Saturday – Thirty-fourth Week – OT2

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Saturday – Thirty-fourth Week – OT2

Readings: Rev 22:1-7; Lk 21:34-36.

 

Reading 1 (Rev 22:1-7):

John said:
An angel showed me the river of life-giving water,
sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of God
and of the Lamb down the middle of the street,
On either side of the river grew the tree of life
that produces fruit twelve times a year, once each month;
the leaves of the trees serve as medicine for the nations.
Nothing accursed will be found anymore.
The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it,
and his servants will worship him.
They will look upon his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
Night will be no more, nor will they need light from lamp or sun,
for the Lord God shall give them light,
and they shall reign forever and ever.
And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true,
and the Lord, the God of prophetic spirits,
sent his angel to show his servants what must happen soon.”
“Behold, I am coming soon.”
Blessed is the one who keeps the prophetic message of this book.

 

Gospel (Lk 21:34-36):

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy
from carousing and drunkenness
and the anxieties of daily life,
and that day catch you by surprise like a trap.
For that day will assault everyone
who lives on the face of the earth.
Be vigilant at all times
and pray that you have the strength
to escape the tribulations that are imminent
and to stand before the Son of Man.” 


Written by: Fr. Anthony Dinh M. Tien, O.P.

I. THEME: Preparing for our eternal happiness           

            In order for what we do to have a good result, we need to prepare; the more important of the matter is the more careful preparation we must have. For example, the marriage is the matter of a hundred year living together, it requires the couple to prepare and to carefully think to see if they can live with each other the rest of their life. The preparation for our eternal life with God is more important than the marriage because it is forever, so we must prepare for it more careful and all the days of our life.

            Today readings orientate our mind to the next life. In the first reading, the author of Revelation let us foresee the eternal happiness and glory which we shall be enjoyed. These things must be the motivating factor for us to have a careful preparation and to overcome all persecutions and sufferings to witness for God. In the Gospel, Jesus cautioned us not to let drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life preventing us from preparation for the eternal life so that we aren’t eager to meet Christ in his second coming. To keep an eager attitute, we need to let God’s words permeate our mind and to spend time with Him in our prayer.

II. ANALYSIS:

1/ Reading I: The highlights of the next life

           

1.1/ The eternal life: The author of Revelation described the heavenly Jerusalem, the dwelling place of the blessed with two basic things to sustain life:

            (1) The living water: “Then the angel showed me the river of life-giving water, sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of its street.” God and the Lamb replace the temple and become the only source (Rev 7:17) of the living waters. The Old and New Testament often mentioned this kind of water (Cf. Jn 4:14, Psa 46:4, Jer 2:13, Joe 3:18, Zech 14:8).

            (2) The tree of life: “On either side of the river grew the tree of life that produces fruit twelve times a year, once each month; the leaves of the trees serve as medicine for the nations.” The tree of life was mentioned by the author (Rev 2:7), and also in Ezekiel 47:12. The tree of life here is used in singular to indicate “the tree that brings life,” and has the origin from the beginning of human history (Gen 2:9, 3:22). The leaves of the tree have ability to heal all diseases; human beings shall not be suffered by sickness anymore.

           

1.2/ God shall reign and be with people forever: The intimate relationship between God and human beings was described by the author in two ways: negatively, there shall be no more sins and punishments; positively, human beings shall live with God forever.

            (1) There shall be no more darkness and accursedness: Darkness is the time of temptation; where there is no darkness, there shall be no temptation for sins; and therefore, people shall no longer be punished by God. In other words, sin shall no longer has dominion on people and they really become holy.

            (2) The blessed shall directly see God, face to face: This is the most precious right which even Moses couldn’t have when he was living in this world. The author described this beatific vision as follows: “The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will look upon his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.” The Jewish tradition believes that no one can see God and live. The blessed can see God and live. The right to see God “as He is,” was mentioned twice in the Psalm (Psa 17:15, 42:2).

           

1.3/ These visions by author were verified by God’s angel are true: The author continued to report, “And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true, and the Lord, the God of prophetic spirits, sent his angel to show his servants what must happen soon.”” By the guarantee that his Book is inspired by the Spirit, the author ascertained that he followed the prophetic tradition: he said what God wanted him to say. Lastly, there is a voice coming from heaven, saying: “”Behold, I am coming soon.” Blessed is the one who keeps the prophetic message of this book.” This voice must be Christ, the Lamb of God. He foretold that the Last Day is near (Rev 2:16, 3:11, 22:12, 20).

2/ Gospel: Watch at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of man.

2.1/ The worldly temptations: Jesus warned his disciples about two things that could prevent them to prepare for the Last Day:

            (1) Dissipation and drunkenness: Exceedingly eating makes human body heavy and lazy. Such heavy body will not have power to accomplish anything. Out-of-control drinking makes people drunken and their minds aren’t clear to judge rightly. People must be temperate in eating and drinking so that they have a clear mind to understand God’s teaching and to practice them.

            (2) Caring too much for this life: Jesus taught a man can’t serve two masters, God and mammon. Of course, a man needs to work to earn his living as long as he lives in this world; but he can’t spend all his time to care for his material dimension. Jesus advised his audience: “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you; for on him has God the Father set his seal” (Jn 6:27).

            Jesus continually warned them: If you don’t prepare, “that day come upon you suddenly like a snare; for it will come upon all who dwell upon the face of the whole earth.” At that time, if one wants to escape, it would be too late.

2.2/ The importance of praying: Jesus knew the importance of praying. He was constantly praying with his Father and taught his disciples how to pray. He advised his disciples what they need to do in preparing for the Last Day: “Watch at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of man.” Praying increases the relationship between human and God. The more intimate of this relationship is, the more eager one prepares for his Second Coming.

III. APPLICATION IN LIFE:                    

            – We need to learn to know our future and everlasting life with God because “no knowing, no loving.” The attraction of the immortal life shall be the motivating factor for us to prepare for it from now on.

            – If we don’t learn, our laziness and the worldly temptation shall weight down our mind, causing us not eagerly welcoming Christ’s second coming, and we shall be sorry when that day comes.

            – In order to have an eager preparation, we need to let God’s words permeate our whole mind. A life of prayer to have an intimate relationship can’t be lacked because it helps us to desire to meet our lover.

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY OF THE LITURGICAL YEAR, CYCLE A, YEAR II

TOMORROW SHALL BE THE BEGINNING OF THE NEW LITURGICAL YEAR,

CYCLE B, YEAR I

 

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