FIRST READING
A. I saw the new Jerusalem, as beautiful as a bride
all dressed for her husband.
I, John, saw a new heaven and a new earth.
The former heaven and the former earth had passed away,
and the sea was no more.
I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
"Behold, God's dwelling is with the human race.
He will dwell with them and they will be his people
and God himself will always be with them as their God.
He will wipe every tear from their eyes,
and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain,
for the old order has passed away."
The One who sat on the throne said,
"Behold, I make all things new."
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In this selection from St. John’s Revelation, John has a vision of the “New Heaven” and the "New Earth,” after Christ begins his reign at God’s right hand. The "New Jerusalem," is the image of God’s Church, viewed as the bride with Christ the bridegroom. In the "New Jerusalem" (the Church), God dwells, and there he will show his tender mercy (“
He will wipe every tear from their eyes”). The old order is washed away: “
Behold, I make all things new” (see also
Isaiah 43:18ff,
2 Corinthians 5:17, and
Galatians 6:15).
"This passage of the Book of Revelation strengthens the faith and hope of the Church--not only St John's own generation but all generations down the ages for as long as the Church makes its way through this valley of tears. The Second Vatican Council says: 'We know neither the moment of the consummation of the earth and of man nor the way the universe will be transformed. The form of this world, distorted by sin, is passing away and we are taught that God is preparing a new dwelling and a new earth in which righteousness dwells, whose happiness will fill and surpass all the desires of peace arising in the hearts of men. Then with death conquered the children of God will be raised in Christ and what was sown in weakness and dishonor will put on the imperishable: charity and its work will remain, and all of creation which God made for man, will be set free from its bondage to decay' ("Gaudium Et Spes", 39). [1]
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B. Or reading no. 1, 2 in the Appendix.
This is nothing else but the house of God and the gate of heaven.
Jacob departed from Beer-sheba and proceeded toward Haran.
When he came upon a certain shrine, as the sun had already set,
he stopped there for the night.
Taking one of the stones at the shrine, he put it under his head
and lay down to sleep at that spot.
Then he had a dream: a stairway rested on the ground,
with its top reaching to the heavens;
and God's messengers were going up and down on it.
And there was the LORD standing beside him and saying:
"I, the LORD, am the God of your forefather Abraham
and the God of Isaac;
the land on which you are lying
I will give to you and your descendants.
These shall be as plentiful as the dust of the earth,
and through them you shall spread out east and west, north and south.
In you and your descendants
all the nations of the earth shall find blessing.
Know that I am with you;
I will protect you wherever you go,
and bring you back to this land.
I will never leave you until I have done what I promised you."
When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he exclaimed,
"Truly, the LORD is in this spot, although I did not know it!"
In solemn wonder he cried out: "How awesome is this shrine!
This is nothing else but an abode of God,
and that is the gateway to heaven!"
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The story of the first patriarchs of the Jewish people continues with the story of “Jacob’s Dream”. Jacob takes a stone from a shrine at the holy place he later calls Bethel and uses it for a pillow. He has a dream in which God gives him and his descendants the land.
The notion of God being especially present in a specific physical location represents an ancient Jewish belief (shared by many other ancient near-eastern religions) that God came to earth at “high places” or special places requiring sacrifice to be offered and altars set up. God’s revelation in Christ informs us that God is omnipresent – that is in all places equally present.
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RESPONSORIAL PSALM
R. (See 1b) Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
I rejoiced when they said to me,
"Let us go to the house of the LORD."
And now our feet stand
within your gates, Jerusalem,
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Jerusalem - built as a city
walled round about.
Here the tribes come,
the tribes of the LORD,
as it was decreed for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
For family and friends I say,
"May peace be yours."
For the house of the LORD, our God, I pray,
"May blessings be yours."
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
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Psalm 122 is a song of thanksgiving centered upon returning to the Temple in Jerusalem (Mosaic Law required such a trip three times). The song rejoices in the visit to the holy place, the seat of King David. The original singers would have been rejoicing at returning to the one temple. For Christians, the new Jerusalem is the one and only house of God in his heavenly kingdom, there the Lord sits in judgment.
The final wishes (v. 8-9) are actually a play on words. The peace being wished is peace to the holy city and because the temple is located within her walls the singer will pray for good things to happen for the city.
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GOSPEL
Look, the bridegroom comes. Go out to meet him.
Jesus told his disciples this parable:
"The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins
who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
Five of them were foolish and five were wise.
The foolish ones, when taking their lamps,
brought no oil with them,
but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.
Since the bridegroom was long delayed,
they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
At midnight, there was a cry,
'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'
Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps.
The foolish ones said to the wise,
'Give us some of your oil,
for our lamps are going out.'
But the wise ones replied,
'No, for there may not be enough for us and you.
Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.'
While they went off to buy it,
the bridegroom came
and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him.
Then the door was locked.
Afterwards the other virgins came and said,
'Lord, Lord, open the door for us!'
But he said in reply,
'Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.'
Therefore, stay awake,
for you know neither the day nor the hour."
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St. Matthew’s Gospel gives us the parable of the Ten Virgins, continuing the Gospel theme of preparedness and vigilance (although strictly speaking this parable is about foresight). In this story the idea of vigilance is expanded to include being prepared. The Jewish wedding customs of the time would have dictated a procession [at night] from the house of the bride to the house of the groom. The whole act is symbolic of the coming of the messianic era also portrayed as a wedding in
Matthew 9:15,
Matthew 22:1-14 and
John 3:29. The wise virgins brought oil for their lamps while the foolish ones did not. The oil is interpreted by some scholars as referring to good works.
The overarching symbolism is the lamp of faith (light of the indwelling Holy Spirit) being kept burning with oil (good works). Hence, without good works (oil), the lamp will not continue to burn (
James 2:17) and the virgins, so deprived of light, are excluded from the heavenly kingdom.
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Reflection:
In speaking of the Blessed Virgin as “the Gate
of Heaven,” Blessed John Henry Newman recalls a passage from the Book of the
Prophet Ezekiel (Ez 42:2ff). “Prophet Ezekiel, prophesying of Mary, says, ‘the
gate shall be closed, it shall not be opened, and no man shall pass through it,
since the Lord God of Israel has entered through it—and it shall be closed for
the Prince, the Prince Himself shall sit in it.’” In that passage the gate
referred to is the gate of the sanctuary through which one must pass to enter the
presence of the Holy of Holies.
Considering this title and the analogy, other events in the history of
humanity can also exemplify Holy Mary’s role as the true Gate of Heaven.
She is also called the New Eve, for through the
disobedience our ancient parent Eve, the gates of heaven were shut, through the
Blessed Virgin in the person of her son our Savior, those gates were flung open,
she is truly the Gate of Heaven.
In the Gospel of St. Matthew (Mt 7:13-14) we are told, “Enter
through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to
destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and
constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.”
How else may we find that narrow gate but by
following the Blessed Mother’s example of faith in her divine Son?
Whether we approach our Lord and God through the
gate spoken of by the prophets or the Lord, we do so because the Blessed Virgin
Mary said yes to the more difficult way when offered the choice of the wide
path or the narrow gate. It is up to
each of us to decide to follow and be prepared when the Lord invites us to his
great feast when he comes again.
Pax
[1] The Navarre Bible: “Revelation and Hebrews and Catholic Letters”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p. 118.
