“These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb” (Revelation 7:14).

In the Easter season, the first and second readings that we hear at Sunday Mass are often taken from the Acts of the Apostles and the Book of Revelation. The reason for this has to do with the fact that Easter focuses our attention on two essential messages contained in both of these books. These two messages are as follows: 1) From the Acts of the Apostles we are reminded that Christ’s mission continues in the world through the community of the Church that He established and that you and I are called to be active members of that Church, making Christ present in the world today; And 2) From the Book of Revelation, because of the sacrifice that He offered for our salvation, Christ has opened the gates of Heaven and destroyed death so that we are invited at the end of our lives here on earth to the Kingdom of Heaven, where we are invited to be members of Christ’s Church for all eternity. So, to sum it up, it could be expressed this way: By His death and resurrection, Christ has re-established humanity in communion with the Holy Trinity and we are called to live in God’s presence today and for all eternity within the community of His Church- both on earth and in Heaven. Or, as we hear so beautifully expressed in the words of Jesus the Good Shepherd in today’s Gospel from John: “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish” (John 10:27-28). Continue reading →