Word to the Wise
Wednesday, November 26, 2008 - Wednesday in the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
[Revelation 15:1-4 and Luke 21:12-19]Then I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire. On the sea of glass were standing those who had won the victory over the beast and its image and the number that signified its name. They were holding God's harps, and they sang the son of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb: "Great and wonderful are your works, Lord God almighty........
The Book of Revelation is paired with the apocalyptic chapters in Luke just before the passion narrative to focus the attention of the Church on the reality of "last things" even if we have no idea when those last things are going to take place. There are many fanciful theories and even some bizarre numerologies, including the famous "666!" Good scripture scholarship helps us to note the symbolism which today is taken from the exodus and the victory of martyrs who have undergone their exodus By the time the Book of Revelation was written, the Church had undergone some persecution and martyrdom was a reality! In fact, a bit later on, St. Polycarp had to admonish Christians not to "turn themselves in" so that they could be martyred! The Gospel of Luke today warns that parents, brothers, relatives and friends would be doing that! For us who may not feel persecuted or afraid for our faith, the encouragement from Revelation and Jesus in Luke comes down to perseverance in faith despite the relentless secularism and relativism that erode faith in a more insidious way. Even if I find the image of "war" repugnant in spiritual matters, I am very much aware of the struggle that faith demands of us in terms of loving God and neighbor in an age that places ME first. AMEN
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