Fifth Sunday of Easter---Liturgical Cycle C

Lectionary Readings.

Homily
The second bible reading on the Fifth Sunday of Easter continues to present passages, like snapshots, from the Book of Revelation (the Apocalypse). Taken from Chapter 21, it is a vision of what God created us to be if humanity would but be faithful to the Way of Jesus. Our world would be like a holy city, come down from heaven.

Only the Lamb of God is found to be worthy to break the seven seals of the scroll of history and reveal God’s hidden plan for all creation: That God alone is ultimately in charge; he alone makes all things, even the vilest evil, work to accomplish His divine will. The famous Four Horsemen appear and usher in the world’s lamentations and wailings and woes, which become as sweet as honey in the mouth for those who remain faithful. We sense this in the breaking of the seventh seal when, in the vision, an angel stands forth before the throne of the Lamb bearing a censer and incense. (We recall the bit of incense required in declaring the Roman emperor Domitian as “lord and god.”)

From the angel’s hand the smoke of the incense went up before God, and with it the prayers of God’s people.
(Rev. 8:4)

Then there are the seven trumpets, the last of which ushers in the vision of the Woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. The woman gives birth to a child whom the dragon (read “Rome”) seeks to devour, a son destined to shepherd all nations (even evil Rome) with an iron rod. But the child is snatched up (raised up) to the throne of God!

Now have salvation and power come—the reign of our God and the authority of his anointed (Christed) one.
(Rev. 12:10)

Next comes the image of the two beasts, the first representing Emperor Nero and the second of “Nero-Come-Back-to Life” (Emperor Domitian).

The second wild beast was then permitted to give life to the Beast’s image (statue) so that the image had the power of speech and of putting to death anyone who refused to worship it. It forced all men, small and great, rich and poor, slave and free, to accept a stamped image on their right hand or their forehead. Moreover, it did not allow a man to buy or sell anything unless he was first marked with the name of the beast or with the number that stood for its name.
(Rev. 13:15-18)

(The number 666 is Hebrew cryptic for Caesar Nero.)

As mentioned above, today’s “snapshot” is a vision of the victory, not simply a vision of heaven but a dream of how people should and can exist in a fellowship of peace. The imagery comes out of the books of Isaiah and Ezekiel. (Is 65:17, Ez 38:27)

The gospel message for the Fifth Easter Sunday is the Lord’s command that people “love one another” and the reading from Acts testifies to the fellowship of community love at Antioch. The Lord God pitches his tent among His people gathered, assembled, churched. God is with us and the victory of faithfulness shall be ours for we are stamped, “sealed,” with the presence of God.

--Fr. Pat

Excerpt from "A Catholic's Companion: Liturgical Cycle C" (c)2000 C. Patrick Creed
Published by Watchmaker Press. Maggie Hettinger, editor

Fourth Sunday of Easter Liturgical Cycle C

Lectionary Readings

Homily

On this Fourth Easter Sunday, the bible message boldly proclaims God’s care and concern for any and all who hear his voice and follow after the shepherd.

He is the Good Shepherd of the Gospel who guards the flock that recognizes his call. These shall never perish; no one shall snatch them out of his hand.

The Hebrew psalm reminds all people “whose God is the Lord” that “they are his people, the flock he tends.”

Even in the midst of persecution and trial, like that of Paul and Barnabas, the true disciples (“those who respond to the Word with praise,” we hear in Luke Acts) are watched over and delivered from evil.

Today’s selection from the Book of Revelation, our second reading, is one of the most tender and caring passages in all the bible. Written to Christians near the end of the first century, the author, John, using apocalyptic style, sends a coded message of encouragement to the little church communities along the Mediterranean. Their ranks beginning to sag under the fierce persecution of the Roman Emperor Domitian, only those steeped in biblical tradition can cipher its ringing call to remain steadfast, faithful, loyal to their baptismal commitment.

Like all human institutions, the Roman government wanted its citizens to pledge absolute loyalty: “My country right or wrong”; and refused to recognize a higher moral authority. Under pain of death, citizens were expected to pronounce an oath of allegiance to the Emperor Domitian, recognizing him as Dominus et Deus, “lord and god.” All were to make this oath by burning a bit of incense before the statue of Domitian erected in the town squares.

It was a time of great trial for the churches. Families were torn apart. Fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, were put to the test. There were betrayers, traitors, accommodators (the Nicolaitans).

The Apocalypse was resistance literature. Lest those who remained faithful to the Lord should feel alone in their struggle, the writer of Revelation calls them to see a vision, “a huge crowd” standing “before the throne,” not the throne of Domitian, but “the throne of the Lamb.”

These are the ones who have survived the great period of trial.

