Friday, November 8, 2013

Heavenly Existence

Dear Parishioners,

Jesus affirmed that we have relationships and awareness in heaven, but the primary relationship, the primary focus of heavenly life is with God, not each other (Luke 20:27-38). Heaven is not a second chapter of this life, like a Hollywood sequel. Comparing heavenly existence to earthly existence is like comparing football to baseball, apples to oranges… similar in some ways, but certainly not identical.

The point Jesus makes to the Sadducees and to us helps us to imagine that the normal experience of earthly existence, limitation of time and space, cycles of life and death relationships and roles… all of these will be transformed in heaven. Ours is not to fret about these matters, since they will only sidetrack us from the one thing that makes heaven heavenly in the first place. We will be eternally present with the God who created us, loves, and redeems us. Everything else is secondary in detail, best left to God anyway.

- Deacon Robert

“The Lord never tires of forgiving – never! It is we who tire of asking
His forgiveness. Let us ask for the grace not to tire of asking forgiveness,
because He never tires of forgiving. Let us ask for this grace.”
~ Pope Francis