20201127 PREPARING FOR THE NEW EARTH AND THE NEW HEAVEN
27 November, 2020, Friday, 34th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Green.
First reading |
Apocalypse 20:1-4,11-21:2 © |
The book of life was opened, and the dead were judged
I, John, saw an angel come down from heaven with the key of the Abyss in his hand and an enormous chain. He overpowered the dragon, that primeval serpent which is the devil and Satan, and chained him up for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and shut the entrance and sealed it over him, to make sure he would not deceive the nations again until the thousand years had passed. At the end of that time he must be released, but only for a short while.
Then I saw some thrones, and I saw those who are given the power to be judges take their seats on them. I saw the souls of all who had been beheaded for having witnessed for Jesus and for having preached God’s word, and those who refused to worship the beast or his statue and would not have the brand-mark on their foreheads or hands; they came to life, and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. Then I saw a great white throne and the One who was sitting on it. In his presence, earth and sky vanished, leaving no trace. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing in front of his throne, while the book of life was opened, and other books opened which were the record of what they had done in their lives, by which the dead were judged.
The sea gave up all the dead who were in it; Death and Hades were emptied of the dead that were in them; and every one was judged according to the way in which he had lived. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the burning lake. This burning lake is the second death; and anybody whose name could not be found written in the book of life was thrown into the burning lake.
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; the first heaven and the first earth had disappeared now, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the holy city, and the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, as beautiful as a bride all dressed for her husband.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 83(84):3-6,8 © |
Here God lives among men.
My soul is longing and yearning,
is yearning for the courts of the Lord.
My heart and my soul ring out their joy
to God, the living God.
Here God lives among men.
The sparrow herself finds a home
and the swallow a nest for her brood;
she lays her young by your altars,
Lord of hosts, my king and my God.
Here God lives among men.
They are happy, who dwell in your house,
for ever singing your praise.
They are happy, whose strength is in you:
they walk with ever-growing strength.
Here God lives among men.
Gospel Acclamation | Lk21:28 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Stand erect, hold your heads high,
because your liberation is near at hand.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 21:29-33 © |
My words will never pass away
Jesus told his disciples a parable: ‘Think of the fig tree and indeed every tree. As soon as you see them bud, you know that summer is now near. So with you when you see these things happening: know that the kingdom of God is near. I tell you solemnly, before this generation has passed away all will have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.’
PREPARING FOR THE NEW EARTH AND THE NEW HEAVEN
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [REV 20:1-4,11-21:2; LUKE 21:29-33]
As we come to the penultimate last week of the liturgical year, the Church prepares us for the finality of history. What will happen at the end of time? John said, “I saw a new heaven and a new earth; the first heaven and the first earth had disappeared now, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the holy city, and the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, as beautiful as a bride all dressed for her husband.” We take note that there is a continuity between the current earth and heaven with the New Heaven and a New Earth. Yet, what we have now is just a pale shadow of what is to come.
How the earth would be transfigured, we do not know. All we know is “that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us” and that “creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” (Rom 8:18,21) God “will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” (Rev 21:3f) Indeed, the vision of man’s union with God “as beautiful as a bride all dressed for her husband” speaks of intimacy and union of the highest level.
But this New Heaven and New Earth will be preceded by the final judgment. John said, “Then I saw a great white throne and the One who was sitting on it. In his presence, earth and sky vanished, leaving no trace. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing in front of his throne, while the book of life was opened, and other books opened which were the record of what they had done in their lives, by which the dead were judged.” All of us would have to face the ultimate judgment when we stand before God to account for the way we use the gifts and graces that He has given to us. The real judgement is not so much of God the Father judging us, or judging us through Christ, but how we judge ourselves before God. Standing before God who is all light and truth, we will see clearly our motives and the consequences of our actions, good or evil, not just for ourselves but for the rest of humanity.
