Scripture Study for
All Saints
Revelation 7:2–4, 9–14 / Psalm 24:6 / 1 John 3:1–3 / Matthew 5:1–12a
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Understanding the Word
By Dianne Bergant, C.S.A.
John the seer relates two extraordinary apocalyptic visions that were granted to him. Although they differ, the second adds a dimension to the first. The events of the first vision seem to unfold on earth; those of the second take place in heaven. Both visions depict vast assemblies of the righteous. There is no suggestion that these people are martyrs. Instead they are those who have survived the distress of the end-times because they were purified through the blood of the sacrificial Lamb. This distinction certainly entitles them to participate in the celebration held at the end of time.
The love of which the author of First John speaks is generative, transforming. It makes believers children of God. Everything that happens in their lives is a consequence of their having been recreated as God’s children. They are a new reality; hence, they are not accepted by the world, the old reality. Certain similarities between Jesus and the believers are drawn. The world did not recognize the only begotten Son of God and it does not recognize these new children of God. The implications of this are clear. Believers should not be surprised if they encounter the very rejection—even persecution and death—that befell Jesus.
The teachings of Jesus are all in some way directed toward the establishment of the reign of God. The type of behavior he advocates is frequently the opposite of that espoused by society at large. This explains the challenges set before us in the Beatitudes. The first and the third Beatitudes claim that power is in the hands of the meek and the poor. The second and the fourth promise the alleviation of inner turmoil. The fifth, sixth, and seventh Beatitudes treat aspects of religious piety. The last Beatitude clearly warns that commitment to Jesus’ cause can bring persecution. It is clear that each Beatitude invites us to turn the standards of our world and our way of life upside down and inside out.