Thursday of Week 33 in Ordinary Time (Year II)
Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious
Apocalypse 5:1-10 | Psalm 149:1-6,9 | Luke 19:41-44
‘You are worthy to take the scroll
and break the seals of it,
because you were sacrificed, and with your blood
you bought men for God
of every race, language, people and nation
and made them a line of kings and priests,
to serve our God and to rule the world.’ (Apocalypse 5:9-10)
One of the things I brought back with me after college was a wicked sense of humour. As I read today’s reading, my mind immediately jumped to, of all things, the movie Wayne’s World. If you’ve seen it, you probably know why:
But seriously…
Compared to our Lord Jesus Christ, we really are not worthy. The Lamb who was slain for our sake, gifted with omnipotence (seven horns) and omniscience (seven eyes), is…God. Even John the Baptist acknowledged that:
Someone is following me, someone who is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to kneel down and undo the strap of his sandals. (Mark 1:7)
Now, we tend to gather round the rich and powerful, listening to their words and watching their actions closely, in the hope that some of their perceived wisdom might rub off on us and help us attain a similar stature. Since we’re all humans, closing this gap is a plausibly attainable goal.
The “capability gap” between us and God…is larger than the universe. Is it any wonder that so many have given up on their faith, given up on trying to be better children of God? How do you love an omnipotent alien?
✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞
Earlier this month, I mentioned a succinct comparison that bears repeating:
The difference between Christianity and every other faith in the world is that all other religions are about man trying to reach up to God. Christianity is about God reaching down to man. (emphasis mine)
If it were solely up to our own efforts, the gulf between us and God could never be bridged. It is God who reaches across that gap, sending us Himself as man, sending us Himself as the Spirit that burns within us.
He reaches down to us in love, because He deems us worthy of love. Should we not reach up to Him to accept that love, and across to others in a sharing of that love?
As Paulist Fr. Ricky Manalo reminds us in song:
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
to receive honour and glory.
Worthy are the ones who believe
to receive the goodness of God.
Amen.