The Unveiling

A Reflection on the First Reading for Sunday, August 24th, 2025:
Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Isaiah
66:18-21

Thus says the Lord: “For I know their works and their thoughts, and I am coming to gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and shall see my glory, and I will set a sign among them.

“From them I will send survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Put, and Lud — which draw the bow — to Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands far away that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the nations.

“They shall bring all your kindred from all the nations as an offering to the Lord, on horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and on mules, and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the Lord, “just as the children of Israel bring a grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord.

“And I will also take some of them as priests and as Levites,” says the Lord.

Pause. Pray. Reflect. 

God’s mercy and His justice are such a comfort to me. In the lines surrounding today’s first reading in the Book of Isaiah, we find that these words of the Lord come as a great promise of the total revelation that will come in the new heavens and the new earth. Just a few verses before this reading, Isaiah says that in the end, “it shall be known that the hand of the Lord is with his servants, and His indignation is against His enemies.” 

It’s a promise of a great and terrifying and wonderful revealing of what has been hidden during our earthly lives. Whether good or bad, virtuous or vicious, the Lord “knows their works and their thoughts.” 

What came to me as I was reflecting on this great revealing at the end of our lives, is a video I watched last Advent with Sr. Miryam James and Fr. Mike Schmidt. As they were speaking about forgiveness and righteous anger and sorrow for how we’ve been wounded in our lives, Sr Miryam said something which hasn’t left me.

She reminded me that justice will be served. Every single person that’s ever hurt us is one day going to know, when they see God face-to-face. There will not be any minimizing. There will not be any kind of sweeping under the rug. There won’t be any elephants in the room. Every single person who’s ever hurt us whether they know it on this side of heaven or not, one day will know, and we will too.

For me, this is such a healing way of looking at it. Justice belongs to God, and of course we will also be held accountable for the ways we have not loved other people well, when we are in the clear light of His presence. And we will also receive recognition in those deep places of our hearts where maybe a pain has gone unnoticed, or has been minimized. In His justice all of these things will be revealed and in His mercy, all that is open to Him will be forgiven and healed eternally. 

What a blessed vision!

As in the traditional wedding ceremony, the bride’s veil is pulled back, revealing her bright and spotless splendour, so in God’s time, the Church’s brilliance will shine out for all to see. Isaiah goes on in today’s reading: “all nations and tongues… shall come and shall see my glory and I will set a sign among them.” 

May we be drawn ever more deeply into God’s healing and revealing light, and trust Him to unveil all things at the right time!



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Sr. Angela Burnham

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