“Heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away.” – Luke 21:33

I have been reading the Bible almost on a daily basis since 1991, when I had my conversion experience after a Life in the Spirit Seminar. I do not boast of this habit because I often compare what I do to a dirty man who dashes through a shower — instead of soaking in the bath — to remove the dirt in him.

     In spite of my weaknesses and failures, reading Scripture has changed me from within. Of course, the fact that I could even read the Bible for a period of time is a great grace already, which I believe I received during that seminar. For before that time, I just couldn’t understand the Bible, no matter how hard I tried.

       In mid-2012 up to early 2013, I attended a Catholic Bible Study based on The Great Adventure Catholic Bible Study by Jeff Cavins. And once again, I re-learned and got deeper insights into God’s love, His wonderful plan for humanity, the gift Jesus left behind through the Catholic Church, etc. I was once again changed.

       Do you read the Bible? Please do. Ask the Lord to give you the grace to love His Word. And if you are already reading Scripture, then dig deeper. Learn some more. It is indeed a great adventure — and it will take us to the Kingdom that will not end. Joy Sosoban-Roa (jsosoban@gmail.com)

Reflection: “So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me void but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11)

Speak to me, Lord, through Your words in Scripture.

St. James of Marche, pray for us.

The author of the Book of Revelation wants to paint a grim picture as he is aware that life was grim for many Christians. The Roman Emperors were generally unsympathetic to or even outright against this new religion of Christianity. It was a dangerous thing to be a disciple of Jesus at this time and, as such, there were very many martyrs in the Early Church.

1 I, John, saw an angel come down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the abyss and a heavy chain. 2 He seized the dragon, the ancient serpent, which is the Devil or Satan, and tied it up for a thousand years 3 and threw it into the abyss, which he locked over it and sealed, so that it could no longer lead the nations astray until the thousand years are completed. After this, it is to be released for a short time. 4 Then I saw thrones; those who sat on them were entrusted with judgment. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, and who had not worshipped the beast or its image nor had accepted its mark on their foreheads or hands. They came to life and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 11 Next I saw a large white throne and the one who was sitting on it. The earth and the sky fled from his presence and there was no place for them. 12 I saw the dead, the great and the lowly, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened. Then another scroll was opened, the book of life. The dead were judged according to their deeds, by what was written in the scrolls. 13 The sea gave up its dead; then Death and Hades gave up their dead. All the dead were judged according to their deeds. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the pool of fire. (This pool of fire is the second death.) 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the pool of fire. 21: 1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

R: Here God lives among his people.

2 [3] My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. (R) 3 [4] Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest in which she puts her young — your altars, O Lord of hosts, my king and my God! (R) 4 [5] Blessed they who dwell in your house! Continually they praise you. 5 [6] Blessed the men whose strength you are! 7 [8] They go from strength to strength. (R)

Stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.

29 Jesus told his disciples a parable. “Consider the fig tree and all the other trees. 30 When their buds burst open, you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near; 31 in the same way, when you see these things happening, know that the Kingdom of God is near. 32 Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”

think:  The more we understand the wonders of creation, the more we believe in a Creator who knew what He was doing when He created the world.

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Ezekiel 9-12

A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH

My childhood memories are full of images of the goodness of Mother Nature. I remember going out at dawn after a stormy night to gather delicious mushrooms. I recall rushing home when cicadas would signal that dusk is nigh. Dragonflies would swarm predictably at certain times of the year, and birds of different colors and shapes would regale us with their songs just outside the window of our wooden house.

       The best though was what elders then called “agua de Mayo,” or the first rains of May. While we were ordinarily discouraged from bathing in the rain, the first rains of May were different. It was believed to be beneficial for both body and soul.

       Heaven and earth, for us then, formed just one simple reality. Graces from above spelled copious blessings, too, from below. Rains from the sky brought new life to the earth below that, in turn, produced crisp fresh greens, and the rhythm of night and day, dark and light, only meant that blessings and graces appeared in different forms at different times. And so it was in our earth-inspired, simple theology and spirituality.

       I long for those simple days of abandon and abundance. We children were carefree, and adults who labored each day in the fields were not unduly worried about anything. Stress was a word that never crossed our minds. But while I still look back with joy at those carefree days, I now look forward to an infinitely better version of our own “heaven and earth” with faith and hope. This is what my Catholic faith tells me. This is what the passage from the Book of Revelation assures me of. Something better is coming for those who believe — something greater and more glorious — something that you and I can work for together.

       I wait for it in hope. I work for it in the same spirit of faith and love, and I know that we, who are engaged in this world but with eyes fixed on heaven, really await the coming of something new — new not in substance, but in quality: a new heaven and a new earth! Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

REFLECTION QUESTION: What does “a new heaven and a new earth” mean to you in your life right now?

Teach me, Lord, to never settle for the things of this world, but to await the fulfillment of Your promises.