"FIRST IMPRESSIONS"

5th SUNDAY OF EASTER -C- MAY 18, 2025

Acts 14: 21-27 Psalm 145 Revelation 21: 1-5 John 13: 31-33, 34-35

by Jude Siciliano, OP

Dear Preachers:

I don't have scientific data to support this, but based on my experience, I would say that the most popular book of the New Testament among maximum-security prisoners serving life sentences is the Book of Revelation. Why might that be? Consider the situation of these inmates—and then consider the overall message of Revelation.

When your world is severely restricted and your future promises only more suffering, the Book of Revelation becomes a source of hope. Today's passage (Revelation 21:1–5a) offers a glimpse of that hope. We are just one chapter from the book's conclusion. The long-anticipated revelation has come to fulfillment: the enemies of the Lamb have been vanquished. Evil—represented vividly by the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet—has been thrown into the lake of fire.

Then comes a powerful image: the Holy City descending from heaven, described as a bride adorned for her husband. It represents the fulfillment of God's promise—not just a beautiful city, but a new reality:

"Behold, God's dwelling is with the human race."

This is not a fleeting spiritual moment. The promise continues:

"God will dwell with them and they will be his people, and God himself will always be with them as their God." For a long-suffering people, this vision announces an end to pain:

"God 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."

You can see why a prisoner might return again and again to this text—yearning for release from suffering and clinging to the hope it offers. What else could they hold on to?

This consoling passage is often read at funerals, and rightly so. But let's not limit its power to only moments of sorrow or despair. If we do, we risk narrowing our vision of God, who is already here—dwelling among us. Isn't that what today's Gospel tells us? Christ, the risen Lord, is present among us through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Still, let's linger a bit longer in Revelation.

Our world today is filled with suffering and loss. The news tells us of unbearable tragedies: Israel has cut off food supplies to Gaza, placing a million people at risk of starvation. Medical aid to the poorest in Africa has been slashed, leaving millions vulnerable to deadly disease. Support for Catholic charities has diminished, putting many here at risk of hunger and loss of emergency aid. And you can no doubt add your own examples—personal, national, or global—of grief, brokenness, and decline.

The author of Revelation names this pain. He speaks to those who mourn, who cry, who die. But he also proclaims a promise: "God will wipe away every tear… there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away."

As impossible as it may seem, we are invited to see the world through John's eyes—to glimpse the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, that God is bringing into being. The Creator, who once formed the heavens and the earth, is still at work, making all things new.

It can be hard to believe this vision is unfolding now. So much remains unfinished. But God continues to nourish us with the Word made flesh—Jesus—who gave himself in love for us. This Word sustains us as we wait and hope for the fulfillment of God's new creation.

So, is this all just "pie in the sky" for helpless people? Not at all. The vision of the new Jerusalem is not just for the next life—it begins now. It is breaking into our world even now through acts of compassion, healing, and justice. Are we not witnesses to this? Are we not participants in this transformation—by our words and our deeds?

Ours is not an empty or passive hope. We are not sitting idly, waiting for God to act. No, we are called to resist the false promises and quick fixes the world offers, and instead to embrace the vision Revelation gives us. John urges us to trust it, to let it empower us to resist evil and endure with hope.

The message of today's passage is clear: no matter how long or difficult our struggle, evil will not triumph. The final verse sums up God's purpose for us:

"Behold, I make all things new."

Is that what prisoners see in these words? A divine assurance that their pain is not ignored—that they are not forgotten? God promises a new age of peace and wholeness for those who have trusted throughout their trials. This text offers hope and encouragement to all who suffer and feel forgotten. Despite the darkness, goodness will prevail.

In the 17th century, John Milton wrote the epic poem Paradise Lost, reflecting on humanity's fall from grace—our alienation from God and the brokenness of the world. The Book of Revelation, which closes the Bible, offers the opposite message: Paradise will be regained. Our tears will be turned into joy, and mourning into laughter.

"There shall be no more death or mourning."

Who but God could do such wonders? John portrays a God who dwells with the people—offering blessing, peace, and presence. In the Eucharist, our great prayer of thanksgiving, we celebrate this same hope: that God is with us, here and now.

