“We are in movement along the path. When asked where we are heading, we say, ‘Towards heaven!’ ‘So what’s heaven?’ some ask. There we begin to be unsure in our response. We don’t know how best to explain heaven. Often we picture an abstract and distant heaven… And some think: ‘But won’t it be boring there for all eternity?’ No! That is not heaven. We are on the path towards an encounter: the final meeting with Jesus. Heaven is the encounter with Jesus.” (Pope Francis)

 

Have you ever thought of heaven as a final encounter with Jesus, who leads us to the Father and the Spirit? We have seen pictures of Jesus, but our encounter with him after death will be as different as between a one-dimensional flat picture and a three dimensional reality. Any encounter we had with Jesus in our human existence will not compare to the reality of seeing him face to face in the fullness of his glory. While our human encounters made a difference in our life, the encounter we will have in heaven will be the beginning of our eternity. That is why Paul says “eye has not seen and ear has not heard” what God has in store for those who love him. 

How I long for this encounter of encounters!

 

Homily: Feast of Christ the King

 

Reading 1: The focus of the first reading is God is a Shepherd and a Judge. The prophet Ezekiel realizes that the people of his day, though chosen by God, have been misguided by those who were appointed to shepherd them. Even though they are in exile, God does not abandon them. He will be their Shepherd when they are truly without a shepherd.

 

How often have we felt abandoned or neglected? At times, we have run away from God. At other times we have not been properly cared for. In any case, God reminds us of his fidelity to his promise. “I am your God and you are my people. I have made a covenant with you and I will be faithful to it.”  He leaves us free to remain with him or to stray. If we stray he will seek us out, but will never force us to return to him.

 

The symbol of the sleek and strong are those who choose to go their own way without relationship with God. Their choice will lead to self-destruction. Those who know they need God in their lives, even when they have strayed, will turn to him. He will heal them and care for them once more. The last verse connects us to the Gospel.

 

There is a comfort and a convicting challenge in the first reading. The comfort is that God will shepherd us even if we stray and feel lost. God will seek us out and not neglect or forsake us. The challenge is that the Lord will come to judge us for we are accountable for our actions.

 

Gospel: Jesus is seen as judge of the living and the dead. The first reading sets the scene of the separation of the two: sheep and goats. The sheep or the elect are those who chose to belong to and place themselves under Christ’s leadership. They surrender their lives into his hands. On the other hand, the goats have chosen to go their own way. They choose to be self-sufficient and independent, choosing what satisfies them for the moment, whether it is in accord with God’s plan for them or not.

 

The basis of God’s judgment is to what extent we did or did not show love to others.  It will be comforting to know that what we did in love, even to the least person, we did to Christ. The convicting challenge is that we did not show love to those God allowed to cross our path. For even these are God’s children. When self is the center of our focus and not others, then we will experience the emptiness of self without others.

Here is a story that illustrates what Jesus is saying. “A man died and was about to enter heaven. However, before doing so, he asked St. Peter if he could have one look at hell. He was taken there for a brief tour. He saw a magnificent table set with every manner of delightful food, with people all around the table. They had chopsticks but the chopsticks were four feet long. What food they could grasp they could not put into their mouths. Hell was filled with the sounds of anger, frustration and hate. Content with what he saw, he went to heaven. Much to his surprise; he saw a table of the same size filled with the same delicacies piled high. Those sitting around the table also had chopsticks, and the chopsticks were four feet long. However, each one at the table was carefully picking up the choicest morsels he could find and was feeding them to his neighbor, who in turn did the same for his neighbor. Heaven was filled with sharing, loving and laughter.”

 

Reading 2: There is comfort in Paul’s words. The kingdom of God is the kingdom of light and life not darkness and death. Jesus through his death and resurrection has conquered the second death, which is eternal alienation from God. He has conquered the eternal consequences of human death, which is the eternal destruction of the body. In his resurrection our body will rise and be reunited with our spirit either for eternal glory or eternal condemnation.

 

This should give us great comfort to know that there is life after death. For those who choose to act in love towards others, especially the marginalized, will receive the award of love: life with God. Those who choose to be in the kingdom of God, choose Jesus as the Lord and King of their lives.

 

In the first reading, we hear of God as Shepherd and Judge; in the Gospel we hear of Jesus as King and Judge; in the second reading we hear of Jesus as the Resurrection of the Life for those who live and die in him and under his rule as King and Lord.

 

Our reflection on heaven continues. We read in the Book of Revelations: “I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and Our God himself will always be with them [as their God].  He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, [for] the old order has passed away.’”