Yet, good works are not everything because we are not saved by good works. Nevertheless, the good works we do demonstrate whether we have truly received the grace of mercy and love from the Lord. St Peter reminds us, “Be all the more eager to confirm your call and election, for if you do this, you will never stumble. For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you.” (2 Pt 1:10f) So our good works confirm our election. The failure to produce good works shows that our faith is dead. “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead.” (cf Jms 2:26)
Hence, the Church wants us to be forewarned of what will happen at the end of world history or our personal history. Between now and the final judgment, whether personal or collective, we are to prepare ourselves for this final event. St John’s vision of “the dragon, the primeval serpent which is the devil and Satan chained up for a thousand years” then “released, but only for a short while” whilst the “souls of all who had been beheaded for having witnessed for Jesus and for having preached God’s word, and those who refused to worship the beast or his statue and would not have the brand-mark on their foreheads or hands; came to life, and reigned with Christ for a thousand years” speaks of the coming of Christ in His incarnation and how by His passion, death and resurrection He has won victory over the Evil One, but from the Ascension until the final judgment, Christians would have to continue to struggle with the Evil one. We are to continue with the spiritual war against the Devil which was won by Christ.
Accordingly, if we want our names to be recorded in the Book of Life and not be sent to the burning lake which is the second death, that is hell, then we must be watchful and alert to the signs of the time. Jesus told His disciples, “Think of the fig tree and indeed every tree. As soon as you see them bud, you know that summer in now near. So with you when you see these things happening: know that the kingdom of God is near.” Indeed, as Christians we must be watchful and pray so that we might not be misled or fall into temptation. “Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mt 26:41) St John also wrote to the Christians, “Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 Jn 4:1)
So what are the signs that we are reading in society and history today? Is the world getting better or worse? What are the lights and shadows in our time? Are we moving towards a transformed world in the light of the gospel, or are we moving into the world of darkness? Indeed, we must ask ourselves, especially those of us who are leaders and have influence over society and the world, whether we are using our talents, power and influence for good or for evil, for love or for hatred, for unity or division, for truth or falsehood.
Alas, we see in today’s time, that the basic and fundamental institutions of society are seriously undermined by those who put their needs before that of humanity. Family life and marriage are eroded by the trends of this world, whether ideological or social. It is extremely difficult to protect the family, protect our marriages and form our children according to the gospel. We are so influenced by the secular culture, the selfish and individualistic values being promoted, and even hostility against God, resulting in the loss of faith both in God and the loss of hope for a better life, and most of all eternal life. Anyone who tries to promote marriage as a union between a man and a woman, as both a natural and divine law, or speak about the indissolubility of marriage would be going against the grain of life.
But selfishness, confusion and division are not just within the domestic family. It is equally true on the international arena. There is no peace in this world and among countries. Powerful countries are manipulating small and weak countries to stand on their side as they fight against each other. All because they want power, dominance, control and be the most powerful nation in the world. A narrow nationalism will eventually result not just in economic, trade or technology war but also military war. So long as the world does not see the need for globalization, where everyone benefits from each other’s prosperity and success, protectionism, because of the fear of loss of power, will make everyone in this planet worse off. Unfortunately, this is the sad reality today. Instead of promoting unity and mutual support for each other so that the world can make progress together, the world is more divided than ever. We are living in a very fragile situation not knowing when a nuclear war would take place.
Even on the level of creation, we see how the ecological system is threatened by the abuse of nature by industrial nations and a consumeristic society. We produce and throw, wasting food and resources. Will the planet be burnt up? Will humanity because of greed, selfishness and lack of foresight destroy itself? Indeed, these are signs of our time.
How do we respond? Jesus said, “I tell you solemnly, before this generation has passed away all will have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” What will last? Only the words of Jesus! What do we mean by this? What we mean is that Jesus who is the truth of God, “the alpha and the omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (Rev 22:13) will be the criterion in discerning the truth of what is happening in the world. We must go back to the Word of God to discern what is truly from God or from the false prophets of the world. Unless we are imbued with the teaching of Christ, and the Spirit of Jesus in us, we will be misled by the false prophets of the world. Let us therefore be watchful, pray, meditate, reflect and act when there is an opportunity.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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