From the Friars: The Mysterious Book of Revelation
Around my freshmen year in High School my older brother bought the book Helter Skelter, a bestseller at that time. I picked it up and couldn’t put it down. It is about the Charles Manson murder case and it terrified and fascinated me. The motive for the horrible crimes of Manson and his “family” was a bizarre interpretation of Chapter 9 of the Book of Revelation combined with the Beatles “White Album”. Revelation is full of mysterious apocalyptic and prophetic symbolism which has led to countless misguided interpretations, including equating the whore of Babylon (Rev 17:5) with the Catholic Church.
The Abbot Joachim of Fiore (1135-1202) was known for his virtue but also for a very popular but wrong interpretation of the Book of Revelation, especially regarding the “eternal gospel” mentioned in Rev 14:6. The Franciscan Spirituals, to varying degrees, came to believe that the Franciscan order fulfilled Joachim’s prophecies of a coming age of the Holy Spirit where Sacraments and the authority of Popes and Bishops would no longer be necessary. Saint Francis was seen to be the angel of the sixth seal of Rev 7:2. Joachim’s theory of salvation history was condemned.
A fresco in a church with the representation of the Apocalypse
During this Easter Season we will hear several readings from Revelation in the Sunday Masses. The dangers of misinterpretation should not keep us from seeking to uncover the profound riches of this final book of the Bible. The name in Greek, Apokalypsis, also means “unveiling.” Indeed, it draws back the curtain to show us God’s plan for the future, the end of the world and eternal glory. Today’s reading shows the Heavenly Liturgy, the awesome spectacle of countless angels and other creatures crying out in praise and worship of the Creator and the Lamb that was slain. Such passages give us a glimpse into the reality that is made present at every Holy Mass.
The unveiling can also be understood as that which would take place on the wedding night of a Jewish couple. The bridegroom removes the face covering of his new spouse as they begin their life of intimate communion together. Such is the culmination of God’s Revelation to us, the Wedding Feast of the Lamb and His Bride, the Church.
Alleluia!
Fr. Peter