Book Of Revelation

[Cordelil]

Hello! I have been a Catholic for 20 years. I have attended many different churches of our faith over this time in the Los Angeles, California area. That said I have never heard a homily that touched on the final book of the bible: Revelation. Has anyone else had this experience? I wonder why the Catholic Chutch seemingly plays this part of the New Testament down?

John

 

[puzzleannie]

because the homily should be based on the readings of the day. when Revelation is read, the homily will relate to that passage, but that is only a few times during the year. will get the lectionary guide and post those days as soon as I get a chance

 

[AHapka]

Assumption of the Virgin Mary on August 15th is one. But it’s up to the priest how he integrates it into his homily, and I’m sure some do more then others.

 

[Ed_Rand]

Like someone mentioned, Revelation would normally have to be part of that day’s readings to be discussed in depth. However, I think most would agree that Revelation is not discussed much in the Church. Certainly it’s not such a hot topic as in many Protestant churches. I think this is a mistake.

There are definite Catholic teachings on the end-times that are very powerful once they are understood. The Church’s teachings form the proper base from which to study and interpret Revelation. I find that our teachings on the end-times are so important to our faith. I have a friend who’s family is strongly Protestant and he has been a serious Protestant for years. He is now beginning RCIA classes at the local Church. He’s always had respect for Catholicism, but it was the Church’s teachings on the end-times that really convinced him of the truth of Catholicism. The major errors of Protestantism are really manifest in their various interpretations of Revelation. The “rapture” is an odd teaching at best, a serious deception of the Evil One at worst. Also, there are those who believe that Jesus will come back and rule this earth in the flesh (Revelation certainly makes it seem that way…). Very wrong. Have you read of the end-times and the antichrist in the Catechism? That is where you start. If you want to get much deeper, I would recommend that you visit Mark Mallet’s blogs.

 

[redrosetea]

We are taught to focus on our own end…it will most likely come first…I think a lot of the Revelations teachings are just to scare people to God, instead of trying to lead them to Him

 

[Genesis12345]

The church has what is called “cycles” and there are 3 of these. It might just have happened that when you attended mass, the Gospel was taken from Revelation.

You might also want to know that the Book of Revelation makes for difficult reading. Such readings have successively been disconfirmed by the facts; the “end-time” has been awaited many times without occuring.

Such readings have also missed the real religious message of Revelation.
They reduce its value to that of an astrological chart.

If you have ever read Revelations, it is critical to recognize that just such statements are standard features of a specific literary genre of the ancient world called apocalyptic.

As with all biblical writings, the Word of God was addressed to the people of the age when it was written. Second, as in all literature, religious or otherwise, literay genre dictates meaning. Newspapers and poetry do not communicate their respective “truths” in identical ways. Knowing the conventions of a literary form is necessary to intelligent reading.

The self-understanding of the church in this writing is prophetic. Those who follow Jesus are “servants and prophets and saints.” In the letters, this is expressed as fidelity in face if corruption or apostasy. In the visions it is expressed as loyality in the face of the idolatrous claims of the state and even possible death.

The conclusion to Revelation is fitting to the Bible as a whole. The vision of a new creation is central to the New Testament. The Christian experience of Christ was an absolute beginning, rooted in the ever-new life of God Himself. As Genesis began with the creation by a word, so the vision of he end-time recapitulates that beginning: creation is renewed.

 

[Cat]

Read David Currie’s book, Rapture. Excellent exegesis of Revelation, totally different from Protestant understanding of the book.

My husband got a set of CDs from Scott Hahn about Revelation, but we haven’t listened to them yet, so I can’t tell you whether they’re worthwhile. Sorry. Maybe someone else can post about them.

 

[AlanF]

I heard a homily based on the Book of Revelation on the Assumption of the BVM. The main reading that day is from the ‘Queen of heaven’ passage.

 

[benedictgal]

During the waning days of the Church’s liturgical year, depending on the cycle of readnigs for daily Mass, you will either hear the book of Revelation or the Maccabbees. As other posters have indicated, a readnig from Revelation is taken for the feast of the Assumption of the BVM. Revelation is also one of the options for the dedication of a new Church and/or altar. This was the case two weeks ago when the Holy Father dedicated a new altar in the Castelgandolfo area. Here, he links up the book of Revelation to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

In the Roman liturgy, when the priest has made the offering of the bread and the wine, he bows to the altar and prays quietly: “Lord God, we ask you to receive us and be pleased with the sacrifice we offer you with humble and contrite hearts”. In this way, together with the whole assembly of the faithful, he prepares to enter into the heart of the Eucharistic Mystery, into the heart of that heavenly liturgy to which the Second Reading from Revelation refers. St John presents an Angel who offers “much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne” of God (cf. Rv 8: 3). The altar of the sacrifice becomes in a certain way the meeting point between Heaven and earth; the centre, we might say, of the One Church that is heavenly yet at the same time a pilgrim on this earth where, amidst the persecutions of the world and the consolations of God, disciples of the Lord proclaim his Passion and his death until he comes in glory (cf. Lumen Gentium, n. 8). Indeed, every Eucharistic Celebration already anticipates Christ’s triumph over sin and over the world and in the mystery shows the radiance of the Church, “the spotless spouse of the spotless Lamb. It is she whom Christ loved and for whom he delivered himself up that he might sanctify her’” (ibid., n. 6).

Regarding Scott Hahn’s work on the book of Revelation, he wrote an interesting volume called “The Lamb’s Supper” where he links up the last book of the Bible with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It might be a good read for you.

From what I can understand, based on the documentaries on the Antichrist that I’ve seen on the History Channel, the Protestants seem to look at everything dealing to Revelation as related to the end times. The Church, as the Holy Father has pointed out, takes a different path. For example, we will hear Revelations proclaimed as the first readnig for the Feast of all Saints (November 1). The 144,000 martyrs represent the saints. Now, 12 was a number of perfection for Ancient Israel. Having a number like 144,000, whose root lies in 12 means that it is even more perfected. Does that mean that the saints will stop at exactly 144,000? I don’t think so, since everyone who has ever lived has the potential of being a saint.

Now, there are some fundamentalists who will take that number literally. We do not because if we did, then we would take Jesus’ calculation of forgiveness (70 times seven times) as literal. In other words, if we took the text literally, forgiveness would end at 491 (70x7=490).