Readings:
2 Maccabees 12-13
Revelation 12

2 Maccabees 12-13

After the peace made in the previous chapter the people of Joppa and Jamnia decided they don’t want to abide by its terms and again begin murdering Jews. This reignited the war and Judas takes his army to many cities to both punish the oppressors of his people and to rescue some of the communities under siege.

All the while the writer makes it absolutely clear that the victories that are achieved by this Jewish army are not due to tactical genius or superior numbers, it’s due to the “Sovereign” of the universe. This title also shows that despite any kind of peace deals they make with earthly kings, the one who is sovereign over all is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

The most theologically significant part of these chapters comes at the end of 12, when they discover some of their fallen comrades had what was essentially good luck charms that were associated with the pagan gods of jamnia. This was a serious problem, but at the same time these men were fighting for the sake of God’s people and righteousness. So Judas takes a collection and sends it to Jerusalem to offer sin sacrifices for these fallen men.

He also took up a collection, man by man, to the amount of two thousand drachmas of silver, and sent it to Jerusalem to provide for a sin offering. In doing this he acted very well and honorably, taking account of the resurrection.
For if he were not expecting that those who had fallen would rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead.
But if he was looking to the splendid reward that is laid up for those who fall asleep in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Therefore he made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin.

2 Maccabees 12:43-45

The way this is dropped into the story and then it’s almost as if the writer is chiding the people who may not believe in a future resurrection, shows that the belief in the bodily resurrection from the dead was a common or even majority belief among Jews in the centuries prior to the Incarnation. Also that someone could be forgiven of sins after death, as long as they were not major sins or complete apostasy, shows there was believed to be an intermediate state between death and judgment, and that this period is a time where minor infractions can be purged. We as Catholics recognize this state as Purgatory. (See also Question; Protestants and Purgatory)

Revelation 12

The last verse in chapter 11 speaks of thunder and lightning and then the The Ark of The Covenant is seen in heaven. That is significant when we read the immediate following verses that speak of a woman in heaven. There’s no more mention of an Ark, because the Ark symbolizes the Blessed Mother who is the Ark of the New Covenant. The original Ark contained the tablets that were the word of God, the rod of Aaron representing his priestly office and a jar of manna that was the bread from heaven. All three of these things were just shadows of their fulfillment in Christ. And they were contained inside the Blessed Mother while she carried Our Lord in her womb.

It just so happens, providentially, that we are reading this chapter on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. If you look closely at the image you see many of the symbols that John saw in the woman described here. This woman in the sky has more than one identity though.

She is simultaneously representing the Blessed Mother, Israel and the Church. The dragon is obviously the devil and he attempts to wipe out Christ at his Incarnation through Herod, and they flee to Egypt. He also tries to wipe out Israel many times prior to the coming of messiah so as to prevent it before it happened, and then he tried through many persecutions to destroy the church as she brought Christ into the world.

The dragon goes to war with the archangel Michael, this might be somewhat of an allusion to the fall of Lucifer at the beginning of time, but the actual setting is the forces of God defeating satan and his minions because of the victory that was secured by the crucifixion of Jesus on Calvary. That’s what the angelic voice announces when the dragon is defeated and cast down.

Tomorrow’s Readings:
2 Maccabees 14-15
Revelation 13