Thursday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Today's Mass Readings

In these last days of the liturgical year, the tone of our readings continues to rise to one of urgency. Both the first reading today from Revelation and the gospel passage from Luke convey this atmosphere of fear, judgment, and destruction. And yet both also convey redemption and salvation through Jesus the Lamb. This is the hopeful message in the midst of what might otherwise be simply utterly frightening passages in regard to the end times. In the selection from the book of Revelation, we hear a description of the infamous “Whore of Babylon.” Several aspects of this image are noteworthy for us. First, we see that the image of Babylon is one of a city, “the great city.” This means that the primary portrayal of sin and depravity here is conveyed by means of a corporate group rather than an individual. Babylon does not represent a single person, but rather a people who together have brought destruction upon themselves. Secondly, we see that the crux of Babylon’s sin involved the city’s merchants. In other words, it is particularly the economic relationships that led to the downfall of Babylon. Thirdly, the image of Babylon as a harlot speaks to a particular kind of depravity, namely, one of infidelity and idolatry. Babylon has not been loyal to God, but has worshiped many other gods, including money and wealth.

In the gospel passage from Luke, Jesus describes the judgment that will take place in the end times. Those things that had seemed most important for the future, for example, the birthing and rearing of children, will no longer have significance in the face of “wrathful judgment” when people “die at fright” because of what is happening. Jesus’ description seems to fit well with the portrayal of Babylon in Revelation; the end times will bring a punishment upon the people who have been unfaithful to God.

These passages undoubtedly bring cause for alarm, and a sense of urgency at trying to do God’s will and respond to God’s call in our lives as individuals and a Church. But while they bring a genuine fear, a holy fear of God, these passages ultimately speak of hope. For those who love God and strive to live holy lives, the end times represent a hopeful time, a time when our “redemption is at hand.” If we have stood on the side of the Lamb throughout the cosmic battle, the condemnation of evil represented by Babylon will be a cause for rejoicing: “Salvation, glory, and might belong to our God!” (Rev. 19:1). If we have truly lived as Church in this world, we will find ourselves called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.

Our redemption is indeed at hand, for this is a battle which Jesus has already won for us. Babylon has already been defeated and good has triumphed in the world. Our challenge is to accept the victory brought by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and to live confidently the holy lives to which we are called as a result of His sacrifice for us. The end times ought not to be a distant thought for us because in some sense we already live out our eschatological future. Every time we participate in the Eucharist, we are present at the wedding feast of the Lamb where we are invited to receive, in the body and blood of Christ, our redemption. The rest of our lives ought also to embody this truth of salvation.

Today, let us take some time to reflect on Jesus’ victory over despair and destruction. It is God’s love for his people that allows our ultimate triumph. How might we embody this triumph, outside of our weekly celebration of the Eucharist? In what ways must we witness better to Christ’s victory by our own fidelity to God?

- Maria Morrow