Fr. Donal McIlwraith
The Columbans sent me to study scripture in Rome back in the 1970s. Eventually, the Jesuits gave me a doctorate for finding “love” in the Apocalypse. I jest but did end up doing a thesis entitled “The Reciprocal Love between Christ and the Church in the Apocalypse” under a very wonderful Jesuit professor, the late Fr. Ugo Vanni at the 
Gregorian University. As I was finishing my studies in Rome in September 1988, our then superior General, Fr. Bernard Cleary, called me and told me there had been a request for my services in the Pacific Regional Seminary in Suva, Fiji. They would be willing to release me there for a year, but I should be ready to leave at the end of the year if required. What did I think? I said yes and arrived in Fiji on March 25, Holy Saturday, 1989, taking up residence at the seminary under Fr. Larry Hannon SM, the Rector. I started teaching and as there have been no further phone calls, I am still teaching there. I get to teach the Apocalypse once a year.
Vatican II asked that people have access to the scriptures (DV 22) and in response I decided to write as simple, clear and as accurate a commentary of the Apocalypse as I could for the people of Fiji. I did this in a series of articles for the weekly Fiji Catholic newspaper, the Contact, founded — and refounded — by Columban Fr. Dermot Hurley and at that time edited by Mr. Mika Turaga. It was taken up in Tongan by its local Catholic newspaper, the Taumua Lelei. Since I had all the articles on the computer, I decided to make a book of it, added to and edited what I had, and included appendices. Perhaps the most valuable one was the four-page one that gave the main Old Testament allusions found in many verses of this book. I managed this by copying them from a book Fr. Vanni had published in which he gave each Apocalypse verse on one page and on the opposite page he printed the Old Testament text to which this verse alluded. I just gave the references, chapter and verse without the text.
With the help of our wonderful secretary, Mrs. Morven Sidal at the SPATS office where I helped out (the South Pacific Association of Theological Schools, still prospering), I published 1000 copies of Everyone’s Apocalypse for about 2000 Fiji dollars (less than 1000 Euro). My uncle, Canon Seamus Corkery of Charleville, Cork, Ireland, my other maternal uncle, Tadhg, of Mallow and other priests on my home diocese of Cloyne, especially Fr. (later Canon) Jackie Corkery, assisted financially. I was able to sell it for about 5 Fiji dollars, an affordable price here in Fiji. I have since managed to reprint it three of four times and it has been translated into Fijian and Samoan. Some U.S. seminaries found it useful, including St. Charles in Philadelphia and the Saint Paul Seminary in Minnesota. I had taught in both places at various times.
Why did I want to write it? Well, many people are fearful of this wonderful last book of the bible with its dragon, beasts and fearful visions of the end. I suppose I was also until I met Fr. Vanni and attended his courses. They opened my eyes to see that this was a really marvelous book about the Risen Jesus who gets authority over history and all its rulers from God his Father, Jesus who leads us, the Church, to heaven.
Photo Gallery
It is full of symbols that puts people off. But we all know that the Lamb is not an animal but a symbol of Jesus, who gave his life in love for us, just as the Pascal Lamb was sacrificed and given to the People of Israel and his blood enabled them to escape from Egypt. In fact, the Lamb means Bridegroom in this book as we learn from the passage “the Marriage of the Lamb has come” in Rev 19:7. We find that Jesus is the bridegroom and we are his beloved wife and, finally, in heaven, his Bride. The book opens with the Bridegroom, the Risen Jesus. The text shows him leading us like a shepherd and guide from being his espoused Wife to his beloved Bride, the image with which the entire book — and the Bible — ends. Yes, there is the dragon, Satan, who tries his best to stop Jesus, and us from getting there, using beasts, symbols of atheistic governments or power structures that try to obliterate Christianity, but God, the creator of all, only allows these limited power and Jesus prevails in bringing his Bride(us) to glory.
So, the Apocalypse is really a love story or perhaps, more accurately, the final chapter of the ultimate love story between God and us that began with creation and was reflected in the love of Adam and Eve, created in the image of Jesus and his bride. It is the happily-ever-after story to beat them all. The key is loving and believing in Jesus. I thought everyone should be helped to see this.
And then, in June 2023, I had an email from Dr. Kevin Zilverberg, the editor of the St. Paul Seminary Press, saying their students found the book useful and they would like to reprint it. I was delighted but said “Yes” and “No.” I told them I was delighted with their request but that so much fine material had been printed on the Apocalypse since I wrote the book that I needed to revise it. They agreed and gave me until April 2024 to finish it.
What a year it was! Every minute from teaching and Columban duties (light, since I am supposed to be retired) was given over to the revision. I followed my original outline, basically Fr. Vanni’s critical structure of the book, based on his careful doctoral study of its Greek structure, and kept some of my original material but rewrote the text.
Essentially, I highlighted that this is a love story showing the nuptial love between Jesus and us. This was present in the first edition but I used it as a key to interpret the entire book in this edition. I was helped in this by an academic article I wrote that argued on this. In this article, I outlined the marriage imagery as fully as I could, as it is found in the text. It makes most sense when you see it as a first-century Jewish marriage (like the wedding in Matthew 22 and the bridegroom coming for the wise virgins in Matthew 25 and Cana in Jn 2). I also presented my analysis of the nuptial love between Jesus and us, his wife, the study I had done under Fr. Vanni. I was encouraged when the article was accepted by a well-known Catholic theological magazine called Communio. They published it in their Summer 2024 edition.
The deadline was moved to March 15: Ouch. It made for a frantic final month but by God’s grace, I got it done. Fr. Zilverberg was most helpful throughout. We managed to include about 10 full-color illustrations from the 8th century commentary by the Spanish Abbot, Beatus. I had used lots of Beatus pictures in the original book but only in black and white as I could not afford color.
Much proofreading followed, mine and theirs together and finally, it was finished. I hope it helps people appreciate this sacred text as the final word on the great love story between our Risen Lord Jesus and us, his beloved wife and, hopefully one day, His Bride in the glory of divine love, the destiny of humankind.
The book is available in paperback and e-book form from the St. Paul Seminary Press, St. Paul, Minnesota. Columban Fr. Donal McIlraith lives and works in Fiji.