April 29, 2020 - Will This Time Change Us?

Today we will take a brief intermission before beginning tomorrow’s reflection on the Liturgy of the Word, and will take time to briefly reflect on the Book of Revelation. Today’s first reading from Office of Readings in the breviary is from Revelation 9:1-12. In this passage it speaks about a 5 month torture that will be inflicted upon those who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. The torture is inflicted by locusts that have features of horses, men, women, and lions. Strange imagery which is common to the Book of Revelation. 

Why do I bring this up now? I have had passages of Revelation coming to mind often since this pandemic time and in this Easter Season the Church leads us in reflecting on this book in the breviary. Thus we are being called to pay attention to this book by Jesus through His Church, so that is the first and most important reason to pause and reflect. Also, it seems that we perhaps will be in a roughly 5 month period of isolation of sorts, which is certainly not easy, and the ramifications of this time are causing other challenging, painful experiences, which can aptly be seen as a sort of torture. 

What importance could this have for us? Well this also has a message of hope and reminder of God’s concern, care and mercy. It will end. The torture is only for a time, 5 months, in the book of Revelation. In the Book of Revelation those afflicted are called to reflect and return to God with a deeper and more intentional commitment. A commitment to turn from a life of selfishness and sin to live the life of the Gospel, by accepting the teaching of Jesus and seeking to live according to the commands of virtue. God uses all things and all time as a means to draw us always to Himself, so that we might experience His goodness, love, mercy, joy and life! 

Unfortunately at the end of this chapter in Revelation the people who survived the plagues and torture did not repent and change their selfish and sinful living. This is the tragedy that God wants us to avoid. So as we suffer through these challenging days, let’s each of us personally make a commitment to change and become a more intentional, faithful and serious disciple of Jesus. Choose one thing in your life that you know needs to change and change it. Perhaps it’s to make a daily commitment to prayer, listen and share more intentionally to my family, or give more generously to the poor and needy in my community. 

For goodness sake, let us do something during this time to turn more fully back to God. If we do, then from this time of difficulty, suffering and pain God will resurrect us and our community a better life filled with His peace, joy and love.