The Homily Continues – The Second Reading
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Use this introduction only if the funeral is NOT during the Easter season.
In the first volume of his “A Catholic Prays Scripture” series, Robert wrote a chapter entitled “A Prayer for Revelation.” In that chapter he wrote about apocalyptic literature in general, and some of the many scholarly interpretations of “The Revelation to John.”
In his book, Robert suggested that John, the author of “The Revelation to John,” had bobbed and weaved throughout his book – on ten themes; and that every verse in Revelation related to one of those ten themes. Robert developed his ten themes from the workbook and supplemental readings used during the before mentioned Archdiocese of Omaha Catholic Bible School.
· The first five themes relate to God: God’s transcendence (GT), God’s lordship (GL), God’s victory over evil (GV), God’s judgement for the wicked (GJ), and God’s salvation for the faithful (GS).
· The next two themes relate to Jesus: Christ’s oneness with God (JG), and Christ’s oneness with the Church (JC).
· The last three themes relate to Christian hope (CH), Christian endurance (CE), and Christian discipleship CD).
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Use this introduction ONLY if the funeral is during the Easter season.
Earlier, when I discussed Robert’s writings on today’s first reading from Revelation, that brief one verse passage from the fourteenth chapter, I noted that Robert considered that verse a message on Christian endurance.
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The Second Reading Continues
Robert characterizes the verses in our second reading from Revelation (21:1-5a, 6b-7) as comments on Christian hope. Robert wrote the following in his book on that theme.
“Father John’s congregation needed hope. Christ had been crucified and they were under attack. ... [As noted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church] 'Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit.’”
Father John spoke of hope very early in his sermon, in Revelation 1:7, but then he bobbed and weaved onto other themes. Hope appeared to be lost amongst the various trumpets, bowls, plagues, colored horses, and multi-faced creatures. Father John resurrected hope at the start of chapter 21, as an introduction to his passages on the Church, for as you can see from our second reading – the hope of his congregation was the Church – a holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God and dwelling with the human race and giving them a gift from the spring of life-giving water.
Via this reading, Robert encourages you to be hopeful and recognize the relationship that God has with his Church, as denoted in “The Revelation to John.”
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The Gospel Reading
Today’s gospel passage begins and ends with the same phrase – “whoever eats this bread will live forever.” It refers to the Catholic sacrament of the Eucharist, as described by the apostle Paul in First Corinthians (11:23-26) and the gospel accounts of Matthew (26:26), Mark (14:22), Luke (22:19) and John (6:22-71).
John’s account in Chapter 6 – in the Bread of Life Discourse – is unique, in that it does not involve Jesus’ Last Supper. In John’s account, Jesus was speaking to his followers at an earlier time on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. In John’s account, Jesus is adamant that his “consecrated” bread is indeed his flesh. He is so adamant that he reluctantly watches some of his doubtful followers wander away.
Robert chose this reading because it was fundamental to his Catholic faith. John’s “Bread of Life discourse” and Matthew 16:18 were the building blocks on which Robert built his faith in Jesus.
In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said, “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.”
You can find these beliefs expressed in Robert’s books and blog writings. It was the basis of his faith in the sacrament of the Eucharist, that he documented in his book, A Catholic Prays Scripture: concerning the sacraments.
Robert asks each of you present, as a memorial, to reflect on the sixth chapter of John’s gospel.
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Concluding Remarks
There was one other passage from the Bible that Robert reluctantly passed on when he selected today’s three readings. That passage is from the third chapter of Ecclesiastes:
“There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens. A time to give birth, and a time to die, … A time to weep, and a time to laugh: a time to mourn, and a time to dance."
Robert asks that you weep and mourn briefly, and then quickly move on to laughter and dance, starting with the funeral luncheon that starts shortly.
Part 10 Tomorrow: The Luncheon