We can't approach the highly symbolic language of the Book of Revelation with logical thinking. If we

try to do so, we will falter, and miss out on the richness of the images that are presented to us. In today's selection, John-not the writer of the fourth Gospel, but another John-sees a vast crowd. One of the elders tells him that these are the ones who have survived the time of trial. This makes eminent sense since Revelation was written at a time when the church was undergoing great persecution from both the Jewish leaders who were expelling the Jewish followers of Jesus from the synagogues, and from Roman officials who saw Christians as disruptive apostates since they did not acknowledge the Roman gods. The ones who have survived "have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (7:14).

Here is where logic fails. Every laundry detergent bottle and stain-fighting additive will tell you that you don't make something white by washing it in blood. But when we immerse ourselves in the symbolism, we understand what the writer intends. Through the shedding of his blood on the cross, the Lamb of God (Jesus) cleanses us from sin. Like the white garment given at baptism to symbolize new life, those who have remained faithful during trial and persecution share in the victory of the One who conquered sin and death.

The message for us today is that Christ has brought us into the fold, and that we are called to be

faithful no matter what may beset us in life. It is unlikely that any of us will face overt persecution for

what we believe. But we must also guard against the subtle denials of Christ that sometimes creep into our daily lives.

‘The Lord is my Shepherd,

I shall not want . . .