Dennis Pettit
Cris Thompson
The Book of Revelation is arguably the most intriguing book in the Bible. Many Protestants regard it as an end of the world story, and various interpretations have been presented in popular books and movies. Speaker Dennis Pettit shared thought-provoking insights that reflect Catholic teaching in his talk “The Book of Revelation – Perhaps a New Angle”, at the March 10 Robson Ranch Catholic Community (RRCC) meeting.
Dennis is a member of St. Mark Catholic Church and active in several parish ministries. He has a Masters in Theology with a concentration in Sacred Scripture, and teaches in the Diaconate Formation program for the Diocese of Fort Worth.
Revelation (or Apocalypse) is the last book in the New Testament and is full of language that “unveils” or “reveals” (in Greek – apocalypsis). Apocalyptic literature (very popular in the first century AD) uses cosmic/veiled imagery, symbols, heavenly visions, and angelic mediators.
According to early Church Fathers, Revelation was written by St. John the Evangelist when he was exiled on the island of Patmos, probably during the reign of Nero (AD 64-68) just before the destruction of the Jewish Temple (AD 70). This was a period of intense persecution of Christians.
It is a book of hope; it was intended to encourage and strengthen Christians who were suffering for their faith.
It begins with John having a vision (he was “caught up in the spirit, on the Lord’s day”), when an Angel tells him to write down all that he sees. The book can be divided into three parts/periods of time:
* Prophets and the Temple (the past): Chapters One to Three deal with events in the First Century AD.
* The Liturgy and the Church (the present): the majority of the chapters are a history of the Catholic Church, the constant battle against evil, The Eucharist and sacraments
* The Second Coming (the future): the last chapters deal principally with events at the end of the world, hope for a new Heavenly Jerusalem. It culminates with a wedding where Christ is the groom, The Church is His bride.
According to theologian Scott Hahn, “the key to understanding the Mass is the biblical Book of Revelation— and, further, that the Mass is the only way a Christian can truly make sense of the Book of Revelation.”
Upcoming events:
Wednesday April 8, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Second annual RRCC Divine Mercy Retreat at Montserrat Jesuit Retreat House, $60 per person
Tuesday April 14, 7 p.m.: RRCC monthly meeting in the Clubhouse Heritage room. Matt Gill will talk about “Developing a Personal Relationship with the Holy Spirit”
Wednesday April 15, 1 p.m.: RRCC group Docent led tour of the Kimball Art Museum’s special exhibit “The Holy Sepulchre: Treasures from the Terra Sancta Museum, Jerusalem” (waiting list)
Saturday May 2, 6:30 p.m.: RRCC Spring Social on the patio of the Robson Ranch Wildhorse Grill.
For further information on these and other upcoming events, please contact Joan Bridges at bridges84@msn.com.