Sweet and Sour

Homily for Friday of the Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time

Scrolls, angels, trumpets, various letters, and all sorts of images, each of them seven in number, make the Book of Revelation particularly difficult to understand unless we realize that all of these are symbols of our life as Christians. As I am sure you have heard it said, seven is regarded as the perfect number which designates the angels or the trumpets or the letters as very important. I am sure that you have also heard it said that the Scriptures were written to comfort those who are uncomfortable and to challenge those who are comfortable. Consequently, as we read through the Book of Revelation, we should expect it to bring us comfort at times, but we should also expect to find it uncomfortable as well.

The text that we proclaim today is both – sweet and sour. This scroll which the visionary, John, is to retrieve describes the Christian vocation. That vocation can bring us a great deal of happiness or sweetness. However, I am also sure that there are times in every Christian’s life that are difficult or sour. The sweetness comes from a sense of well-being as we enjoy the providential care of God. However, all of us also know the sour moments when we grieve the loss of loved ones, when we are afflicted by chronic illness, when we fail and are in need of repentance.

The Scriptures also describe God as a gardener. Gardeners frequently prune away dead branches or clear away the underbrush that blocks the sun from reaching the soil. If we wish for the flowers of our garden to continue to bloom, we must “deadhead” the withered blossoms to make way for the new. When Jesus tells us that he is the vine and that we are the branches, he also identifies God as the one who prunes us so that we can bear good fruit. The episode in the Gospel text for today is such a time. Jesus enters the temple area to do some pruning, some cleaning up. He enters the temple to cleanse it and restore its original intent and purpose. Jesus desires us to do the same work in our own hearts, to remove those things that separate us from God so that our hearts may be a true dwelling for the Holy Spirit.

In a few moments, Jesus will enter our hearts through the Eucharist which we consume at this table. As he enters, what will he find? Have we been diligent in cleaning away our sins so that we can welcome him? Through prayer, through sacrifices, through our daily encounter with the Scriptures and the sacraments, we are constantly cleaning and pruning so that our vocation will identify us as one who is destined to live with God forever.