Fr Robert Hendrickson
Dear Friends in Christ,
Revelation today offers a profound vision of a renewed world: a holy city where God dwells directly with humanity and peace reigns eternally.
This passage paints a picture not only of spiritual restoration but of the ultimate fulfillment of humanity’s deepest longing: enduring peace and harmony. At least that is what we often say is our deepest longing though our actions and behavior again and again make this hope ring hollow.
In this final vision, though, the city has no temple because God himself is present; there is no night, no need for artificial light, for the glory of God illuminates everything. The imagery of the river of life and the tree of life bearing fruit for healing show the abundance, renewal, and flourishing that come from divine presence.
This vision reflects humanity’s hope for a world where suffering, division, and injustice are no more.
Throughout history, people have striven and yearned for peace—not merely the absence of conflict, but a deeper peace that includes justice, well-being, and restored relationships. Revelation speaks to this hope by showing us a future where nations are healed, where God’s light guides all, and where life flows freely and abundantly.
In today’s world, marked by war, environmental degradation, and social strife, this is both comforting and challenging.
It reassures us that God’s ultimate plan is one of peace and wholeness. At the same time, though, it challenges us to live in ways that reflect that vision now—to act as agents of peace, healing, and justice in a broken world.
Peace is not a distant dream but a divine promise, and it calls us to align our lives with that promise in faith, hope, and love.
Peace is not a thing to be waited upon but a way of life. It’s a commitment to stand rooted in the promises of God when all else seems to shake and shudder with the world’s tremors.
As we watch the news come in day by day most of us don’t get to choose how we will change the news. We can only choose how we will live in spite of it.
We can only decide whether we live by the light of the glory of God who illuminates all or whether we will continue to walk in darkness. That is how peace will come to pass.
It will be from one heart to another—from God’s heart to ours—from ours to the next generation. We will pass on the hope that peace is possible and dare to believe that others may come to see by the same light too.
In the meantime we must live as if peace reigns and that reign must begin within our own hearts.
Yours in Christ,
—Fr Robert
