Life can sometimes be a painful ordeal. Where is God? What is the meaning of all this struggle? These are questions that we perhaps ask ourselves in our darker moments. The Book of Revelation uses beautiful but sometimes puzzling symbolism to restore our spirits and give us the encouragement that we need.

Our earthly life is but one stage in our journey to God. In our heavenly destination, great multitudes stand before the throne of God offering praise and thanks, having come through the ordeal of life cleansed and reborn in Christ. Salvation definitely belongs to God and is a gift.

Humility before God, non-violence, gentleness, hunger and thirst for justice, and the pursuit of peace are the essence of the Beatitudes, admired by all but thought by many to be too idealistic and impractical. But they are the tools that God gives us for the transformation of the world. When we feel frustrated in the face of injustice, hatred, cruelty, and violence, we can make a difference by applying the principles we find in the Beatitudes, even if in an incomplete or imperfect way. Even if only in small matters, wherever we apply them we will begin to restore that tiny portion of the world to God.