The Three Rs
by Fr. David M. Knight
Saturday, November 23, 2024
Thirty-Third Week of the Year
Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro, Priest and Martyr; BVM
Rv 11:4-12/Lk 20:27-40 (Lectionary 502)
The “Three R’s” of meditating on Scripture are Reading (or remembering), Reflection and Response. The most important is Response.
Sometimes Reflection doesn’t get us anywhere. We draw a blank. Don’t get any ideas, or none that inspire us. The best thing then is to go to Response and ask, “What can I do to show I believe in what I have read? How can I take this text seriously in action?
Revelation 11:4-12 may invite this response. The symbolism is hard to decipher and (for this writer, at least) hard to relate to. But the Jerome Biblical Commentary (1968) suggests we cut through the obscurity and
interpret the entire passage as applying to the universal Church fulfilling the office of witness before a world hostile to God. Her testimony may lead to martyrdom, but her unshakable confidence in divine protection assures her that her sacrifice will result in a complete victory and further the glory of God.
This puts us in harmony with the whole Book of Revelation, which
was composed as resistance literature to meet a crisis.... but it remains valid and meaningful for Christians of all time. In the face of apparently insuperable evil, all Christians are called to trust in Jesus’ promise, “Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” Those who remain steadfast in their faith and confidence in the risen Lord need have no fear... They will in the end triumph over Satan and his forces because of their fidelity to Christ the victor. This is the enduring message of the book; it is a message of hope and consolation and challenge for all who dare to believe. (Introduction to the Book of Revelation in the New American Bible Revised Edition.)
So if we ask how we can respond to this passage, the first thought is: “Persevere!” To do this we choose to make a positive act of faith in Christ’s victory over sin, death, and all the forces of evil. Having made that faith explicit in our minds, we use it as a motive for another choice: the deliberate choice to hope that we can contribute to Christ’s victory in our time and place by working as faithful stewards to establish his reign over everything that calls for change. We reject the feeling of hopelessness and discouragement. We have a positive conversation with a friend, just looking at changes we might work for. We decide what kind of prayer will bolster our courage, and schedule a time to engage in it. We ask if anyone knows a really encouraging book. Maybe we make a novena.
Once we start acting, we have broken out of inertia. We will pick up momentum.
Luke 20:27-40 Jesus told the Sadducees they had a false problem because they knew nothing about what life in heaven is like. The answer to many of our problems might be just “God.”
Initiative: Trust in the “that” even when you don’t understand the “how.”
Reflections brought to you by the Immersed in Christ Ministry
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