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Saturday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time Revelation 22:1–7
At the end of the Book of Revelation, Saint John sees a river.
It is clear as crystal.
It flows from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
This river gathers the whole story of the Bible.
It recalls Eden, where life first flourished.
It recalls Ezekiel’s vision, where water flows from the temple and brings life wherever it goes.
It recalls Jesus’ promise:
“Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink.”
The river flows from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
The Lamb shares God’s throne.
The crucified and risen Jesus stands at the center of divine life.
From Him, life flows.
Beside the river stands the tree of life.
This brings us back to Genesis.
In Eden, humanity lost access to the tree of life.
Now, at the end of Scripture, the tree appears again.
It bears fruit every month.
Its leaves are for the healing of the nations.
Christian tradition saw the Cross of Christ as the tree of life.
The tree on which Christ died has become the place from which life comes.
The leaves of the tree heal the nations.
This means that
The Gospel is medicine for all peoples.
It heals the wounds of sin, violence, pride, idolatry, and division.
Then John says:
“Nothing accursed will be found there.”
Since Genesis, human life has carried the wound of the curse:
pain, toil, exile, and death.
But in the new Jerusalem, the curse is gone.
God’s original blessing is restored.
This vision points to the future.
But it also touches our life now.
Already, we drink from the river through the Holy Spirit.
Already, we receive fruit from the tree of life through the Cross of Christ, especially in the Eucharist.
Already, the Gospel begins to heal the nations.
But not yet fully.
We live between already and not yet.
Then comes the deepest promise:
“They will see his face.”
This is what the saints desired.
This is what the psalms longed for.
This is what Jesus promised:
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
To see God’s face means complete communion.
John says there will be no more night, because God Himself will be their light.
The Bible ends where it began:
with life, blessing, creation, and communion with God.
But the end is greater than the beginning.
The garden has become a city.
The tree of life has become the Cross.
The river of Eden has become the living water of the Spirit.
And humanity, once exiled from God’s presence, now sees His face.
Christ says:
“Behold, I am coming soon.”
So we drink from the river.
We stay near the tree.
We let the Gospel heal us.
And we wait until faith becomes sight.
Biblical Reflections on the Gospel of Mark
Year of Mark - Get it from Amazon
Scripture Attribution
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition,
copyright © 1989, 1993
the Division of Christian Education of the National Council
of the Churches of
Christ in the United States of America.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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© 2025 Krakus.
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