Thursday, May 25, 2017

We need to yearn for heaven

WITH the celebration of the Solemnity of Ascension of the
Lord, we are reminded that we have been given the hope of one day
reaching the place Christ has prepared for us.

            “If I go,” Christ told his disciples, “and prepare a place
for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may
be where I am.” (Jn 14,3)

            What wonderful words! What wonderful promise, a divine
promise that cannot disappoint us! We should do everything to make
these words ever alive in us so that our earthly life would always be
marked by optimism, joy, peace and confidence despite the many trials,
challenges, pains and sorrows here.

            St. Paul suggests to us the following action to take: “Set
your hearts on heavenly things, not the things that are on earth.”
(Col 3) We have to learn how to be properly focused here on earth,
practicing a certain detachment from earthly things even as we use
them and somehow also enjoy them. The earthly things should not
undermine our heavenly yearning. They should rather sharpen that
heavenly yearning.

            And this hope Christ gives us is made very doable by the
assurance that he is sending us the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth,
the Paraclete or Advocate who will always be with us to lead us to the
complete truth and to tell us of things to come.

            Before ascending to heaven, he reassured his disciples
that he will be with them, with us, until the end of time. (cfr Mt
28,20) But he also made the mandate that we have “to go and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” (Mt 28,19)

            Yes, as we yearn for heaven, we should be keenly aware of
our duties here on earth. We need to see the organic connection
between our earthly life and duties and our heavenly yearning. We
cannot have one without the other.

            We have to do a lot of apostolate which would require of
us that we, first of all, should be driven with love for God.
Otherwise, our apostolate, our love for the others would have no steam
to run on.

            We need to see to it that our love for God always grows
everyday, so that our love for others would also correspondingly grow.
In this, we have to realize, first of all, how much God loves us. Only
then can we start loving him and loving the others.

            That is why we have to pray and consider the truths of our
faith that show us much more than what our senses can discover. A
person who does not pray is a person who cannot fall in love properly.

            That’s because a prayerless love is a love that is simply
driven by earthly elements that cannot last for long and cannot cope
with the demands of true love. It’s love that would be completely at
the mercy of earthly things.

            Yearning for heaven requires us to pray!


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