(Rv.7:2-4,9-14; Ps.24:1-6; 1Jn.3:1-3; Mt.5:1-12) "Everyone who has this hope based on Him makes himself pure, as He is pure." All our readings speak of this purity this holy day. In the first reading we hear of the saints who "have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." Our psalm tells us it is "one whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean," who stands in God's presence. The above quote is from our second reading, and Jesus tells us in our gospel, "Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God." Indeed, this purity of heart is the essential characteristic possessed by all the saints in heaven; and so we must strive to achieve it. I note a striking parallel particularly between our first reading from Revelation and David's psalm: the reading begins with the image of the four angels (at the four corners of the universe) being prevented from their call "to damage the land and the sea" until the seal of God is placed upon the foreheads of the "one hundred and forty-four thousand [symbolizing absolute fullness in number] marked from every tribe of Israel"; and our psalm begins by proclaiming, "The Lord's are the earth and its fullness; the world and those who dwell in it." The reading continues with John's "vision of a great multitude" who "stood before the throne and the Lamb" in their white robes; while, as it continues, our psalm tells us that only the pure of heart "can ascend the mountain of the Lord" or "stand in His holy place." Then the reading from Revelation cries out, "Salvation comes from our God" and exclaims of the blessings upon the Lord and so His faithful; and David's psalm concludes that it is he who seeks Him who "shall receive a blessing from the Lord, a reward from God his savior." What does all this tell us but what John states quite simply in his letter, our second reading: "Beloved, we are God's children now," and that when "what we shall be… is revealed we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." Yes, we are anointed by Him as His own creation and shall come to stand in His presence with all the angels and saints, proclaiming the blessing He is and the salvation He has provided us. And in our gospel Jesus climbs the mountain and sits and teaches those who gather around Him. And how blessed are these eyes that see Him! How blessed are these ears that hear Him! And how blessed are we, too, insofar as we hear Him this holy day as He calls to our hearts to have faith in Him and in the kingdom of heaven, to set our hearts on the hope of which He speaks. And blessed are we most when we suffer insult and persecution for the sake of the Lord, for by this we are purified, and through this "our reward will be great in heaven." For we must die in Him before we rise in Him with all the saints in glory. Written, read & chanted by James Kurt; produced by Roger Fortney. Music by Roger Fortney; used by permission. ******* O LORD, let us be made pure as you are pure, as your saints have been made pure in the blood of the Lamb. YHWH, let us seek you with all our hearts, that we may find you and share in your glory with all the saints in Heaven. Help us to wash our robes clean, that they may be white, that we may be pure and so able to stand in your light. Make us your children, O LORD, blessed to dwell in your sight forever. If we must be purified by persecution in this world, what should that matter to us, LORD; why should that cause us concern? We should rejoice in this blessing even as we rejoice in the blessing of Heaven, for does not one lead to the other – do we not find Heaven even here, even now, in our suffering with your Son? But give us your love, LORD, and all shall be cause for celebration for us. O how we long to worship you in your kingdom, LORD! How we long to bow before your throne with all your angels and saints. How we long to sing your praise with them. Let it be so, LORD. Let it be so even this day in our souls.