The world as pathway to heaven

WE should be very clear about this basic truth about the world in general or about the whole of nature that has been created by God. We need to realize that as God’s creation, the whole world of nature has been imprinted with God’s laws that are meant to give glory to God and to lead us also to him, giving him glory as well. In other words, depending on how we see the world, it is actually a pathway to heaven, to God. 

 Everything that we discover and make use of in the world should lead us to ask ourselves whether what we are discovering are truly in accordance to God’s will, to his true designs of the world, and whether we can discern how they can be used to give glory to God, which is a matter of loving him and serving the whole of humanity. 

 We have to be wary of the danger of discovering and using things simply in accordance to our own understanding of them and also to our own interest only. This is a common and abiding danger that we have to be most wary about. We have to do everything to avoid and overcome that danger. 

 Thus, we have to develop that strong and deep attitude of always referring things to God before we put our hands on them. That way, we would be putting ourselves on the right track that hopefully will lead us to God and to see and use things the way they should be seen and used. 

 This attitude, of course, would require of us to be guided always by our Christian faith, instead of just being guided by our human estimation of things. And for that faith to be effective in us, we obviously need to be humble. Without humility, there is no way faith can have any effect on us. 

 We should be looking for God always in everything that we get involved in. In all the things that we do or handle, we should be asking what are there in those things that are for God, rather than being interested only on what are there in those things that are for us. 

 Let’s always remember what Christ himself said: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Mt 6,33) We should not worry if we put our attention first on God and on our duties toward him, since he will take care of everything else that we need, especially the most important thing, which is our own salvation. 

 Thus, Christ also said that “everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” (Mt 19,29) If we give God priority always by being always looking for him, obeying him and being generous with him, he will take care of everything. He cannot be outdone in generosity. 

 As much as possible, we should be conscious on a daily basis that everything that we do, that we get involved in, that happens to us, etc., should give us the sensation that we are approaching God and heaven. To be sure, this could not be regarded as some kind presumption on our part. This is actually what is meant for us. 

 Yes, we have to most aware that the world in general is a pathway to heaven, to God.

To be authentically Christian

THIS should be our constant concern. And to pursue it, we should try our best to be truly “alter Christus.” We have to identify ourselves with Christ in everything—in spirit, in thoughts, intentions and desires, in words and deeds. In other words, we have to develop a certain unity of life with Christ as the principle, end and guide of our life. 

 Let us remember what Christ said so clearly. He is the vine, we are the branches. We can only have life, let alone, consistency and fruitfulness in our life, if we are united to him. Outside of him, we can only expect death, inconsistency and sterility. 

 Yes, only in and with Christ can we have the real principle of unity and fruitfulness in our life. We would be fooling ourselves if we fail to recognize this basic truth about ourselves. 

 This, of course, is a truth of faith, and not so much of science. And that’s where the problem lies. There is a crisis of faith in the world, especially involving those who rely more on their human abilities than on belief in Christ. 

 It’s a phenomenon that can call to mind two contrasting dramatic stories in the Bible. One is the story of the Tower of Babel, and the other is the story of Pentecost. 

 In the episode of the Tower of Babel, those who survived the flood have multiplied and have gotten so intoxicated by their powers and good fortune that they now want to reach heaven by their own efforts alone, by building a tower. 

 God intervenes, as he always does in our life, and confounds them by making them speak different languages so that they would not understand each other anymore. The project ends in total failure, and new troubles emerge for the people. 

 The story of Pentecost offers a counterpoint. We have different people speaking different languages. But since they believe, they are filled with the Holy Spirit. This is how they get to understand each other. 

 They are not made into a uniformed mass. The differences are respected and even fostered. And yet there is unity among them, with a certain focus or attention that is a result of such unity. 

 We have to reiterate the truth that we need Christ who is our “way, truth and life” with God to have a solid, genuine unity of life and an unwavering focus even in the midst of so many things in our life. 

 We just have to learn how to strengthen our relation with Christ, overcoming our natural awkwardness and difficulties, knowing how to pray, studying and assimilating the doctrine, availing of the sacraments, rectifying our intention, developing the virtues, observing proper priorities, etc. 

 We need to be more aware of our duty to establish, build up and strengthen the unity in our life. We only have one life, made up of many parts, aspects, stages and levels, and subject to all sorts of conditions, big and small, favorable and unfavorable, etc. The challenge is how to put all these things together in harmony. 

 Strengthening that unity of our life insures us that we would be on the right track toward the goal proper to us, that we would be effective in what we are doing, and healthy and resistant to anything that can weaken us or lead us astray. With Christ, we can achieve that.

Let’s have complete trust in God

“FOR the one whom God sent speaks the words of God.” (Jn 3,34) With these words of Christ, we are made to understand that Christ is the word of God who would lead us to eternal life. The immediate conclusion that we can derive from these words is that we should have full trust in God’s providence. 

 In a sense, while we try our best to make our own life and to shape it according to our freedom, we need to understand that our life can only be properly lived and can be led to its proper end when conformed to God’s will and ways. 

 We need to understand that the ultimate reason we have freedom is for us to freely follow God’s will, for that would constitute the true essence of love which is the essence of God, and which is also meant for us since we have been created in God’s image and likeness. While we have that popular saying, “Like father, like son,” we can also say, “Like God, like man.” 

 It is for this reason that we should really believe in Christ, since he is “the way, the truth, and the life, no one goes to the Father except through me.” (Jn 14,6) That is also why he also said, as if begging us as well as reassuring us, “You believe in God, believe also in me.” (Jn 14,1) 

 We cannot deny that all our life, we would always be hounded by our weaknesses, challenges, difficulties, trials, temptations and, of course, our sins, but as long as we go to Christ, things would just be made right. Only in this way can we aspire to be faithful and live in confidence, peace and joy despite whatever. 

 We should just strengthen our faith in God through Christ in the Spirit, especially because it is unavoidable that we would encounter in our life forms of hatred, persecution, misunderstanding, and so, we would have to wage continuing struggle. 

 Christ already warned us about this. “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also,” he said. (Jn 15,20) In another instance he also said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (Jn 16,33) 

 So we need to enliven our faith, always renewing it since we all know that our profession of faith and trust in God, no matter how fervently said, can only go so far. We need to continually renew our faith in order to trust God’s will and ways when we encounter seemingly unbearable predicaments. 

 Remember that episode of the apostles in a boat that was about to sink because of the big waves. (cfr. Mt 8,23-27) Christ reproached them for their lack of faith. And in that parable of the wheat and the weeds, (cfr. Mt 13,24-30) Christ was clearly telling them and us that we should just go on doing a lot of good even if we are disturbed by many evils, because in the end Christ would make the proper judgment. 

 He assures us that with him we will never work in vain and everything would just work out for the good. (cfr. Is 65,23; Rom 8,28) He assures us that as St. Teresa of Avila once said, he can write straight with crooked lines. 

 The whole idea is that we should just keep a strong faith and trust in God’s will and ways.