The Lamb, The Lord, The Apocalypse – Part 1

“I John had a vision.” During this time of Easter, it’s only once every three years during this brief Easter time, that we have this series of readings from the book of Revelation. And we began talking about this good Divine Mercy Sunday, but that homily was not recorded, so some of those who are listening to this homily recording won’t hear that part.  So, this is an opportunity to come back to this book of Revelation.  I guess, it’s not a typical Mother’s Day topic. But it’s a blessing for us to have this right now. And so, we know that this book comes at the end of the Bible, precisely about that period of the life, the period of the Church, the period that we have been called to live. A lot of the Bible is about things that did happen and did happen a long time ago. But the apocalypse is about what is happening, what is happening in our time, and what will happen, it’s a prophetic book. This begins, John has this experience, he says, “I looked and behold, in heaven, an open door.” Imagine that experience of seeing a door open in heaven. And then that’s not it, that’s not the end, he says, “and then the first voice which I heard speaking to me, like a trumpet, said, Come up here.” So he’s been invited to come up. “And I will show you what must take place after this.” So, he’s been given a vision of from heaven, of what will happen, revealing what is normally hidden to us, as we’re struggling here on this earth. It’s like being taken up beyond the clouds, as we’re here down in earth, there’s so much that we can’t see or understand. And so, he’s given us the opportunity to see with this divine light, what the life of the Church. So, the book of Revelation is a book that’s often avoided. Right? That’s a book that a lot of people don’t want to look at, because it’s frightening, and because it’s mysterious. It is frightening, in a sense, because there’s a lot to be frightened about. It’s revealing to us the true evil, the dangers that are in our world, especially the dangers for our spirit and soul. But above all, it is a book of great hope, and reassurance, about how that evil will be overcome. And it’s also a book that is very mysterious. A lot of it is written in symbolic language. And so, there’s been a lot of interpretations offered about this book. It speaks about what is coming soon. But what does that soon mean?  So, I think we have to have the humility, to recognize that that’s one of the fruits of this work, to recognize that there’s a lot that we don’t understand. And that we can’t understand, unless and until God chooses to reveal it. That is just helpful to know that there’s a lot of mystery in our life, and the life of the Church and in our world, there is the mystery that only God can reveal. But even if there’s a lot that we don’t understand, there’s still a lot that we can understand. And there’s a lot that that can help us right now, from this book. And I want to look at a few of those points, because the book of Revelation is a lot of ways like spiritual health food, like vitamins for us and the struggles that we’re going through. In fact, it’s striking that this is a book that’s avoided, because it’s, I think, the only book of the Bible which says, “Blessed is he who reads this book.”  I’ll read you that passage, “blessed is he who reads aloud the words of this prophecy.”  And so, we’re going to be doing some of that today. Reading aloud. I’m doing it right now, reading aloud the words of this prophecy. And it says, “Blessed are those who hear, and to keep what is written therein, for the time is near.” So, there’s a special blessing for listening to the words of this book. You don’t need to understand it all, you don’t need to be a scripture scholar, there’s a lot of graces that we can receive, even without completely understanding everything. And so today, I wanted to begin a series of three homilies, to take advantage of this opportunity which we only have once every third year of looking at this book of Revelation. And I want to organize these three homilies on faith, and then next week on hope, and then the following week on love. This vision of faith this week, and then in the conflicts, the great conflicts, hope, and the great conflict next week. And then finally, as a book of Divine Love, the triumph of love. Human history often seems sad, and chaotic, tragic and chaotic, out of control, where there’s so much evil, always wrecking the good. And John speaks in the book of revelation about the tribulation, the great distress that the children of God experience, as in the Passion of Jesus, that when Jesus was experiencing His passion, it was a time of tribulation and distress. Where and as in Jesus’ passion also, when we’re going through tribulation and distress, it often becomes very hard to trust, hard to believe. And we know a lot of people today are losing their faith, because of all the evil and tribulation that they see. Just like during Jesus’ passion, after His passion, it took a lot. It was a terrible trial of faith. It took a heroic faith to keep on holding on, despite what had just happened. We know just this week, speaking of tribulation and distress, just this week, the uproar that was caused when there was a leak of the Supreme Court’s discussion about the abortion decision on Roe vs. Wade. And all the violent reaction to that, all the signs of the attacks of the evil one against life and against love, against motherhood. The book of Revelation at one point sees the great red dragon wanting about to attack the woman who is with child, about to bear a child, wanting to attack the woman and devour her child. The perpetual attack of satan against Jesus and against the most vulnerable members of His Church which are the unborn and the little children. So today as we celebrate, providentially Mother’s Day, and we celebrate the vocation of mothers, called to be the presence of God’s love and of God’s life for humanity. Because our faith is in a God who continues to act, who acts in our lives, who acts in human history, not a guard far away, the great clockmaker, but a God who is acting and present in human history. The Old Testament shows that very clearly, especially for instance, with the book of Exodus, but the greatest example is the example of Jesus Himself. God who becomes man, who enters into our world, becoming one of us. And then through the book of Acts shows the Holy Spirit continuing to act in the Church.  And so, the book we’re looking at now, at the very end of the Bible, the Bible doesn’t end by saying, “and then God stopped acting and He went back to heaven, and just said, well, the rest is on you.”  The book of the Bible ends not with God stopping acting, but with showing in a symbolic way, how the Lord will continue to act till the culmination of human history, in the life of the Church, preparing for His great coming. And so, in the midst of a history, which often seems chaotic, our faith shows us the primacy of God acting in human history, that even if it seems chaotic and random, all is in His hands, everything is in His hands. And yet He has chosen to give freedom to us. And so, we are truly free, our decisions affect what happens, we can take the hard way, or the better way. So, we are truly free, but our freedom is part of a much greater plan of God’s own providence and human history. When God decides to act, no force can stop Him from acting. We had the passage that we read today, “I John had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count from every nation, race, people in time.”  