SAINT CATHERINE OF ALEXANDRIA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR (OPTIONAL MEMORIAL)

They sang the song . . . of the Lamb. 

The Book of Revelation is filled with elaborate imagery and apocalyptic visions of the end of all things—and that can make it difficult to understand. But the richness and beauty of this book lies in its extraordinary witness to Jesus. True to its name, Revelation unwraps the mystery of Christ and draws back the curtain to reveal Jesus in new ways. In every chapter it uses distinctive names to describe different facets of Jesus’ calling and his attributes. Today, for instance, we read about Jesus as a lamb.

We first encounter the image of a lamb in chapter 5 of Revelation. First, Jesus is introduced as a triumphant “lion of . . . Judah” (5:5). But then surprisingly, when that “lion” appears, he is shown to be a lamb instead (5:6). Even more astounding, he is a lamb who was slain (5:6, 9). This seems illogical because lions—and humans—win by killing. But Jesus triumphed by being killed. It’s through his death and resurrection that Jesus conquered all sin, all evil, all death. No wonder all the saints sing a song to the Lamb of God!

The people of Israel sang the Song of Moses after God delivered them from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 15). In heaven, everyone will sing to Jesus, the Lamb who delivered all people from slavery to sin. One day, we will join them. We too will praise the Lamb who bore our sins, who died that we might live, and whose blood has washed us clean. On that day, we will see him face-to-face and rejoice in his victory. On that day, freed from every weakness, we will join our departed loved ones and all the heavenly hosts in singing this new song.

But why wait? You can sing this song right now. In fact, you sing it at every Mass: Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world. It’s so important, in fact, that you sing it three times! And by doing so, you sing of what Jesus has already done, what he is doing right now, and what he will do when he returns. You sing this song in faith, but one day you will sing it in nothing but pure joy.

“Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world. Grant us peace.”

Revelation 15:1-4
Psalm 98:1-3, 7-9
Luke 21:12-19

WORD AMONG US