We Christians have
a very interesting laundry service.
Or at least it seems that way if you listen to the second reading from the Book
of Revelation. People are presented from every nation carrying palm branches
and wearing long white robes, robes that they washed and made white with the
blood of the lamb. I'm sure you can all recognize that this is just a little
sampling of the elaborate symbolism of the book of Revelation. The long white
robes represent the baptismal commitment of people from every nation. Their
palm branches refer to their being martyrs or witnesses to Christ. The white
color means their purity, single purpose in life, to serve God. This purity,
this whiteness, is attained through sacrifice. They wash their robes white then
by following Jesus in sacrifice, in the blood of the lamb[1].
God is very much
aware of their sacrifice, their efforts to serve his kingdom. He knows us. He
sees our efforts. He protects us. So often we have this terrible image of God
as watching for us to slip up so that he can say, "Gotcha". But God
sees the entirety of our lives, not just our mistakes. He sees our intentions,
our desires, and all that we do. I often
will tell people that God sees sacrifices we make that have become such a part
of our lifestyles that we just take them for granted. God sees them. Like the numerous times you
stop whatever you are doing to make time for someone else, your spouse, your
children, a person that needs your attention. God sees those times even if you
don't give them a second thought. He sees. He knows. He loves. He protects.
The reading from
the book of Revelation particularly applies to martyrdom. Directed as all the
readings during the Easter season are to neophytes, the newly baptized, as well
as to all Christians to help us focus on the fundamentals of the faith, this
reading reminds us that Christianity demands martyrdom. All Christians are
called to be martyrs. The word martyr means witness. We may or may not be confronted with the choice of torture
and death to preserve and give witness to our Christianity, but we always have
to give witness to our being Christians.
This means putting others before ourselves. It means standing up for
what is ethically, morally right even when, as so often, we are in the minority
and an object for scorn. It means keeping the source of our strength, our faith
life, flourishing through prayer and meditation, through the sacraments and
community worship. These are just some
of the myriad of ways that we are called to give witness, be martyrs for
Christ.
John saw a huge
crowd there in heaven. A number no one could count. Today we ask ourselves,
“Are we in that crowd? Are we wearing long white robes as a symbol of our
commitment to Christ? Do we carry palm
branches as a sign that we are witnesses to Christ, martyrs? Do we continually join Jesus in sacrifice,
thus washing our robes in the Blood of the Lamb?” Today we pray for the courage
to live out our baptismal commitment ■
[1] Sunday 21st April, 2013, 4th
Sunday of Easter. Readings: Acts 13:14, 43-52. We are his people, the sheep of his flock - Ps 99(100):1-3, 5.
Apocalypse 7:9, 14-17. John 10:27-30 [St Anselm].
