Reading 1
Rv 20:1-4, 11—21:2
I, John, saw an angel come down from heaven,
holding in his hand the key to the abyss and a heavy chain.
He seized the dragon, the ancient serpent,
which is the Devil or Satan,
and tied it up for a thousand years 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.
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 worshiped 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.
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.
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.
The sea gave up its dead;
then Death and Hades gave up their dead.
All the dead were judged according to their deeds.
Then Death and Hades were thrown into the pool of fire.
(This pool of fire is the second death.)
Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life
was thrown into the pool of fire.
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.
I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Ps 84:3, 4, 5-6a and 8a
Responsorial PsalmR. (Rev. 21:3b)
Here God lives among his people.
My soul yearns and pines
for the courts of the LORD.
My heart and my flesh
cry out for the living God.
R. Here God lives among his people.
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. Here God lives among his people.
Blessed they who dwell in your house!
continually they praise you.
Blessed the men whose strength you are!
They go from strength to strength.
R. Here God lives among his people.
Gospel
Lk 21:29-33
Jesus told his disciples a parable.
“Consider the fig tree and all the other trees.
When their buds burst open,
you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near;
in the same way, when you see these things happening,
know that the Kingdom of God is near.
Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away
until all these things have taken place.
Heaven and earth will pass away,
but my words will not pass away.”
Meditation: Luke 21:29-33
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” (Luke 21:33)
So many things in our world come with expiration dates. Memberships, warranties, and magazine subscriptions run out. Products, fashions, and even laws grow obsolete. Store and gift coupons expire. Even stars and planets die. And of course, after their allotted time on earth, so do all living creatures.
But though our bodies are mortal, something in us longs to live forever. That’s because God created us to share in his eternal life! And because he is a loving God, he gives us ways to begin tasting and growing in his life right now by meeting him every day. We do this as we prayerfully reflect on Scripture, the inspired word of God, which “will not pass away” (Luke 21:33).
It’s an amazing reality! As the Fathers of Vatican II explained it, “In the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven meets his children with great love and speaks with them,” (Dei Verbum, 21). And St. Bernard, speaking from experience, said that anyone who eagerly meditates on Scripture knows “that there he is certain to find the One for whom he thirsts.” When we read Scripture, we can be sure that the God who created us to know and love him is with us, ready to bring God’s word to life.
Scripture can awe us with the breadth and depth of God’s love. With a single word of reproach, it can shatter our pride. It can teach us wondrous truths, pierce our hard hearts, and stir us to inspired prayers of praise and thanksgiving. It straightens out our crooked thinking, opens our eyes to Christ, and gives us what we need to face trials and upheavals with peace and joy.
You can make this discovery—or rediscovery—for yourself today. Open your Bible, call on the Holy Spirit, and listen as Jesus speaks to you. Know that however often you read a passage, it will never run out, go stale, or get outdated. Unchanging as it is, God’s word is new every day, always fresh and full of life and hope.
“Come, Holy Spirit, and bring the words of Scripture alive for me today. Open my ears to listen carefully. Help me to hear and understand what you are saying to me now.”
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