Fr. Mike discusses the heavenly throne room seen in our reading from Revelation and our opportunity to be brought into this throne room during every Mass. He also focuses on our ability to glorify God and exalt him into eternity through the righteous deeds we perform on earth. Today’s readings are Revelation 4-7, Titus 1-3, and Proverbs 31:10-15. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.
Chapter 1: What is the significance of Revelation 4-7?
And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this. At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. And he who sat there appeared like Jasper and Carnelian, and round the throne was a rainbow that looked like an emerald.
Round the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders clothed in white garments with golden crowns upon their heads. From the throne issued flashes of lightning, and voices and peals of thunder. And before the throne burned seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God. And before the throne there is, as it were, a sea of glass, like crystal.
And round the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind. The first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all round and within.
And day and night they never cease to sing, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come. And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever.
They cast their crowns before the throne singing, Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created. Chapter 5 The Scroll and the Lamb And I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals.
And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals? And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it. And I wept much that no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. Then one of the elders said to me, Weep not.
Behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.
and between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders i saw a lamb standing as though it had been slain with seven horns and with seven eyes which are the seven spirits of god sent out into all the earth and he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne
And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals.
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Chapter 2: How does Fr. Mike explain heavenly worship?
The heart of her husband trusts in her and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not harm all the days of her life. She seeks wool and flax and works with willing hands. She is like the ships of the merchant. She brings her food from afar. She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and tasks for her maidens.
Father in heaven, we give you praise and glory.
We thank you so much for bringing us once again to this day, to day 360. We ask that you please continue to walk with us, continue to journey with us. Above all, we ask you, Lord, to please continue to guide us because without your guidance, without your word, without your direction, we are completely lost. Help us to be yours this day and every day. In Jesus' name we pray.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Okay, so we have the letter of Paul to Titus, which is really brief, obviously. It's a brief letter, only three chapters. And in it, I just want to highlight one piece. And that is that St. Paul, as he's writing to Titus, Titus is in Crete.
And one of the things that even Paul quotes, he says that one of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, And then Paul says, That testimony is true. I agree. Those Cretans, yeesh, that kind of a situation. But what Paul is pointing out is that a lot of these Cretans who have become Christians are not necessarily living converted lives.
And so he talks about, okay, so have the older women live like this, have the older men live like this, have the younger women and younger men live like this. If you're a slave, live like this. And the reason essentially is because Christianity has to become credible. Again, the gospel has to become credible.
At this point, you realize that if Christians are living among the world and in the world and are living no differently than anyone else, like if here's a Cretan Christian and they're just a Cretan and they're not living any differently from each other, then that's a problem.
And so what Paul is saying is he's basically saying you're giving witness, you're bearing witness to Jesus or you're bearing witness to the ineffectiveness of the gospel if you're no different than the people around you. And so I would say that probably the... The upshot of this particular letter of St.
Paul to Titus is that, yeah, we give witness to the power of the gospel or we give witness to the impotence of the gospel by our lives. If we live like everyone else, then the gospel is powerless. If we live differently, live lives that are changed, then we bear witness that the gospel has power, has power to change our lives and has power to change the people's lives among whom we live.
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