Word to the Wise
Wednesday, November 26, 2014 - Wednesday in the 34th Week in Ordinary Time
[Rev 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 song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb..." [Revelation]
"Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore thee. Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea!" Do those lyrics seem familiar? Many Catholics (at least of my generation) have sung that old hymn that begins with "Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!" Most of the lyrics are based on the Book of Revelation, I've discovered belatedly! I always wondered where that "glassy sea" came from. And if you ever wondered where the notion of heaven as a place where everybody sits around playing harps came from, the answer is the same place: the Book of Revelation.
A vision is a vision. The Book of Revelation is a vision of one disciple that is expressed in highly symbolic language. I think many have tended to confuse the symbols with the reality. They get worried about the number of the beast (Nero, the emperor) whose name somehow spells out "666" in a particular way. The Book of Revelation is meant to console a persecuted community, and it is not "pie in the sky by and by." The victory of Christ is not just at the end of time. That victory is won by perseverance in all times. The community may long for the Second Coming to end persecution, but life must go on until that event occurs. Whether or not we will hold harps and sit by a glassy sea is something that our imaginations can work with. Ultimately, if we are faithful we will be with God. AMEN