Heavenly Joy 

   “Joy is the serious business of heaven.” C. S. Lewis 

   Heaven, what is it?  Time and time again my thoughts come back to this question.  The problem is there is no real answer in this lifetime.  Heaven is love, heaven is happiness, heaven is joy, heaven is seeing our Lord face to face, heaven is eternity.  All of these concepts are expressed in human terms.  Will they mean the same thing in heaven?

   I suppose my thoughts of heaven and their frequency come from the fact that I’m getting older and that I look forward to a reunion with my wife when this life is over.  It really should be in our thoughts all the time as a means of encouraging us to prepare for our inevitable departure from this life.  We should consider our mortality each and every day.

   I believe we will be reunited with our loved ones in heaven, but even that is not fully understood in this life.  Jesus tells us that there is no marriage in heaven, “At the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels in heaven.” (Matt 22: 30).  Still, I look forward to being reunited with my wife, though I’m not sure what that means except that it will be part of the joy of heaven.

   “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” (Heb 11: 1).  Life as a Christian means believing and looking forward to many things that are a mystery to me in this life, heaven being the greatest mystery.  I don’t fully understand it and never will in this lifetime, but my faith tells me that getting there is the purpose of living.

 The Tyranny of Evil 

   “These are the times that try men’s souls; the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands now, deserves the love and thanks of men and women.  ” (Thomas Payne, “The American Crisis”) 

   We can learn many things from history when we study it honestly rather than trying to eliminate or rewrite it.  The tyranny Thomas Payne was addressing was political, but his warnings apply equally well to the tyranny of evil.

   There appears to be no end to the evil that continues to grow in society.  We kill our children in the womb and sex has become a recreation rather that the expression of Godly love between one man and one woman in the bonds of a sacramental marriage. Virtually any evil is acceptable and even condoned if it appears to benefit the one perpetrating it.

   Even in the churches sin is accepted and by acceptance, promoted.  The truths of God are seldom mentioned, and the wages of sin are rarely spoken of.  Pastors refuse to confront the evils of society, failing to properly shepherd the flock of Christ.  They are putting their soul and those of the laity at risk by their meekness in confronting evil.

   Far too many professed Christians cower in fear of the retributions that may come from confronting the evils.  Better to “go along to get along” seems to be the attitude.  Christ warned the church at Laodicia that he would vomit them out of His mouth because of their lukewarm faith (Rev 3).  He will do no less to the timid, lukewarm Christians of today.

   St. Paul tells us, “Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil.” (Eph 6: 11).  That is our task, to join the battle against the tyranny of evil, always remembering that we must act with love and forgiveness in our heart.

 Feeding the Soul 

   "One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” (Matt 4: 4)” 

   We feed our bodies quite well most of the time.  In fact, many of us feed our bodies far more than they need.  On the other hand, we tend to let our soul go unfed for days on end.

   Think about how much time we devote to eating each day?  Preparing meals, eating, and cleaning up afterwards takes time.  Going out to eat usually takes even more. This doesn’t include the time for snacks and treats that we consume throughout the day.  We probably spend three to four hours a day ensuring our body has all the food it needs, if not more than it needs.

   Now consider how much time we spent feeding our soul.  Some attend Mass each day.  Others read to enrich their spirit.  Many set aside time to simply be with the Lord in prayer and solitude.  Those who properly feed their soul can tell you that it makes a big difference in their life.

   Sadly, many feed their souls for an hour or two on Sunday and spend the week rarely thinking of God.  Just as our body would suffer great harm if we were to feed in only once a week, our soul suffers when we fail to feed it properly.

   When praying the Our Father we ask, “Give us this day, our daily bread”.  That daily bread isn’t just for the bread our body needs.  We also need the bread of life, Jesus Christ.  We need the word of God, we need to spend time with Him each day if we are to feed our spirit as we should.  We talk of eating a balanced diet.  Let’s make certain that diet includes proper nourishment of our soul as well as our body.

 A Troubled World 

   “The greatest obstacle in the apostolate of the Church is the timidity or rather the cowardice of the faithful.” St. Pope Pius X 

   St. Pius X was Pope from August of 1903 until his death in August of 1914.  The statement above would indicate that confronting evil was as much of an issue in his time as it is today.  The boldness of the statement, referring to the “cowardice of the faithful” emphasizes the seriousness of the problem he saw in a timid faithful that was afraid to speak out against evil.