They have washed their robes white in the blood of the Lamb.

Never again shall they know hunger or thirst,
nor shall the sun or its heat beat down on them.

We should almost blush at our own little trials and temptations, our own heartaches and separations. If these early Christians could see a vision of God’s comfort and concern through their awesome sufferings cannot we have faith in his healing touch?

for the Lamb on his throne will shepherd them
…and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

If your heart aches today, remain steadfast in His love. For He is Dominus et Deus, Lord and God. The Good Shepherd tends his sheep.
--Fr. Pat

Excerpt from "A Catholic's Companion: Liturgical Cycle C" (c)2000 C. Patrick Creed
Published by Watchmaker Press. Maggie Hettinger, editor

Third Sunday of Easter---Liturgical Cycle C

Lectionary Readings

Homily
Every third year, on the Sundays after Easter, our Catholic Liturgy treats us to a sampling of the Book of Revelation, the Apocalypse—as it was once called. If we hear these weekly selections carefully, it’s a taste which can whet our appetite.

The word “Apocalypse” means a “revelation.” It’s like one of those cryptograms in a Crossword Puzzle book, where the letters are all mixed up, an “a” is a “t” and an “e” is a “b” and so on. Once you find the formula, the sentence is decoded and it all makes sense. Apocalyptic literary form is like that. Once you can decode it the message is clear.

The Book of Revelation is written in this apocalyptic form, which was very popular in antiquity. Among the Hebrew people we have the Book of Daniel and Ezekiel and Zechariah as examples of this style.

What the writer does is use words, ideas, images, symbols which are known to his intended readers but are “Greek” to an outsider. Apocalyptic is a revelation only to those who can decode it, who are privy to its secret message. There are 404 verses in the book of Revelation and 278 are words and phrases lifted right out of the Old Testament. Of the remaining 126, over half have their meaning in Christian thought.

The Book of Revelation is addressed by the writer to the First century Christian communities in the coastal towns around the Mediterranean Sea. These early churches were under the siege of persecution by the Roman emperor. If this document offering hope and urging steadfastness and resistance fell into the hands of the Roman authorities, it would have been unintelligible to them; they did not have the “key” to decode them.

Take, for example, last Sunday’s reading from the Prologue of the Book: the reader is introduced to the vision of “seven lampstands of gold and among the lampstands One like a Son of Man,” holding in his right hand seven stars. Only one versed in the Hebrew tradition would know that “seven” is the code number of perfection and only a Christian would know that the lampstand is the Light of Christ, the Lumen Christi and that the seven stars are, as we are told, “the presiding spirits of the churches.”

Since the number is “seven” we know that the Revelation is for all the Christian communities of that First Century. But its message is universal: it is addressed also to all the churches of our century as well. We have to hear it carefully; it speaks to us, a people under persecution so cleverly designed that we become entangled and give up without a fight. (Read Wendell Berry’s article, Fall of Community, in which he shows how it has eaten away our human decency.)

The Book begins with the seven letters from the presiding spirits of the seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Leaodicea. Since the number is “seven” the biblical mind considers these letters addressed to all churches, including our own. The author has “seven eyes” and “seven horns” – perfect wisdom and perfect power, all-seeing and all-powerful. Each letter compliments the church on its steadfastness, its devotion to the Christ, and each letter points out weakness and failures and encourages stout-heartedness.

The situation of the Christian churches at the end of the first century had become quite desperate. The Roman Emperor, Domitian, sensing that the kingdom was beginning to break up, set down a decree that each citizen must swear an oath of allegiance, like our pledge of allegiance, to himself (Domitian) as “lord and god.” Along with this oath, the citizen was required to offer a bit of incense burning before a statue of Domitian erected for that purpose in every town’s central plaza. That is when this letter of the Apocalypse swings into action, encouraging all Christians to resist, to remain faithful.

Who can say that this scripture has no relevance for us today?

The little snapshot from the Book of Revelation in today’s reading has reference to the “Scroll of History.” There is no one to be found to open the scroll, for who is worthy to be privy to the councils of God? One of the Four Elders (“four” is a code number for worldwide) says, “The Lion of Judah, the Root of David, (Old Testament messianic phrases) has won the right by his victory to open the scroll with the seven seals.”

Then comes the vision of the Lamb that was slain, now standing before the throne of God. Only a Christian would catch the image of the Lamb that was slain who now is alive. The whole heavenly choir cries out:

“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
to receive power and riches
wisdom and strength,
honor and glory and blessing.”

“To the one who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor, glory and might,
forever and ever.”

“Amen!”

The message is clear:

God in Christ is in charge of history. He is the final victor. The Roman emperor is not “lord and god.” Our allegiance is to the Lamb of God and to him alone!

