Imagine a city with no hustle and bustle of a city Centre, no token needed for an appointment, no buses, cars or tramways, railways, airports, no theatre, no arena, no special recreation parks, no dining halls with cash counters, with no need to go to the grocery store, no worrying to keep the house clean and well maintained, no commuting to and from work, school and even the church, no one sick to care for, no monthly bills to be paid, no concerns for balancing the accounts, no jails and policing, no hospitals and nursing homes, no schooling and what not!
That was the impression I got when I went through today’s second reading from Revelation, the holy city with no temple, the Lord Almighty being the temple, no Sun or moon but the glory of God shining on and no lamps where the Lamb is the lamp! When this portion is read along with the words of Jesus in the gospel
“my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him”
that situation could be described as perfect bliss. This is the real ‘open house’ with no compound walls, no guards, no checks and controls.
This is the ultimate destination offered by Jesus and his standing invitation to each of us. It is our privilege to grab it and be in it. All that we say about Christian life, earthly existence, human condition, miserable life, unending pain, etc., are just a ‘short’ preparation for this endless bliss.
In order to take us along this way, the Lord Jesus provides a Navigator, the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, who is already in action with full earnestness. Our association with this Spirit will provide us with the basic requirement as a gift, which is peace and which can come only from God who is the Temple, the dwelling, and whose glory is shining in place of the Sun and moon. Our endeavor would be to strive towards this destination by putting love into action, love as enunciated and exemplified by Jesus Christ and is being entertained by his innumerable followers till now. We need to jump in and fall in line!
Fr George