 

What is that old order?  The struggles of our earthly existence, which will now be over. Fear of suffering and dying will no longer hold us in bondage. In fact, nothing more will be able to happen to us, except what will bring us true peace and unending joy. This joy of heaven is to see the face of God in all of his beauty, glory and power.  In seeing, we do not have to hide our face because we share in his own diving life.

 

Knowing this we should not remain in sadness when our love ones go to the Lord. Rather, we should rejoice with them as we long to be with them, sharing in the joy of the Lord. 

Feast of Christ the King: Gospel Reflections A

Jesus said: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. 

· When the Son of God came the first time, He humbled himself for our sake. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. When He comes again, He will come in all his glory and power as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

· The phrase, Son of Man, is Jesus' favorite way to refer to himself. Cf Daniel 7:13-14

· Besides the title, Son of Man, what three other titles are used of Jesus here in this parable?

And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

· Besides the sheep and the goats and the wheat and the weed, what other examples in the teachings of Jesus do you recall the theme of separation?

Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 

For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.

· An inheritance is a totally unearned gift or bequest left by another in a last will and testament.

· The criterion of judgment will be the deeds of mercy that were done out of love for the least among us.  These six deeds of mercy or of loving kindness are found throughout the Old Testament, as ways people are to respond because of their relationship to God.

· Are these extraordinary acts or ordinary ones?

Then the righteous will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?  When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?  When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?' 

· What does their response say about why they did what they did?

And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.' Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.' Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?' He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.' 

· The bottom line for God is living out the Commandment of Love in our life.

· In the first instance, the judgment is based on commissions—things done with the right attitude; in the second instance, the judgment is based on omissions—things not done and not basing one’s life on love.

And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." 

· Looking at my life within the above parameters, how will God judge me?

· What attitudes need changing in my life so that I can reflect what God is asking of me through these words?

· As I reflect on this passage, where do I feel challenged? How will I apply this message in my life this week?

 

“What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him,” (1 Corinthians 2:9)

 

This is a good starting point when we ask the question: “What is heaven like?” We have many images of heaven. But they cannot adequately express the true reality of what life in heaven will be.

The central truth concerning heaven, as stated in the Catholic Catechism, is union with God. 

The Catechism explains that “perfect life with the Most Holy Trinity . . . is called ‘heaven.’ Heaven is the ultimate end and fulfillment of the deepest human longings, the state of supreme, definitive happiness” (CCC 1024). It also states that “heaven is the blessed community of all who are perfectly incorporated into Christ” (CCC 1026).

 

This union with God begins on earth, in time and at the moment of our baptism and it is completed when we die in Christ, so as to live in Christ for all eternity. It is a union of perfect love. This is the pearl of great price, which Jesus speaks of in the scriptures. If we are living in union with God in the present moment, don't let anything or anyone distract us by offering us a fake pearl. For this union with God is our ticket to eternal union with God. Otherwise we will be like Esau who sold his birth right, his inheritance, for a pot of broth. 

Does our life have a purpose? Are we here for a period of time and that’s it? Gratefully, the answer is yes to the first and no to the second. We are destined to be with God, sharing in his eternal life.

 Jesus sent the disciples out to evangelize and prepare the way for his ministry. They went and did what he told them to do. They witnessed people being set free from bondage and healed. They came back to Jesus, rejoicing. But Jesus focused their joy. Because they were obedient and did what Jesus told them to do, they experienced signs and wonders. But Jesus wanted them to rejoice in what is more important, not the signs and wonders, but “rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

 Will our names be written in the Book of life when we die? They will if we are obedient to the will and plan of God in our lives. God has created us, redeemed us, sanctified us and missioned us. Ours is to respond in obedience.  Like Paul we need to remember our many good deeds and our bad deeds are nothing but rubbish. Like Paul we need to keep our eyes on the prize.  “I for my part do not consider myself to have taken possession. Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14) What is this prize? Eternal life and joy with God with our names written in the Book of life.

 

  

"If death comes to us  an unwelcome stranger, it will be because Jesus also has always been an unwelcome stranger. For when death comes, Jesus comes, bringing us the everlasting life he has bought for us with his own death." (Thomas Merton) 

What a consolation! We will not be alone in death. Jesus will be there to usher us into the everlasting life of glory. People, who have an after life experience, say there is a bright light that draws them. Jesus is the light of the world. Is this an indication that Jesus is waiting for us and inviting us at that moment to share his eternal life? At the end of our earthly life there will be the joy of seeing God face to face, as long as God has not been a stranger to us but a friend. Abiding in Jesus now will mean abiding with him eternally.