Note: On Fridays, you can find me at Your Daily Tripod, owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there.
I recently found myself back in a familiar place. It’s not one I visit as often as I once did, but I still end up there from time to time when things are confusing or uncertain. It’s the place where I’m blunt to the point of rudeness or cruelty, sometimes to people I know who have no more control over the situation than I do. It’s not a happy place for me or them.
Put me in the same situation these days around people who don’t know me so well, and I come off as an earth mother sort, defusing the tension with “pithy” sayings such as “Oh, well, no one’s life or salvation is in danger” or “If that’s the worst thing that happens to any of us today, it’ll be a good day.”
The Book of Revelation provides us with some fantastic, mind-stretching images. But today’s first reading isn’t difficult to envision at all:
And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Also another book was opened, the book of life. And the dead were judged according to their works, as recorded in the books. And the sea gave up the dead that were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and all were judged according to what they had done. (Revelation 20:12-13, NRSVCE)
I can well imagine what’s written on the book or scroll from the times I fail to muster up self-control and equanimity. Pain. Sadness. Hurt. And I resolved anew that going forward, with the Lord’s help there will be fewer and fewer of those entries.
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