My friend tells me it’s not over. The election isn’t over. A new couple we met for whom I painted a fish, 2 lizards, and a frog on their dock tell me "the Rapture is coming. Haven’t you read Revelation?" he asked. I have, but need some refreshment on the reading and the end times …. So guess what? The church is beginning to read Revelation in Mass. Today was chapters one and two. So! Great; I get my review with current events in mind. Father Matthew is a new Franciscan priest. It’s been nice watching him progress from Seminarian to Deacon, to priest and now he is saying Mass and he’s a good preacher. He explained first that Orthodoxy is common in the church (faith in truth), but without Love, Orthodoxy fails. What did Jesus say? What would Jesus do? The definition of Revelation/Apocalypse in Greek has been called the final destruction, but Fr Matthew said that isn’t necessarily so: In the Greek it is revealing of Jesus Christ… The Rapture is not in Catholic teaching, so let’s search for it in Revelation. I intend to do just that… Is this the end times? As an aside, I watched some of the Million MAGA March and I wasn’t happy. It seems that hundreds (thousands) of big muscled, bearded, pony tailed white men are marching for Trump saying he hasn’t lost yet. I am sorry for my friends who believe this and tell me it’s the end times. I tell anybody who will listen that we have 200 years of Constitutional Law and Amendments keeping us in order. We hold an election, we count votes, electoral college gets involved which is ancient and needs to be changed, and then on January 20 the (and I hate to use this word as some have made it dirty), the "loser" moves out and the winner moves in. For four years. And then we get to do it again. Suppose we don’t trust in the process? Suppose we think it is rigged and fraudulant? Doesn’t that mean it’s all over? Doesn’t that mean…. The Rapture. When we don’t have faith and hope… might as well give up… it’s over.
Orthodoxy is fighting error. But it must be mixed with Love (charity). St Paul said to the Ephesians, "Let only Love come out of your mouths. No malice. Be kind." Do I think the Lord will let me go if I spew Love? The Revelation of Jesus Christ is to show us what must happen soon. So, let’s begin reading! Chapters One and Two today…. We’ll have to scurry to keep up. Tomorrow is chapter three!!!! God bless us.