11 May 2025

11 May 2025 - Fourth Sunday fo Easter

Transcript

This is the problem with the way the powers that are in the church have divided up the Scripture for us in different small sections for readings in the Mass. I understand why. It’s hard to do every word from Scripture in three sets of readings for the weekends. But we are looking at the last book of the Bible, and there is so much confusion over what is there.

But before I go into filling in the gaps from last week to this week, I want to say a couple of things. First, so I do not forget, Happy Mother’s Day to all of you that that applies to. And I add a prayer for those who long to be mothers but do not have that privilege – yet.

Second, the new Pope is the same age as I am! Also, the Pope and our new Archbishop are both from the Chicago area originally. No, I do not think that is a conspiracy. And I heard he is a Sox fan, not a Cubs fan. I must say that I was very much surprised that someone from the United States was selected as Pope. But now let me turn back to the topic of the day.

Oh, one other point. At the Archbishop’s inauguration Mass, he preached for fourteen minutes. And you thought I went long? Anyway.

Between last week and this week the section of the book of Revelation that was skipped deals with six of the seven seals that the Lamb opened in heaven. John, the writer of Revelations, saw a scroll being held by God on his throne. It had seven seals and writing on both sides of the scroll. But John was in tears because no one could be found to open the seals. Then one of the elders told John not to cry because the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, had triumphed and was able to open the seals on the scroll. He appeared as a lamb, not a lion. He had seven horns and seven eyes – yes I know it sounds weird, but remember how many days was it that God took to create the world? Six days and on the seventh day he rested. Seven is the number for being in a covenant relationship with God. Then, the  elders (the apostles and the twelve sons of Israel) sang this song:

“Worthy are you to receive the scroll 

and to break open its seals, 

for you were slain and with your blood you purchased for God 

those from every tribe and tongue, people and nation. 

You made them a kingdom and priests for our God, 

and they will reign on earth.” 

This simple song gives you one of the main keys to understanding the entire book of Revelation. It is all about worship of God and the heavenly liturgy. The Mass is the earthly version of the heavenly liturgy. This is the key to understanding the entire book of Revelation. Yes, it’s images are strange, but it is all about worship of God as John saw it in heaven.

This is the fun part about the book of Revelation. Throughout the different stories and strange creatures, throughout the Dragon and the beasts that serve it – Satan and the demons, and those who do not serve God will suffer eternal damnation. On the other side, we see countless numbers of people – literally in the original text it says “one hundred million times one million” – myriads upon myriads. It is a lot of folks!

But, chapter 6, which we do not read from, has the breaking of the first six seals. When the first four are opened, the four living creatures – which represent the writers of the Gospels – cry out in a “voice like thunder, ‘come forward’”. And we see a white horse, followed by a red horse, followed by a black horse, and finally a pale green horse. The riders are given permission to take out about one third of the population of the world. This is part of the reason why people don’t like the book of Revelation. There is so much death and destruction – but it is for only those who refuse to follow God. Time and again the statements in this section talk about people being unwilling to follow God.

But then we go to the fifth seal and the martyrs of the church speak up. They cried out in a loud voice, “How long will it be, holy and true master, before you sit in judgment and avenge our blood on the inhabitants of the earth?” And they are told simply to be patient until their full number of martyrs have been added to their numbers. You do know that there were more martyrs in the twentieth century then in all the previous nineteen centuries combined? How many more before the end of time? Only God knows the answer to that.

Then the sixth seal gets broken – remember there are seven. And there is a great earthquake and “the sun is as black as a dark sack cloth and the moon becomes like blood.” That could be eclipses, but it is worse. The next line says, “Then the sky was divided like a torn scroll curling up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.” This earth we live in has to make way for the New Jerusalem where all the saints of God will live with God for all eternity. The next verses say that everyone – from kings to slaves – will cry out that the earth cover them because they see how big of a mistake they have made in rejecting God. But they still do not repent.

Now into chapter 7. There will be no wind blowing any place on the earth… That sounds scary. Dead calm. And then we have the twelve thousand from each of the tribes of Israel that make up the one hundred and forty-four thousand. This is the number that the Jehovah’s Witnesses have perverted. They believe only that number of people will be in heaven. That is just crazy! Because the next verse is what we had from Mass today: “After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice: 

“Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne, 

and from the Lamb.” 

Then the angels, the elders (the sons of Israel and the apostles), and the four living creatures (the gospel writers) sang another short hymn: “Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving, 

honor, power, and might 

be to our God forever and ever. Amen.” 

How many items are in that hymn? Seven! No surprise there!

Then we have the rest of the reading from today. It is all the saints crying out to God in an exclamation of joy. No more hunger, no more thirst, no more problems as we will be standing before the throne of the Lamb. “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

The great promise of eternity has been laid before us here in these chapters of the book of Revelation. It is not as scary as it might seem. Some people tried to take the imagery and make more out of it than what, I think, was intended. And they miss the simple fact that it is worship of God – the heavenly liturgy that is being described to us and that we celebrate with every Mass.

Next weekend we jump to chapter 21 and talk about this New Jerusalem that will descend from heaven as the Bride of Christ. But… that is for later.

I don’t think I went for fourteen minutes, except in the Spanish version. It takes me longer to read through in Spanish than in English.

But the most important point is not about the destruction, or the beasts. The book of Revelation is about worship of God.

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