The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate Resurrection in contrast to our struggles in our faith journey now.
The reading from the Book of Revelation is the vision of the Two Witnesses.
* [11:3] The two witnesses, wearing sackcloth symbolizing lamentation and repentance, cannot readily be identified. Do they represent Moses and Elijah, or the Law and the Prophets, or Peter and Paul? Most probably they refer to the universal church, especially the Christian martyrs, fulfilling the office of witness (two because of Dt 19:15; cf. Mk 6:7; Jn 8:17).
* [11:4] The two olive trees and the two lampstands: the martyrs who stand in the presence of the Lord; the imagery is taken from Zec 4:8–14, where the olive trees refer to Zerubbabel and Joshua.
* [11:5–6] These details are derived from stories of Moses, who turned water into blood (Ex 7:17–20), and of Elijah, who called down fire from heaven (1 Kgs 18:36–40; 2 Kgs 1:10) and closed up the sky for three years (1 Kgs 17:1; cf. 18:1). (Revelation, CHAPTER 11, n.d.)
Psalm 144 is a prayer for National Deliverance and Security.
* [Psalm 144] The Psalm may reflect a ceremony in which the king, as leader of the army, asked God’s help (Ps 144:1–8). In Ps 144:9 the poem shifts abruptly from pleading to thanksgiving, and (except for Ps 144:11) shifts again to prayer for the people. The first section (Ps 144:1–2) is a prayer of thanks for victory; the second (Ps 144:3–7a), a humble acknowledgment of human nothingness and a supplication that God show forth saving power; the third (Ps 144:9–11), a promise of future thanksgiving; the fourth (Ps 144:12–15), a wish for prosperity and peace. A prayer for deliverance from treacherous foes serves as a refrain after the second and third sections (Ps 144:7b–8, 11). Except for its final section, the Psalm is made up almost entirely of verses from other Psalms. (Psalms, PSALM 144, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus addresses the Question about the Resurrection.
* [20:28–33] The Sadducees’ question, based on the law of levirate marriage recorded in Dt 25:5–10, ridicules the idea of the resurrection. Jesus rejects their naive understanding of the resurrection (Lk 20:35–36) and then argues on behalf of the resurrection of the dead on the basis of the written law (Lk 20:37–38) that the Sadducees accept. See also notes on Mt 22:23–33. (Luke, CHAPTER 20, n.d.)
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Don Schwager quotes “Jesus cites Moses to affirm the resurrection,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).
"The Savior also demonstrated the great ignorance of the Sadducees by bringing forward their own leader Moses, who was clearly acquainted with the resurrection of the dead. He set God before us saying in the bush, 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob' (Exodus 3:6). Of whom is he God, if, according to their argument, these have ceased to live? He is the God of the living. They certainly will rise when his almighty right hand brings them and all that are on the earth there. For people not to believe that this will happen is worthy perhaps of the ignorance of the Sadducees, but it is altogether unworthy of those who love Christ. We believe in him who says, 'I am the resurrection and the life' (John 11:25). He will raise the dead suddenly, in the twinkling of an eye, and at the last trumpet. It shall sound, the dead in Christ shall rise incorruptible, and we shall be changed (1 Corinthians 15:52). For Christ our common Savior will transfer us into incorruption, glory and to an incorruptible life."(excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 136) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Revelation 11:4-12 comments that whatever we may think of the symbolism, one truth stands out: these two figures are doing what we are all called to do: to be witnesses to the Lord Jesus.
So don’t let the violence of this passage make you afraid to testify. You don’t have to do something as dramatic—or dangerous—as those fiery witnesses did. You just have to live out your faith and be willing to share your love of the Lord with other people. Then, like these witnesses, you can reveal the grace and power of a God who wants to save everyone.
“Lord, give me the courage to do one small thing today to bring your love and truth into the world.” (Meditation on Revelation 11:4-12, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler discusses the symbolism of the olive tree and lampstand in the passage from Revelation. The time of persecution of three and one half years is a reference to the Book of Daniel. Friar Jude outlines the social position of the Sadducees and the response of Jesus from the Pentateuch.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Alexia Salvatierra and Peter Heltzel, authors of Faith-Rooted Organizing: Mobilizing the Church in Service to the World (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2014), to remind us of the power of singing spiritual songs that feed our soul.
The church is, in a way, a repository of these spiritual songs that feed our soul. Every week when we go to church we bring the pains and promises, hurts and hopes of the week into the service, but there is something about singing that goes to the heart of the matter and to the depths of the soul. The physical act of singing together, with its healing vibrations through our body, actually comforts our bodies. And the texts we sing are amplified in our hearts and minds by the melodies the composers have offered us. It is no wonder that singing played such a profound role in the civil rights movement; it offers physical, mental and spiritual comfort in a communal setting, sustaining the weary and encouraging the worn. (Rohr, n.d.)
We surrender our weariness and challenges to the Spirit in which we are restored to the path to full life.
References
Luke, CHAPTER 20. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved November 19, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/20?27
Meditation on Revelation 11:4-12. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved November 19, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/11/19/536889/
Psalms, PSALM 144. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved November 19, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/144?1
Revelation, CHAPTER 11. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved November 19, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/revelation/11?4
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved November 19, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/movements-of-justice-and-the-spirit-weekly-summary-2022-11-19/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). All Live to Him. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved November 19, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=nov19
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