Even in our darkest hours, the author of Revelation urges us to trust. God will not abandon us. The vision of the new Jerusalem is a promise of peace, intimacy with God, and life with one another. With evil vanquished, John assures us:

"There shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain."

God's promise is sure. God is making all things new.

Click here for a link to this Sunday's readings:

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/051825.cfm

In Memory of Pope Francis

On the Church's Mission

"I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security."

Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), Apostolic Exhortation, November 24, 2013, §49.

JUSTICE BULLETIN BOARD

The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness. The Lord is good to all and compassionate toward all his works.

— Psalm 145:8-9

Since I write a month ahead of publication, I am writing this column when our beloved Pope Francis has just died. The psalmist seems to capture the God that Pope Francis emulated and modeled for the rest of us. I find myself at a loss for words so, as we approach the 10th anniversary of his ground-breaking encyclical, " Laudato Si' : On Care for our Common Home," I will let his words ring out and pray that, in his honor and memory, more Catholics take responsibility for the care of our common home and all life.

"Saint Francis of Assisi bears witness to the need to respect all that God has created and as he created it, without manipulating and destroying creation; rather to help it grow, to become more beautiful and more like what God created it to be. And above all, Saint Francis witnesses to respect for everyone, he testifies that each of us is called to protect our neighbor, that the human person is at the center of creation, at the place where God – our creator – willed that we should be. Not at the mercy of the idols we have created!" (10/4/13, Assisi)

"It bears repeating that Creation is not a possession that we can dispose of as we please, much less a possession of only a few. Creation is a magnificent gift that God has given us to care for and use to the benefit of all, with respect. I encourage you, therefore, to carry on in your commitment in order so that Creation may continue to be the patrimony of everyone, to hand down in all its beauty to future generations."(12/4/14)

"We have to realize that a true ecological approach always becomes a social approach; it must integrate questions of justice in debates on the environment, so as to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor." (5/24/15, Laudato Si ', no. 49)

"Everything is connected. Concern for the environment thus needs to be joined to a sincere love for our fellow human beings and an unwavering commitment to resolving the problems of society." (5/24/15, Laudato Si', no. 91)

"What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up?" (5/24/15, Laudato Si', no. 160)

Laudato Si' Week is 5/24-5/31. Be kind to all God's works.

Barbara Molinari Quinby, MPS, Director,

Office of Human Life, Dignity, and Justice Ministries

Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral Raleigh, NC

Mini-reflections on the Sunday scripture readings designed for persons on the run. "Faith Book" is also brief enough to be posted in the Sunday parish bulletins people take home.

From today's Revelation reading:

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

Reflection:

Revelation is the assurance that, despite the apparent victories of evil in our world, God is sovereign and just and will overcome evil in the end and reward the just who have persevered and lived faithful lives. Revelation speaks to those who look to God for a comfort that only God can give. It is a prophetic book urging us to hear the Word of God and stay faithful to the covenant God has made with us in Christ.

So we ask ourselves:

If someone were to ask you, "Which do you think is winning in the world, good or evil?" What would you answer?

What hope does the reading from Revelation stir in you?

POSTCARDS TO DEATH ROW INMATES

"One has to strongly affirm that condemnation to the death penalty is an inhuman measure that humiliates personal dignity, in whatever form it is carried out." ---Pope Francis

Inmates on death row are the most forgotten people in the prison system. Each week I am posting in this space several inmates' names and locations. I invite you to write a postcard to one or more of them to let them know that: we have not forgotten them; are praying for them and their families; or, whatever personal encouragement you might like to give them. If the inmate responds, you might consider becoming pen pals.

Please write to:

Joshua M. Burgess	#0949797	(On death row since 6/3/2022)

James Mc Kamey	#1506090	(1/26/2023)

Wisezah Buckman	#1120630	(11/2/2023)

----Central Prison P.O. 247 Phoenix, MD 21131

Please note: Central Prison is in Raleigh, NC., but for security purposes, mail to inmates is processed through a clearing house at the above address in Maryland.

For more information on the Catholic position on the death penalty go to the Catholic Mobilizing Network: http://catholicsmobilizing.org/resources/cacp/

On this page you can sign "The National Catholic Pledge to End the Death Penalty." Also, check the interfaith page for People of Faith Against the Death Penalty: http://www.pfadp.org/

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