PRAYER PAUSE
Wednesday 1 November 2017,
All Saints
140,000
Pause. Enter into the stillness
of God within.
Reading: “Then I heard how many were
sealed; a hundred and forty-four thousand, out of all the tribes of Israel.” (Revelations
7:2 …14)
Reflection. All Saints and All Souls,
two days back to back at the changing of the seasons from hot to cold in the
northen hemisphere and from cold to hot in the southern, owe their origin to a
pagan (pre-Chrustin) festival of the Celts, or so I am told – by a Celt.
Seemingly it was considered the moment when the dead came closest to the living
– when the seasons kissed. The Church took over the festival and made it a
moment of celebration of the new Israel when the “twelve” new tribes – each with
their “twelve” thousand would be “sealed”.
The symbolic number – of the tribes and of the apostles – stand for the
countless number from every way of life who “will be like him and see him as he
really is” (1 John3:1-3).
Prayer. Lord, we rejoice even now
in being part of your people, destined to share in the joy that will finally
satisfy our restless hearts. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment