February 2014

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Christmas comes. Epiphany comes. The Feast of the Presentation follows. All celebrations of Light in the darkest season, revelations of the glory of God piercing the veil. Each one an apocalypse in the truest sense.

The original meaning of that word has been lost to us, buried under pop-culture theology centered on ridiculous, comical and dangerous misunderstandings of the book of Revelation. No wonder the Church did not recommend it for general consumption.

"Apocalypse" means ''unveiling". The fog lifts, our eyes are opened, our minds enlightened, ourperspectivespurifiedandallofasuddenweseethingsastheyreally Christmas, Epiphany and the Presentation are apocalyptic in the original sense! God revealed, Christ revealed, creation revealed as they are, not as we believe, or desire, but as they are.

Apocalypse does not point to a fiery Armageddon but to the fact that
ignorance and complacency are coming to an end.

Joseph Campbell

The whole cosmos is now seen as heaven for God dwells in it. Human flesh is revealed as a fitting home for Divine Nature. Water is unveiled and revealed in its original form, blessed and beautiful and sacramental in its very essence, also a fitting home for Divine Nature. '

The Temple built by hands meets the Temple in the .flesh and the prophets beheld him and rejoiced. The Light has dawned! The end has come! Let us now depart in peace!

For us, the revelation comes moment by moment. Today, writes St. Paul, is the day of salvation. Right now. This moment, every moment, the Light comes to us. What is our response? Hafiz puts this most beautifully, This place where you are right now God circled on a map for you. So did Henry Miller of all people! Certainly the more liberated onefeels the less one needs. The sage demonstrates it daily, and the idiot too. Just to breathe, to know you are alive, isn't it marvelous?

When we embrace each moment, that tiniest house of space and time, and all that it contains, we embrace God! This is faith, to know beyond the shadow of a doubt that this moment is filled with God! Each moment is an apocalypse. Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!

The light is shining even in the darkest places of our personal shadows. Each moment bears the truth incarnate. If we wish, if we are open, then we will see.

Isn't it marvelous?

Yours in Christ,

+Fr. Antony