Understanding the Word

By Br. John R. Barker, OFM

John’s vision of the woman and the dragon begins a section of  Revelation that focuses on the power of evil—Satan—to oppose  both God and God’s people. Although the power is formidable and  truly destructive, in the end it does not prevail. The woman adorned  with the stars, sun, and moon (see Genesis 37:9–10) represents Israel,  who gives birth to the Messiah. Satan, of course, wishes to prevent  this, but God rescues the child and also the “mother,” God’s people,  who are also threatened by evil. The passage immediately after the  reading (12:7–9) recounts the battle in heaven between Satan and  Michael, which ends with Satan being thrown down to earth. Our  reading resumes with a hymn of praise for God’s victory over Satan.

Paul has been responding to the claims of some that there is no  resurrection, to which he answers that if there is no resurrection,  then Christ was not raised from the dead and—if this is the case— then we have no hope (15:12–19). But Christ has been raised, and  now Paul explains the implications. Christ has been victorious not  only over his own personal death but over death absolutely. Just  as our human existence and experience of death is corporate (“in  Adam”), so also will be our experience of life “in Christ.” Those who  “belong to Christ” will be the next to be raised, and then finally all  will be raised when Christ comes into his kingdom. 

Luke’s account of the Visitation features what might be termed  two prophetic oracles, in the sense that both Elizabeth and Mary  praise God and announce what God is doing. Elizabeth’s greeting to  Mary focuses on Mary as “blessed” both because she is the “mother  of my Lord” and also because she has believed what God has  spoken. Mary begins by “proclaiming the greatness of the Lord” for  the blessing God has given her, but immediately turns to the larger  redemptive work of God, which is the reason for Mary’s blessedness.  This redemptive work involves overturning the power of the proud,  the rich, and the mighty in favor of the weak and lowly. All of this is  done because God remains faithful to ancient promises.

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