   Things haven’t changed in that respect even until today.  Very few of the faithful will even consider bringing up the evils of the world in polite conversation.  However, those who support those evils don’t abide by the same rule.  They will force their views on others at every opportunity.  When only one side is heard the other side can only lose the argument.

   To justify their support for many of the evils of today's society a bishop in Germany recently said that the German bishops want to remain Catholic but a different kind of Catholic.  There is no different kind of Catholic or Christian.  The truths of God are not subject to the whims of society and to pretend that they are is heresy.  We need religious leaders who will strongly condemn these heresies and a laity that will speak out against them.

   Society is losing its struggle against evil, and a big part of the reason is that so few will join the fight.  They simply smile and keep their mouth shut.  Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen said, “The refusal to take sides on great moral issues is itself a decision.  It is silent acquiescence to evil.”  Evil cannot be defeated if we refuse to engage the enemy.

 Now is the Time 

   “Now is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance. It won’t last forever. We must take it or leave it.” (C. S. Lewis) 

   Our God is not only a merciful and forgiving God but also a patient God.  He will wait for us to come to Him and rejoice when we do.  But, like they say in the commercials, this offer will not last.

   We have every moment of our life to turn to the Lord.  Some make that decision very early in life while others take many years to realize that they need God in their life.  Some finally understand at the very last moment and turn to Him with their dying breath.  God welcomes each of them to His heavenly kingdom.

   One of the events recorded in scripture that I find most hopeful is that of the so-called “good thief” hanging on the cross next to Jesus, “Then he said ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’  He replied to him, ‘Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23: 42 – 43).  As long as life remains in our body and we express our sincere desire to come to the Lord, He will forgive us our sins and welcome us to paradise.

   In his second letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul wrote, “For he says, ‘In an acceptable time I heard you, and on the day of salvation I helped you.’ Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Cor 6: 2 -3 ).  Amen, now is the time, don’t wait until it’s too late.

 Pray in Faith 

   “Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will be moved.” (Matt 17: 20). 

   When we pray we must first ask that our prayers be in accord with the will of God and secondly, we must have the faith that God can and will answer our prayer.  Without these two things our prayers may be of little use.

   But what about when we have sincere faith and desire that our prayer be according to God’s will and still it seems our prayer isn’t answered?  I’ve written many times that I believe there are three ways in which our prayers may be answered: yes, no, and not now.

   God will answer our prayers, but it may not be the answer we seek.  Of course, we expect an immediate yes to our requests.  But we do not know the mind or the will of God.  What we believe to be beneficial and right, may in fact be harmful to us or others.  In these cases, God’s answer to our prayer may be “no”, and rightfully so.  God will not give us what is evil or harmful.

   At other times the answer may be “not now”.  St. Monica prayed for many years for the conversion of her son St. Augustine.  Through her faith and perseverance her prayers were eventually answered; Augustine became a great saint.  Sometimes we also need to persist in prayer, remaining confident that God will answer our prayers, but in His own time, not ours.

   Faith requires that we are willing to accept God’s answer to our prayer whatever it may be.  If it is “yes”, let us give Him our thanks.  If it is “no”, let us recognize that God knows what is best for us and thank Him for protecting us, even from ourselves.  If the answer is “not now” may we continue to pray with the faith and persistence of St. Monica, always trusting in God.

 Foolish Pride 

   “Anyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Matt 23: 12) 

   We are a prideful people.  We take pride in so many things; our appearance, the car we drive, the house we live in.  The more money we have the bank the prouder we become.  At some point our pride will bring us down for as scripture says, Pride goes before disaster, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16: 18).

   Even in our spiritual life pride can become a problem.  Do those who serve at Mass or proclaim God’s word as lector, or sing in the choir do so to give glory to God or to gain recognition?  Do they humbly acknowledge the blessing of being able to serve or seek the recognition and adulation of others for their efforts?  No matter our ministry, there is a danger of becoming prideful rather than offering all to the glory of God.

   In my own life I often struggle with pride.  If I seem to be growing closer to God in my spiritual life it’s quite easy to take the credit, and pat myself on the back.  However, the truth is that whatever good I do is strictly by the grace of God.  If I fall into the trap of pride my focus shifts to self and away from God.

   St. Paul wrote, “Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord.” (2 Cor 17)  If I have done well in life it is by the grace of God.  If I am healthy and happy it is because of His blessings.  If I grow in grace it is only by the grace that the Lord has given.  There is nothing that is not of God; for me to boast otherwise is to steal the praise and glory due Him.