Monday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
(Revelation 1:1-4.2;1-5; Luke 18:35-43)
People watching, one observes young couples walking hand in hand but older couples often following each other as if they have lost interest in partnership. The first reading from the Book of Revelation laments a similar loss of ardor of the Church of Ephesus.
The Book of Revelation is part of a prominent form of Scriptural literature called "apocalyptic." Such writing offers predictions about the end of times, but its purpose is actually to shore up fading hope in the present. In the passage today Ephesus is experiencing a dampening of enthusiasm in Christian love with the postponement of the expected coming of Christ in glory, and the author John is doing something about it.
The apocalyptic is no stranger today. People speaking of private revelations from the Blessed Mother often include predictions of the end time. They need not be ignored. As pesky as they may be, their message should remind us to purify our motives in doing good.
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