The Fifth Sunday of Easter, May 15, 2022

Revelation 21:1–5a

Then I, John, saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them as their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away.”  The One who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.”

The final two chapters of the Book of Revelation draw back the curtain on the destiny of the saints at the end of time.  The second reading for today’s Mass is taken from the first five verses of this final section.  The previous chapter shows the damnation of the wicked after their final assault on the Holy Church.   Now, the curtains of eternity are parted to reveal “a new heaven and a new earth”.  Through the Prophet Isaiah, the Lord had spoken of this: “For as the new heavens, and the new earth, which I will make to stand before me, says the Lord: so shall your seed stand, and your name” (Isaiah 66, 22).  John does not give us much in terms of description, or tell us exactly what makes what he sees a “new” heaven and a “new” earth.  He is overwhelmed with the vision and gropes for words.  But it will be a world of infinite love where God will reign.  “The former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.”  This may mean the transformation of the former heaven and former earth or their replacement altogether.  The world damaged by original sin in all its disharmonies is now gone.

“I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”  This is the Church Victorious, the Church full of the saints who persevered in their faith despite temptations and threats.  The Church is here described as a Bride, prepared for marriage with her Groom, Jesus Christ.  She has dreamt of this day throughout her life and now the moment has come at last.  She is gorgeously adorned with the good and heroic deeds of the saints.  “I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race.’ ”  The throne is where the God sits, and so it is God who speaks, telling us that he will always be with us.  The Greek word translated here as “dwelling” is, in fact, “tent”.  The verse translated literally is: “God’s tent is with men, and he will be encamped with them, and these peoples will be his, and God will be with them.”  The use of “tent” here brings to mind a line early in John’ Gospel: “And the Word became Flesh and was encamped with us” (John 1, 14), which is a literal translation as well.  It is the same verb.  The Holy Spirit thus shows quite concretely the reality of God with us.  The Son does not become man symbolically or only appear as man, but he dwelt as in a tent with us.  He came down from heaven to be like us and with us.  In a similarly concrete way he will be with us in heaven.  He will be truly among us there, not far off or invisible. And “we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3, 2).  This brings to mind a lovely verse from Proverbs in which Wisdom, understood by the Fathers as the Son of God, speaks: “My delights are to be with the children of men” (Proverbs 8, 31).  

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away.”  The “old order”: Because you have hearkened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree whereof I commanded you that you should not eat, cursed is the earth in your work: with labor and toil shall you eat thereof all the days of thy life. Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to you, and you shall eat the herbs of the earth. In the sweat of your face shall you eat bread till you return to the earth out of which you were taken: for dust you are, and into dust you shall return” (Genesis 3, 17-19). 

“The One who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ ”  The old order — the world wrecked by sin — has passed away, and God makes all things “new”.  This verse helps us to understand the meaning of the Lord Jesus’s words in today’s Gospel reading: “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.” In the new order of grace, we who are baptized on Christ are able to love in a new way: as Christ has loved us.  Previous to his coming on earth, we could love each other with only a human love.  Now we can love each other with a divine love.  God makes all things — even love — new for us.  And by employing this new love, following this new commandment, the servants of God prepare themselves for life within the New Jerusalem, where “night shall be no more, and they shall not need the light of the lamp, nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God shall enlighten then. And they shall reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 22, 5).