THE FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER, May 15, 2022
(Acts 14:21-27; Revelation 21:1-5; John 13:31-33.34-35)
There is a striking proverb that Martin Luther King used. To
encourage his companions in the struggle against racism, he told them:
"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice."
Is it true? Do we see justice permeating society more and more throughout
history? Or is it just optimistic thinking that things are getting better?
Today some historians question the inevitability of justice.
They see in the invasion of the Ukraine the same evil that moved Hitler to take
possession of half of Europe. They note that in China tyranny is suffocating
democracy as in autocratic kingdoms. They are aware of the refusal to
acknowledge the humanity of the unborn on the part of many people everywhere.
In a time like this, when reality seemed dark and the future looked hopeless,
the Apocalypse or the Revelation was written. Today we heard a passage from the end of this
book in the second reading.
The word “apocalypse” comes from a Greek word meaning revelation.
The writer of the work removes the veil that covers the future to reveal the end
of history. The Book of Revelation was written towards the end of the first
century. Christians at the time were experiencing the threat of the heavy hand
of the Roman government. They had experienced bitter persecution under the
emperor Nero some years earlier. During that bloodshed Saints Peter and Paul
had been martyred. Now they were preparing for another wave of persecution,
perhaps worse. The author named John, but not the evangelist, had a vision from
the Lord. He foresaw that the coming
persecution would not result in the end of Christianity but in its glory. This
type of vision is called the apocalyptic.
Both the prophetic and the apocalyptic visions reveal
something of the future. But there are distinctions between the two. First of
all, the prophetic vision calls the unfaithful to conversion so that the
community may overcome with God’s help the evil it faces. Also, in the
prophetic vision God acts by common ways such as armed forces and storms. In
contrast, the apocalyptic view has God entering history without human
assistance. He usually acts in exotic ways like an angel with a sharp sickle.
The apocalyptic does not call the unfaithful to reform because it thinks of
them as lost. Rather, it calls on the faithful to maintain faith. In this way
they will receive the rewards of God, their Savior.
The passage today describes the scene after the victory of
the Lamb over the beast. The Lamb is Christ and the beast the forces of the
devil. All of God's people, both the dead and the living, know peace. There is
no worry about anything anymore because the sea, from which all evil
originates, no longer exists. It is a time of pure joy as in a wedding where
the music is lively, the food is delicious, and the wine is copious.
In the gospel Jesus teaches his disciples how to maintain faith
in him. They have to love each other.
This love is proven by deeds, not just words. We see this love in the
catechists who teach our children. They work week after week without
compensation. They are motivated by love not only for the children but also for
Christ.
The Apocalypse is the last book in the Bible. It has one
thing in common with Genesis, the first book. Many people confuse the accounts
in the two books with historical events. Revelation no more describes exactly
how the world will end than Genesis describes exactly how it began. However,
both books correctly assure us of one truth. God is in control of history. We
want to maintain faith in Him. For he is in control of everything.
