The sense of heaven and eternity

WE need to see to it that even as we immerse ourselves as

deeply as possible in our earthly affairs, we do not lose our sense of

heaven and eternity. In fact, the ideal is that as we go deeper in our

temporal affairs, our sense of heaven and eternity should also become

sharper.

  

            This is always possible and doable as long as we are

guided first of all by our faith rather than by our feelings and by

our merely human estimation of things. Let’s always remember that it

is our faith, our Christian faith, that gives the whole picture of our

life—where we come from, where we are supposed to go, the purpose of

our life here on earth, the true value of our mundane concerns, etc.

             Let’s be theological in our thinking and reaction to the

things of this world. For that, we of course would need some training.

It should consist of always referring things to God, whatever they may

be—good or bad, a success or a failure, a victory or a defeat, etc. We

need to feel the urge to do so.

  

            In short, we have to keep our spiritual and supernatural

bearing which should involve a certain detachment from the things of

the world. For this detachment to be lived, we should assume a certain

spirit of gamesmanship or sportsmanship, since the effectiveness of

our earthly affairs is not so much in whether we win or succeed in

them as in whether we manage to refer them to God whatever the

outcome.

   

            We try to do our best to win in whatever endeavor we do,

but just the same, whether we win or lose we remain happy and assured

that we are all friends, brothers and sisters, and children of God.

  

            The detachment involved here can be of the heroic type as

illustrated in the gospel. “If your hand or your foot causes you to

stumble,” Christ said, “cut it off and throw it away. It is better for

you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two

feet and be thrown eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to

stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter

life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of

hell.” (Mt 18,8-9)

  

            Though these words should not be taken too literally, we

have to understand that we have to be ready to take extraordinary

means if only to stay the course in our earthly activities.

  

            We cannot deny that we are ranged against formidable

enemies in our earthly life that tend to bind us only to time and

space, as if our whole life has nothing beyond those dimensions.

  

            We have to constantly remind ourselves of what the Letter

to the Hebrews has told us clearly. “We don’t have a permanent city

here on earth, but we are looking for the city that we will have in

the future.” (13,14)

  

            We have to train our mind and heart as well as our

feelings and senses to conform themselves to this truth of our faith.

In our personal prayers and meditations, let us consider from time to

time the reality of heaven and reinforce that primitive yearning we

have in our heart for a life without end, for a happiness that has no

limits, which can only take place in heaven.

  

            Let us remind ourselves frequently that our faith tells us

that we actually come from God, and not just from our parents, and we

are meant to be with God forever in heaven after our earthly sojourn

which is meant to test us if we want to be with God or just with

ourselves.