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Posted by on Nov 23, 2007

Apocalypse – The End of the Liturgical Year

Apocalypse – The End of the Liturgical Year

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As we approach the feast of Christ the King, the cycle of readings reminds us of the end of days. Christianity is almost unique in its focus on the end and culmination of all things and the Second Coming of the Lord. The images are very different from the entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. St. Stephen, the first martyr, sets the tone, declaring to his judges that the time is coming when they will see Christ descending on them in glorious judgment.

There were many books about the end of days published before the millenium. The biggest publishing success was the Left Behind series, a group of novels by Tim LeHaye and Jerry Jenkins. The series combined a literal approach to the Book of Revelation, also known by its Greek title, The Apocalypse, with a theology which came primarily from the tent revival meetings of the 20th century in the United States. There is a very strong dose of Calvinist predestination, Anabaptist altar calls to conversion, and Medieval delectatio morosa – delight in the suffering of the others, especially the damned.

Horror movies are always popular in American culture. Perhaps they are a secular celebration of evil that twists what is supposed to be the encouragement apocalyptic literature offers to those undergoing persecution. Of course there is the old technique of fire and brimstone sermons to scare the “hell” out of people. Apparently many people liked and still like the horror entertainment value of these sermons, which seem to create a god who is far from loving.

The end of the year and the beginning of the new year is a time to focus on more than the settling of scores. It is a time to show the mercy we want to receive on that Last Day.

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Posted by on Nov 9, 2007

Apocalypse – The End of the Liturgical Year

Feast of the Day – Dedication of St. John Lateran: Rome’s Cathedral

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November 9 is the feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran.

The Pope’s main Church is St. Peter’s Basilica -True or False? The correct answer is False. Interestingly, the cathedral for the Bishop of Rome – the Pope – is the Church of St. John Lateran. It was originally built in the fourth century on land that had belonged to the Lateran family but had become the property of the Emperor Constantine. St. John Lateran is the oldest and ranks first among the four great patriarchal churches of Rome. The present church was commissioned by Pope Innocent X in 1646.

How can you have a feast day celebration for a building? It is not about the stones and lumber. It is a celebration of Latin Christianity’s central parish of its central diocese. In a broader sense, the feast celebrates what the building is and signifies. The church building is an ancient Christian meeting place and symbolizes the center of the vast world wide community that is the Catholic Church.

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Posted by on Nov 8, 2007

Apocalypse – The End of the Liturgical Year

Fire, Love and God

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Kevin Drabinski, editor of our local diocesan newspaper, The Observer, has a wonderful reflection on fire, love and God in this month’s edition.

Drabinski begins by looking at the themes of fire, judgement, and the end of history in the liturgical readings for the end of November, and reflecting on the destructive power of wild, uncontrolled fire as we have recently seen it in southern California. The Church year is coming to a close and the readings shift to thoughts of endings. (The last Sunday of this liturgical year will be November 25, the celebration of the Feast of Christ the King.)

Drabinski then writes of the blessings of fire in its controlled state. Fire in this context is warming, comforting, light giving. He says, “One candle, quietly burning, spells hope and warmth. Many a candle, held by the hands of a crowd, is faith itself. And like faith, a candle’s light is never diminished by its being shared.”

Fire is also an expression of love – human or divine. Images are presented of the use of controlled fire in lanterns, processions, and worship. The coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was accompanied by “tongues as of fire … [which] came to rest on each of them.” (Acts 2:3) The fire of God’s love, however, cannot be managed or controlled by humans. The author of the Song of Songs describes love, both human and divine, as “flashes of fire” and “a very flame of the Lord,” noting, “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it.”

This article is worth taking a few moments to read and ponder as we approach the end of another year. When fire and judgement and the end of history are seen through the lens of the Love of God, we can all have hope.

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