Roman Catholic The Word Among Us Daily Mass Reading & Daily Meditation for Wednesday, 26 November 2014

Roman Catholic The Word Among Us Daily Mass Reading & Daily Meditation for Wednesday, 26 November 2014
Meditation - Revelation 15:The Song of Moses, the Song of the Lamb
1 I saw another Sign in Heaven, huge and breathtaking: seven Angels with seven disasters. These are the final disasters, the wrap-up of God’s wrath.
2-4 I saw something like a sea made of glass, the glass all shot through with fire. Carrying harps of God, triumphant over the Beast, its image, and the number of its name, the saved ones stood on the sea of glass. They sang the Song of Moses, servant of God; they sang the Song of the Lamb:
Mighty your acts and marvelous,
    O God, the Sovereign-Strong!
Righteous your ways and true,
    King of the nations!
Who can fail to fear you, God,
    give glory to your Name?
Because you and you only are holy,
    all nations will come and worship you,
    because they see your judgments are right.
34th Week in Ordinary Time
They sang … the song of the Lamb. (Revelation 15:3)
Have you ever missed the ending of a good story? Maybe the power went out just before the movie finished, or you were reading a book only to find the last few pages torn out when you got there. It’s so frustrating! You begin to think that you would have been better off never to have started watching or reading in the first place.
In a sense, the history of the world is one huge, complex story, and today’s first reading gives us a glimpse of the ending. Though it speaks in story and symbol, and though there’s a lot we aren’t told, we do know that it’s a happy ending. God will be victorious over his enemies, and he will right all wrongs!
But here we are, still in the middle of the story. We may have a sense of how it’s going to end, but it still can be easy to lose sight of that ending. There are times when it can feel as if life is a never-ending story, and the plot doesn’t seem to make much sense. So it’s helpful to remind ourselves that we’re in the part of the story where there is confusion and conflict. There are still a number of loose ends that God has yet to tie up. But we can be assured that God will eventually make sense of it all and that everything we are facing will somehow turn out for good.
Do you have something in your life that seems painful or paradoxical? Maybe an estranged family member or physical pain? Maybe a sense of distance from God that you don’t understand? This isn’t the end of the story! God is still unfolding the plot, and he never loses track of the details.
Sit for a few minutes with the song in today’s reading. This is a vision of God’s servants praising him at the end of the world, when the story is finished. Take the scene in, and rejoice that you will join in this chorus when the great Storyteller has written the final chapter.
“Lord, thank you for writing such a dramatic story of the world. I rejoice that the ending is safe in your hands.” Amen!
Psalms 98:1 Sing to God a brand-new song.
He’s made a world of wonders!
He rolled up his sleeves,
He set things right.
2 God made history with salvation,
He showed the world what he could do.
3 He remembered to love us, a bonus
To his dear family, Israel—indefatigable love.
The whole earth comes to attention.
Look—God’s work of salvation!
7 Let the sea and its fish give a round of applause,
With everything living on earth joining in.
8 Let ocean breakers call out, “Encore!”
And mountains harmonize the finale—
9 A tribute to God when he comes,
When he comes to set the earth right.
He’ll straighten out the whole world,
He’ll put the world right, and everyone in it.
Luke 21:12-15 “But before any of this happens, they’ll arrest you, hunt you down, and drag you to court and jail. It will go from bad to worse, dog-eat-dog, everyone at your throat because you carry my name. You’ll end up on the witness stand, called to testify. Make up your mind right now not to worry about it. I’ll give you the words and wisdom that will reduce all your accusers to stammers and stutters.
16-19 “You’ll even be turned in by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends. Some of you will be killed. There’s no telling who will hate you because of me. Even so, every detail of your body and soul—even the hairs of your head!—is in my care; nothing of you will be lost. Staying with it—that’s what is required. Stay with it to the end. You won’t be sorry; you’ll be saved.
_____________________________