Please press here to listen to the homily or download
Thursday – Thirty-fourth Week – OT2
Readings: Rev 18:1-2, 21-23, 19:1-3, 9a; Lk 21:20-28.
Reading 1: Rev 18:1-2, 21-23, 19:1-3, 9a:
I, John, saw another angel coming down from heaven,
having great authority,
and the earth became illumined by his splendor.
He cried out in a mighty voice:
“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great.
She has become a haunt for demons.
She is a cage for every unclean spirit,
a cage for every unclean bird,
a cage for every unclean and disgusting beast.”
A mighty angel picked up a stone like a huge millstone
and threw it into the sea and said:
“With such force will Babylon the great city be thrown down,
and will never be found again.
No melodies of harpists and musicians,
flutists and trumpeters,
will ever be heard in you again.
No craftsmen in any trade
will ever be found in you again.
No sound of the millstone
will ever be heard in you again.
No light from a lamp
will ever be seen in you again.
No voices of bride and groom
will ever be heard in you again.
Because your merchants were the great ones of the world,
all nations were led astray by your magic potion.”
After this I heard what sounded like
the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying:
“Alleluia!
Salvation, glory, and might belong to our God,
for true and just are his judgments.
He has condemned the great harlot
who corrupted the earth with her harlotry.
He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”
They said a second time:
“Alleluia! Smoke will rise from her forever and ever.”
Then the angel said to me, “Write this:
Blessed are those who have been called
to the wedding feast of the Lamb.”
Gospel (Lk 21:20-28):
Jesus said to his disciples:
“When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies,
know that its desolation is at hand.
Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains.
Let those within the city escape from it,
and let those in the countryside not enter the city,
for these days are the time of punishment
when all the Scriptures are fulfilled.
Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days,
for a terrible calamity will come upon the earth
and a wrathful judgment upon this people.
They will fall by the edge of the sword
and be taken as captives to all the Gentiles;
and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles
until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars,
and on earth nations will be in dismay,
perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves.
People will die of fright
in anticipation of what is coming upon the world,
for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
And then they will see the Son of Man
coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
But when these signs begin to happen,
stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand.”
Written by: Fr. Anthony Dinh M. Tien, O.P.
I. THEME: All worldly powers shall pass away.
Living in the world, people are always dominated by secular powers such as: capitalism, communism, the devil and the death; but these powers shall not last forever, they shall be terminated some day. The Christians firmly believe that there will be the day when God gathers all people of the world and governs them in justice and peace as we meditated the readings of the solemnity Christ the King last Sunday. God’s dominion shall last forever and the faithful shall happily live with Him in God’s kingdom.
Today readings mention the destruction of worldly kingdoms. In the first reading, the author of Revelation talked about the destruction of the Babylonian empire and the happiness of those who were invited to participate in the Lamb’s wedding feast. In the Gospel, Jesus foretold the destruction of Jerusalem and what shall happen on the Last Day. Those who put their firm faith in Christ shall have salvation for eternity.
II. ANALYSIS:
1/ Reading I: “Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.”
1.1/ The destruction of the Babylonian empire: were mentioned in Revelation 14:8 and 16:19; but not in details. In chapter 17, the author described in detail the image of a famous prostitute who seated on the scarlet beast (Cf. Rev 17:1-6). The author considered the Babylonian destruction as a past event and recorded for us the lamentation after this event (Rev 19:1-10). The destruction of these powers were used as an immediate preparation for the summit of the Book of Revelation inwhich there are Christ’s and his Church’s victories (Rev 19:11-22:5).
Babylon is called a prostitute, in opposition with the Woman who represents for the people of God (Cf. Rev 12). The Old Testament tradition used to call idols worshippers, the wicked or sinful cities as prostitutes; for examples: Tyre in Isa 23:16; Nineveh in Nahum 3:4; Israel in Ezekiel 16; Samaria and Jerusalem in Ezekiel 23. In the conclusion of chapter 18, the angel clearly implied that the described prostitute was Rome (Rev 18:18).
The beast is the image of the Roman empire, the ruler of the world is the Roman emperor. The author used Babylon, a city was destroyed in the past, to imply the Roman empire which shall be destroyed in the future. The author described the Babylonian destruction as follows: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great. She has become a haunt for demons. She is a cage for every unclean spirit, a cage for every unclean bird, (a cage for every unclean) and disgusting (beast). A mighty angel picked up a stone like a huge millstone and threw it into the sea and said: “With such force will Babylon the great city be thrown down, and will never be found again.”” The prophet Jeremiah predicted that Babylon shall be tied into a big stone and thrown into the Euphrates river (Jer 51:63-64). Similarly, Rome shall be destroyed.
The great Babylon was destroyed because it became a haunt for demons and a cages for every unclean spirit. Rome shall be totally destroyed to the point that there is no sign of inhabitants who lived in there as the author described: “No melodies of harpists and musicians, flutists and trumpeters, will ever be heard in you again. No craftsmen in any trade will ever be found in you again. No sound of the millstone will ever be heard in you again. No light from a lamp will ever be seen in you again. No voices of bride and groom will ever be heard in you again. Because your merchants were the great ones of the world, all nations were led astray by your magic potion.”
1.2/ The happiness of God’s people: The author contrasted people’s lamenting and suffering in chapter 18 due to persecution with the future glory which they shall enjoy in heaven through God’s interference for His people. People shall be happy due to the following two reasons:
(1) Babylon is no longer there: It was the reason of people’s suffering; when it is no longer there, people shall not be persecuted. The author described, “After this I heard what sounded like the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying: “Alleluia! Salvation, glory, and might belong to our God, for true and just are his judgments. He has condemned the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her harlotry. He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.””
(2) To attend the wedding feast of the Lamb: They said a second time: “Alleluia! Smoke will rise from her forever and ever.” Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These words are true; they come from God.””
2/ Gospel: “When these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.”
2.1/ The Jerusalem’s destruction: In the year of 70 A.D, the army of the Roman empire encircled Jerusalem a long time before they completely destroyed the city. This event fulfilled Jesus’ prophecy thirty-seven years before which we heard in today passage: “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, know that its desolation is at hand. Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. Let those within the city escape from it, and let those in the countryside not enter the city, for these days are the time of punishment when all the scriptures are fulfilled.”
This event shows that Jerusalem’s destruction is in God’s plan of salvation: Since the Jews had refused to believe in Christ, the Messiah sent by God, so the Gospel was announced to the Gentiles. But at last, God shall save the Israelites as Paul foresaw in his Letter to the Romans (Rom 11:24-26). This was also announced by Jesus in today passage: “They will fall by the edge of the sword and be taken as captives to all the Gentiles; and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”
2.2/ The Last Day: Jesus let his disciples know what shall happen in these days:
– Signs shall happen in heaven: “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”
– The Son of Man shall appear: “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.”
III. APPLICATION IN LIFE:
– Worldly powers affect us only when we live in this world, but they shall not remain forever. All powers must yield to God’s power when His reign shall come.
– We shouldn’t yield to worldly powers, but we must courageously live and witness for God’s dominion so that we are worthy to live a happy life with Him forever.