Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me, “Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?”
I said to him, “My lord, you are the one who knows.” He said to me, “These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (Revelation 7:13-14 NABRE)
The writing style of the book of Revelation is a challenge to modern readers, but "like Daniel and other apocalypses, it was composed as resistance literature to meet a crisis. The book itself suggests that the crisis was ruthless persecution of the early church by the Roman authorities."*
The message of Revelation is that, "Those who remain steadfast in their faith and confident in the risen Lord need have no fear. Suffering, persecution, even death by martyrdom, though remaining impenetrable mysteries of evil, do not comprise an absurd dead end. No matter what adversity or sacrifice Christians may endure, they will in the end triumph over Satan and his forces because of their fidelity to Christ the victor. This is the enduring message of the book; it is a message of hope and consolation and challenge for all who dare to believe.*
Today's passage ends with a description of the martyrs of the early Church who did dare to believe, who maintained their faith, and who were made clean, just like we are, by Jesus' merciful sacrifice.
Today, on this Solemnity of All Saints, I will remember all our brothers and sisters in faith who have gone before us.
All you holy men and women who have gone before us, as martyrs and by other paths to sanctity, pray for us.
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