So it’s extended to every nation, race, people in time, it wasn’t limited to one group or another. “They stood before the throne, and He was on the throne, and also, before the Lamb, wearing white robes, and holding palm branches.”  White robes and palm branches, those are signs of purity and a victory. “Then one of the elders said to me, these are the ones who have survived that time of great distress. They have washed their robes and made them whole, in the blood of the Lamb. For this reason, they stand before God’s throne and worship Him day and night, in His temple. The one who sits on the throne will shelter them, they will not hunger or thirst anymore, nor will the sun or any heat strike them. For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne, will shepherd them and lead them to the springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” The Lamb, who is in the center of the throne, will shepherd them, a Lamb who is also the Shepherd. This is the Sunday of Good Shepherd as we heard in the Gospel. And that leads us to the core of the message today. Who is this Lamb who is also the Shepherd? We know of course, who it is, Jesus Christ.  The name of this book, what we often call the book of Revelation, and the word apocalypse, comes from the Greek for revelation. But traditionally, the titles for the books of the Bible were taken from the first words of that book. And what are the first words of this book? It’s the revelation of Jesus Christ. So, the real title of this book is the revelation of Jesus Christ. And that reveals to us the secret of this book, that it’s completely centered on Jesus.  As the Gospels show Jesus in His humility here on Earth, now the book of Revelation reveals Jesus in glory, the Jesus that we see in the image of Divine Mercy. That Jesus who is guiding the Church and all humanity to its culmination, because it’s the Jesus who is Lord of history, Jesus, Lord of history, and He is the key to understanding this revelation, to see beyond the lies and evil of our time. Why are the powers of our society, so obsessed with trying to eliminate any recognition of Jesus from our world?  These forces are truly forces against Jesus Christ, anti- Christ forces, because they are fighting against He who is the True Lord of history.  And so, John has at the at the beginning of this book, he has this vision, opening vision he says, “when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead, but He laid His right hand upon me.” So, he’s seeing Jesus in His glory, and he’s hearing Jesus say to him, “Fear not, I am the First and the Last, the living one, I died. And behold, I am alive forevermore. And I have the keys of death and of Hades. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”  Then John begins with a series of visions. And at one point, he sees the one seated on the throne, which is God the Father. And it said, “in His right hand, He had a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals.” So the scroll, for they didn’t have books, they had scrolls, in this scroll is the designs of God, sealed with seven seals. “And I saw a strong angel.” Not a fluttery little, pretty cherub, but a strong angel, “proclaiming with a loud voice, who is worthy to open the scroll and break open it seals.” And who was worthy, it says, “No one in heaven, or on earth or under the earth, was able to open the scroll or look into it.”  So, no one was worthy. And he says, “and I wept much that no one was found worthy to open the scroll. Then one of the elders said to me, Do not weep. Behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David has conquered, so that he can open the scroll, and it’s seven seals.” And so, this is surprising.  John hears this, that it’s the Lion of Judah, this ancient prophecy which from many centuries earlier, the Lion of Judah is coming. And then John doesn’t see a lion. He sees a lamb, and a mysterious lamb, a lamb that had been slain, had been sacrificed, but is now standing alive. And this lamb takes the scroll. And when the lamb takes the scroll, all those there shout and triumph, the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever.” And then in the following weeks, God willing, we’ll see how the scroll is opened. And the designs of God and the action of the lamb, continue to play out in the great conflicts that the world and the Church experience. And so, one thing you could do concretely during this Easter season, to take advantage of what John said, “Blessed are those who read this book.” So, what’s one thing you could do? You could read the book, this great book, the apocalypse, you don’t have to understand it all. But just read it a little bit. And if there’s passages which especially speak to you, don’t hesitate maybe to write those passages down. So that’s something concrete you can do. And each time you do it, you’re being blessed, when you understand it, but also when you don’t understand, because you when you don’t, you can say Lord, I don’t understand this, but I humbly recognize my limits. And I trust that you’ll help me to understand, and that also blesses you. And as a special help, you can ask our Blessed Mother, especially on this Mother’s Day, to help you read it.  To help you understand this book, about the revelation of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who is victorious, this same Lamb of God, where are we going to hear those words – right before Holy Communion. When the priest raises the Consecrated Host and says, “Behold, the Lamb of God,”, the words of John the Baptist, Behold the Lamb of God. So, the Lamb of God that John saw in His glorious majesty is the same Jesus Christ, who is present coming for you today in Holy Communion. And so, this Lamb, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords who is coming to you, if you want to now, as I conclude, I’m going to read a final passage from that, when after the lamb came, the first time John sees the lamb, this passage where all fall down in adoration and praise of the lamb. Again, the same Lamb we are preparing to receive. And so, if you want, you could close your eyes, and with your heart with your soul, make an act of adoration. As we listen to these words. “The lamb went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. And when he had taken a scroll, the four living creatures, and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are you to take the scroll, and to open it’s seals, for you were slain in by your blood, you ransomed men for God, from every tribe, and tongue, and people and nation, and you have made of them a kingdom, and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth. Then I looked, and I heard around the throne, and the living creatures and the elders, the voice of many angels, numbering, myriads of myriads, (a myriad is ten thousand, so a myriad of myriads would be 100 million. So the extreme numbers of angels, numbering, myriads of myriads, and 1000s of 1000s), saying with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power, and wealth, and wisdom, and might, and honor, and glory and blessing.’ And then I heard every creature in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and in the sea, and all therein saying to Him who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory, and might for ever and ever, and the four living creatures said Amen. And the elders fell down and worshiped.”  Amen.