The passage from the Book of Revelation
in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today is an image of the Life which streams
from the New Jerusalem which will be the triumph of the Lord and the Lamb over
all the forces of evil on earth. Friar Jude Winkler reminds us that this image
of Life flowing originates in the image of Life flowing from the Temple
described by the Prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 47:1-12). The psalm today is the
usual invitatory psalm for the Morning Prayer portion of the Liturgy of the
Hours. The difficulty we have is addressed by the psalmist as stubbornness of
heart. Our human ego balks at the thought that we may have made bad decisions
for ourselves and others. We rush quickly to our own defense. We miss the
healing leaves of the Tree of Life which are offered to us without regard for
our state of worthiness before God or the details of our life experience. The
Gospel of Luke advises that we not reject or reduce the volume of the call we
hear to relationship with God by self medication or distraction. The world ends
for all. This may come in somewhat predictable fashion and we may be able to
deal with “our issues” over time or as Luke suggests, it may come suddenly
without notice. The time of tribulation is mentioned by Friar Jude in two
contexts. It may be the “final days” struggle of the person attracted to
relationship with God as the stubbornness of life is resolved or it may be the
daily struggle of believers who try to live faithfully to the relationship they
practice with God.
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