;
Savior, take the power and glory; Claim the kingdom for thine own:
Alleluia! Alleluia! Thou shalt reign, and thou alone.
As we hear and sing such hymns, and as we participate in the liturgy in other ways, we are being formed by the book of Revelation, even if we don't know it. The book has influenced Christian imagination over the centuries, in art, music, novels, poetry and film.
Part of the first Mass reading for November 16 is:
The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him, to show his servants what must happen soon. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who gives witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ by reporting what he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud and blessed are those who listen to this prophetic message and heed what is written in it, for the appointed times is near.
The apostle John, the author of the book, identifies it as a revelation. The word means "an unveiling, showing what was hidden". The book pulls back the curtain, showing things as they really are. It reminds us that not all is what it seems, and that the Lord is with us even when we don't know it. It shows us in vivid word-pictures what's going on around us on the spiritual level, showing us the spiritual powers at work beyond what our eyes can see. God wants us to know what's going on behind the scenes (1:1).
St. John also tells us that this book is prophecy (1:3). St. Peter assures us that "there is no prophecy of scripture that is a matter of personal interpretation, for ... human beings moved by the Holy Spirit spoke under the influence of God" (2 Peter 1:20-21).
The "unveiling" to John is trustworthy. It is biblical. It is from--and about--Jesus. Of course there are people who have done strange things with it, things that the Apostle never intended. So it's important to read it with the Church.
Imagine knowing ahead of time the outcome of, say, a sports game. You could be sure that you're on the winning side. Well, the book of Revelation shows us who ultimately will win. God wins. He remains the true Power in control, in spite of how things may look. His enemies and ours--the world, the flesh, and the devil--war against him and us fiercely, but their defeat is guaranteed.
There is much more. God wants to bless us. Revelation 1:3 tells us that one way we will be blessed is if we read and obey the book of Revelation.
Remember, the message of the book of Revelation is as urgent and vital today as it was in the first century.
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