|
Pope Benedict XVI- Audiences |
General Audience
Apostle John, the Seer of Patmos
"The Wounded and Dead Lamb Conquers!"
H.H. Benedict XVI
August 23, 2006
www.zenit.org
Dear
Brothers and Sisters,
In the
last Catechesis we had reached the meditation on the figure of the
Apostle John. We had first sought to look at all that can be known
of his life. Then, in a second Catechesis, we meditated on the
central content of his Gospel and his Letters: charity, love. And
today we are still concerned with the figure of John, this time to
examine the Seer of the Book of Revelation. And let us immediately
note that while neither the Fourth Gospel nor the Letters attributed
to the Apostle ever bear his name, the Book of Revelation makes at
least four references to it (cf. 1: 1, 4, 9; 22: 8).
It is
obvious, on the one hand, that the author had no reason not to
mention his own name, and on the other, that he knew his first
readers would be able to precisely identify him. We know, moreover,
that in the third century, scholars were already disputing the true
factual identity of John of the "Apocalypse".
For the
sake of convenience we could also call him "the Seer of Patmos"
because he is linked to the name of this island in the Aegean See
where, according to his own autobiographical account, he was, as it
were, deported "on account of the word of God and the testimony of
Jesus" (Rv 1: 9).
It was
on Patmos itself, "on the Lord's Day... caught up in ecstasy" (Rv 1:
10), that John had a grandiose vision and heard extraordinary
messages that were to have a strong influence on the history of the
Church and of entire Western culture.
For
example, from the title of his book - Apocalypse,
Revelation - the words "apocalypse, apocalyptic" were introduced
into our language and, although inaccurately, they call to mind the
idea of an incumbent catastrophe.
The Book
should be understood against the backdrop of the dramatic
experiences of the seven Churches of Asia (Ephesus, Smyrna,
Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea) which had to
face serious difficulties at the end of the first century -
persecutions and also inner tensions - in their witness to Christ.
John
addresses them, showing acute pastoral sensitivity to the persecuted
Christians, whom he exhorts to be steadfast in the faith and not to
identify with the pagan world. His purpose is constituted once and
for all by the revelation, starting with the death and Resurrection
of Christ, of the meaning of human history.
The
first and fundamental vision of John, in fact, concerns the figure
of the Lamb who is slain yet standing (cf. Rv 5: 6), and is placed
before the throne on which God himself is already seated.
By
saying this, John wants first of all to tell us two things: the
first is that although Jesus was killed with an act of violence,
instead of falling heavily to the ground, he paradoxically stands
very firmly on his own feet because, with the Resurrection, he
overcame death once and for all.
The
other thing is that Jesus himself, precisely because he died and was
raised, henceforth fully shares in the kingship and saving power of
the Father. This is the fundamental vision.
On this
earth, Jesus, the Son of God, is a defenceless, wounded and dead
Lamb. Yet he stands up straight, on his feet, before God's throne
and shares in the divine power. He has the history of the world in
his hands.
Thus,
the Seer wants to tell us: trust in Jesus, do not be afraid of the
opposing powers, of persecution! The wounded and dead Lamb is
victorious! Follow the Lamb Jesus, entrust yourselves to Jesus, take
his path! Even if in this world he is only a Lamb who appears weak,
it is he who triumphs!
The
subject of one of the most important visions of the Book of
Revelation is this Lamb in the act of opening a scroll, previously
closed with seven seals that no one had been able to break open.
John is even shown in tears, for he finds no one worthy of opening
the scroll or reading it (cf. Rv 5: 4).
History
remains indecipherable, incomprehensible. No one can read it.
Perhaps John's weeping before the mystery of a history so obscure
expresses the Asian Churches' dismay at God's silence in the face of
the persecutions to which they were exposed at that time.
It is a
dismay that can clearly mirror our consternation in the face of the
serious difficulties, misunderstandings and hostility that the
Church also suffers today in various parts of the world.
