Roman Catholic The Word Among Us Daily Mass Reading & Daily Meditation for Saturday, 29 November 2014

Roman Catholic The Word Among Us Daily Mass Reading & Daily Meditation for Saturday, 29 November 2014
Meditation - Revelation 22:1-5 Then the Angel showed me Water-of-Life River, crystal bright. It flowed from the Throne of God and the Lamb, right down the middle of the street. The Tree of Life was planted on each side of the River, producing twelve kinds of fruit, a ripe fruit each month. The leaves of the Tree are for healing the nations. Never again will anything be cursed. The Throne of God and of the Lamb is at the center. His servants will offer God service—worshiping, they’ll look on his face, their foreheads mirroring God. Never again will there be any night. No one will need lamplight or sunlight. The shining of God, the Master, is all the light anyone needs. And they will rule with him age after age after age.
Don’t Put It Away on the Shelf
6-7 The Angel said to me, “These are dependable and accurate words, every one. The God and Master of the spirits of the prophets sent his Angel to show his servants what must take place, and soon. And tell them, ‘Yes, I’m on my way!’ Blessed be the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Lord God shall give them light. (Revelation 22:5)
Many of us take pictures to help us remember a really good moment—a holiday or a gorgeous sunset or something cute one of our kids has done. We want to hold onto all that goodness after the moment has ended.
Heaven: the best moment we will ever have, and the one that will never end. There will be no need for cameras, no need to look back, trying to remember and trying to “hold onto” a good time that we once had.
Today, on this the last day of the liturgical year, the Book of Revelation depicts what heaven will be like. The reading paints a picture—not a literal but a figurative one. It describes a river of life-giving water, the tree of life, the throne of God, and a heavenly multitude who will worship God day and night. What beautiful images to depict the glorious inheritance that awaits us!
As bright as our future is, God wants us to experience foretastes of heaven now—every day, in fact. Retreats, Mass, personal prayer times, or acts of service; all of these blessings give us little glimpses of heaven that sustain us, as springs in a desert refresh a weary traveler or like the manna that sustained the Israelites throughout their journey to the promised land.
But these glimpses of heaven aren’t just pleasant little gifts from God to delight our hearts. We need them so that we can find the strength to press on in the face of opposition, both from our own fallen nature and from the temptations in the world. Without a sense of heaven, we would quickly lose our joy and gratitude—and that would turn our service to the Lord into drudgery.
Today, as another liturgical year ends, let’s remember our final destination and call to mind all the promises we’ve heard about it. Let’s also ask the Holy Spirit for the foretastes of it that will sustain us on our journey. May he continue to inspire us with images like those in the Book of Revelation!
“Jesus, help me to believe in your promises so that I can taste heaven every day. Lord, I can’t wait to be with you forever!” Amen!
Psalms 95:1-2 Come, let’s shout praises to God,
    raise the roof for the Rock who saved us!
Let’s march into his presence singing praises,
    lifting the rafters with our hymns!
3-5 And why? Because God is the best,
    High King over all the gods.
In one hand he holds deep caves and caverns,
    in the other hand grasps the high mountains.
He made Ocean—he owns it!
    His hands sculpted Earth!
6-7 So come, let us worship: bow before him,
    on your knees before God, who made us!
Oh yes, he’s our God,
    and we’re the people he pastures, the flock he feeds.
7-11 Drop everything and listen, listen as he speaks:
    “Don’t turn a deaf ear as in the Bitter Uprising,
As on the day of the Wilderness Test,
    when your ancestors turned and put me to the test.
For forty years they watched me at work among them,
    as over and over they tried my patience.
And I was provoked—oh, was I provoked!
    ‘Can’t they keep their minds on God for five minutes?
    Do they simply refuse to walk down my road?’
Exasperated, I exploded,
    ‘They’ll never get where they’re headed,
    never be able to sit down and rest.’”
Luke 21:1-2 Come, let’s shout praises to God,
    raise the roof for the Rock who saved us!
Let’s march into his presence singing praises,
    lifting the rafters with our hymns!
3-5 And why? Because God is the best,
    High King over all the gods.
In one hand he holds deep caves and caverns,
    in the other hand grasps the high mountains.
He made Ocean—he owns it!
    His hands sculpted Earth!
6-7 So come, let us worship: bow before him,
    on your knees before God, who made us!
Oh yes, he’s our God,
    and we’re the people he pastures, the flock he feeds.
7-11 Drop everything and listen, listen as he speaks:
    “Don’t turn a deaf ear as in the Bitter Uprising,
As on the day of the Wilderness Test,
    when your ancestors turned and put me to the test.
For forty years they watched me at work among them,
    as over and over they tried my patience.
And I was provoked—oh, was I provoked!
    ‘Can’t they keep their minds on God for five minutes?
    Do they simply refuse to walk down my road?’
Exasperated, I exploded,
    ‘They’ll never get where they’re headed,
    never be able to sit down and rest.’”
_____________________________