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.

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