These
are trials that the Church does not of course deserve, just as Jesus
himself did not deserve his torture. However, they reveal both the
wickedness of man, when he abandons himself to the promptings of
evil, and also the superior ordering of events on God's part.
Well
then, only the sacrificed Lamb can open the sealed scroll and reveal
its content, give meaning to this history that so often seems
senseless. He alone can draw from it instructions and teachings for
the life of Christians, to whom his victory over death brings the
message and guarantee of victory that they too will undoubtedly
obtain. The whole of the vividly imaginative language that John uses
aims to offer this consolation.
Also at
the heart of the visions that the Book of Revelation unfolds, are
the deeply significant vision of the Woman bringing forth a male
child and the complementary one of the dragon, already thrown down
from Heaven but still very powerful.
This
Woman represents Mary, the Mother of the Redeemer, but at the same
time she also represents the whole Church, the People of God of all
times, the Church which in all ages, with great suffering, brings
forth Christ ever anew. And she is always threatened by the dragon's
power. She appears defenceless and weak.
But
while she is threatened, persecuted by the dragon, she is also
protected by God's comfort. And in the end this Woman wins. The
dragon does not win.
This is
the great prophecy of this Book that inspires confidence in us! The
Woman who suffers in history, the Church which is persecuted,
appears in the end as the radiant Bride, the figure of the new
Jerusalem where there will be no more mourning or weeping, an image
of the world transformed, of the new world whose light is God
himself, whose lamp is the Lamb.
For this
reason, although John's Book of Revelation is pervaded by continuous
references to suffering, tribulation and tears - the dark face of
history -, it is likewise permeated by frequent songs of praise that
symbolize, as it were, the luminous face of history.
So it
is, for example, that we read in it of a great multitude that is
singing, almost shouting: "Alleluia! For the Lord our God the
Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made
herself ready" (Rv 19: 6-7).
Here we
face the typical Christian paradox, according to which suffering is
never seen as the last word but rather, as a transition towards
happiness; indeed, suffering itself is already mysteriously mingled
with the joy that flows from hope.
For this
very reason John, the Seer of Patmos, can close his Book with a
final aspiration, trembling with fearful expectation. He invokes the
definitive coming of the Lord: "Come, Lord Jesus!" (Rv 22: 20).
This was
one of the central prayers of the nascent Christianity, also
translated by St Paul into its Aramaic form: "Marana tha".
And this prayer, "Our Lord, come!" (I Cor 16: 22) has many
dimensions.
It is,
naturally, first and foremost an expectation of the definitive
victory of the Lord, of the new Jerusalem, of the Lord who comes and
transforms the world. But at the same time, it is also a Eucharistic
prayer: "Come Jesus, now!". And Jesus comes; he anticipates his
definitive coming.
So it is
that we say joyfully at the same time: "Come now and come for
ever!".
This
prayer also has a third meaning: "You have already come, Lord! We
are sure of your presence among us. It is our joyous experience. But
come definitively!".
And
thus, let us too pray with St Paul, with the Seer of Patmos, with
the newborn Christianity: "Come, Jesus! Come and transform the
world! Come today already and may peace triumph!". Amen!
To
special groups
I am
happy to greet all the English-speaking visitors present at today's
Audience, including the pilgrims from Taiwan, Japan and the United
States of America. May your visit to Rome renew your faith in the
Church, the Bride of Christ, and may the Lord's definitive victory
over all evil fill you with hope and courage. I invoke upon you
God's Blessings of joy and peace.
Lastly,
as usual, I address a warm greeting to the sick, the
newly-weds and the young people, especially those of
Catholic Action from the Diocese of Altamura-Gravina-Acquaviva delle
Fonti, accompanied by Bishop Mario Paciello. Dear friends, yesterday
the liturgy invited us to invoke the Holy Mother of God as our
Queen. I ask you to put yourselves and all your projects under the
motherly protection of the One who gave the Saviour to the world.
© Copyright 2006 -
Libreria Editrice Vaticana
This page is the work of the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and
Mary