It speaks to us this day.

--Fr. Pat

Excerpt from "A Catholic's Companion: Liturgical Cycle C" (c)2000 C. Patrick Creed
Published by Watchmaker Press. Maggie Hettinger, editor

Second Sunday of Easter---Liturgical Cycle C

Lectionary Readings

Homily

Today, and for the next five Sundays, the church presents to us readings from the Book of Revelation, or Apocalypse. This book of the bible is seldom used in our Liturgical services of the Word and is not often read or preached about within the Catholic community.

However, it is very popular among evangelistic church communions and is used by many preachers to predict the future. The language is very symbolic and lends itself to all kinds of interpretations, which is probably why many find the book the most difficult to understand in all of the bible.

Apocalyptic writing is a literary device, a way of writing that was very popular in antiquity—the Book of Daniel is such a form of writing. The word itself, apocalypse, means a revelation, an uncovering, a decoding. The work is fashioned in such a manner that only the “insiders” will catch the message. Much of the composition (estimated as well over 80%) is taken from phrases out of the Old Testament, especially the language and thought patterns of the books of Ezekiel and Zechariah. For an outsider, one not familiar with the Old Testament and the Christian teachings, the work would have made no sense at all—it would have been written in coded language which the casual reader would be unable to uncover, to decode, to have the message revealed.

Symbolic descriptions are not to be taken literally. For example, Christ the Lord is described as the Lamb—with seven eyes and seven horns. Seven is the number of perfection in this code and so the Lamb has perfect power (the horns) and perfect knowledge (the eyes). In the bible, as well as other writings of antiquity, numbers are used as symbolic codes:
• four is the world;
• six symbolizes imperfection,
• twelve stands for the apostles, the nations of Israel (12 tribes);
• a thousand means immensity, infinity.

For example, the “144,000 saved” (from the familiar reading on All Saints Day) becomes 12 X 12 added to the symbol of the thousand and signifies an unlimited number, unable to be counted.

Another significant feature of apocalyptic writing is the use of symbolic colors, e.g. the colors of the famous four horses of the Apocalypse: White, Red, Black and Sickly Green. Or the yellow gold mentioned in today’s reading—of the lampstand and around the waist of the Lord.

Since what God is revealing to us in the scriptures is what the sacred author intended to say, it is of the utmost importance that we strive to uncover exactly what is meant by the author and do not read into it what we think it ought to say. In order to do this we must take into account the historical situation that the Book of Revelation reflects.

Catholic as well as Protestant biblical scholars now agree that the book was written between the years 81 and 96, and was a reflection of the crisis in which the early Christian communities found themselves. Emperor Domitian ruled over the Roman Empire and was a bigger despot then Nero. Realizing the vast kingdom was beginning to split, he sought to unite it not only by military force, but also by an oath of interior loyalty. Thus he had his image set up in the principle townships with an eternal flame burning in front of it and all suspected subjects were to offer a pinch of incense—for Domitian declared himself to be both lord and god, in Latin: Dominus et Deus, in Greek: Erios Theos! The writer of Revelation declares that’s going too far and counsels the young Christian communities to resist. And the first worldwide persecution begins, the blood of martyrs flows.

Some Christians accommodated the gospel. They are the Nicolaitans spoken of in the seven letters to the churches. The Lord says: “You must detest the practices of the Nicolaitans, just as I do.” The thrust of the book, and its value for us today, is the strong statement to remain faithful, not to accommodate the Gospel in the face of secularism—to be, as the writer of Apocalypse calls, a witness, a martyr for Jesus, who alone is the first and the last, who alone is Lord and God.

To the angel of the church in Ephesus, write this:

“The one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks in the midst of the seven gold lampstands says this: “I know your works, your labor, and your endurance, and that you cannot tolerate the wicked; you have tested those who call themselves apostles but are not, and discovered that they are impostors. Moreover, you have endurance and have suffered for my name, and you have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: you have lost the love you had at first. Realize how far you have fallen. Repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. But you have this in your favor: You hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

‘Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the victor I will give the right to eat from the tree of life that is in the garden of God.’”
Revelation 2:1-7


The seven lampstands symbolize the whole church, as well as the seven letters of encouragement addressed to the churches at:

Ephesus Smyrna
Pergamum Thyatira
Sardis Philadelphia
Laodicea

These letters end with this admonition:

Let those who have ears heed the Spirit’s word to the churches.

--Fr. Pat

Excerpt from "A Catholic's Companion: Liturgical Cycle C" (c)2000 C. Patrick Creed
Published by Watchmaker Press. Maggie Hettinger, editor