Going where?

Who is going to heaven?  The person who attends weekly Mass and says their daily prayers or the person who will not allow Jesus Christ into their lives?  Please don’t think you have the right answer, because you probably don’t!

Many may assume that the person attending weekly Mass and saying their daily prayers will surely get to heaven, but is that true?  Sorry to say, it might not be.  We must be striving each and every day to live just as Jesus lived.  Helping others, feeding the hungry, healing the sick, teaching one another, etc, etc.  Jesus’ mission was love and love equals action.  If you aren’t moved to action, then you don’t love enough!  Serving Jesus is more than going to Mass once a week and saying your daily prayers.

For decades Jesus has been pushed out of our schools, out of our government, out of our daily lives.  It’s no wonder there are generations who don’t know Him and don’t love Him.  How could they when they may never have been introduced to Him! 

How do others come to know Jesus through you?  Do you talk about Him?  Tell others how wonderful He is and how He’s worked in your life?  Do you serve others for love of Him?  Are you being Christ to others so they can come to know Him?

I knew a woman years ago who was always on the go.  She worked 2 jobs and volunteered at the local hospital.  She was, somehow, always available to friends if they needed help with something like moving, a shoulder to cry on or advice.  She helped everyone who crossed her path. 

She had no idea who Jesus was because no one had really talked to her about Him.  When He came knocking at the door of her heart she didn’t answer.  He called to her time and again, but she didn’t know who He was and so she ignored Him.  But others came to know Christ through her and her works.  She didn’t go to church, she didn’t say daily prayers, but she served others and they felt love.

Eventually, this woman came to know Jesus too and develop a personal relationship with Him.  She still serves Him in many beautiful ways, just like she did years ago and now, she even goes to Mass on Sundays and says her daily prayers.

Matthew 21:-28-32 says, “A man had two sons.  He came to the first and said, “Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.”  He said in reply, “I will not,” but afterwards changed his mind and went.  The man came to the other son and gave the same order.  He said in reply, “Yes sir” but did not go.  Which of the two did his father’s will?”  The disciples answered that the first son had done his father’s will and they were right!

Take off your robes....

Senator Ted Kennedy died a couple of years ago.  He was a professed Catholic; but many of his political views were contrary to Church teaching.  He lived a life most of us cannot imagine and much of it seemed to be made public knowledge, although the truth of these things reported were likely tainted in ways we’ll never know.

I bring up Ted Kennedy so I can remind each of us that we all have something in common with him.  We are all sinners and we are all in need of God’s great mercy.  Our sins may differ, but a fact is a fact; sin takes us away from Jesus Christ. 

A lot of people put on their “judgment robes” after Ted died; especially when he was afforded a Catholic funeral Mass.  Many thought he didn’t deserve a funeral Mass.  He didn’t follow Church teaching and was a sinner, why should the Church afford him a Mass?

We don’t know what happened spiritually to Ted Kennedy at the end of his life.  It is said he attended daily Mass to pray for his daughter when she was diagnosed with a brain tumor.  I am sure our Father in heaven used that time with Ted to His greatest advantage.  I pray he was able to make a good confession and receive the anointing of the sick and maybe even the apostolic pardon before he died.

We are, after all, to desire what God desires and He desires us all to be in heaven with Him for eternity.  We are not supposed to put on our black robes and judge people, that’s God’s place and it’s a good thing, because He is all merciful and all loving – traits we completely lack.

Don’t be jealous because God is generous.  That’s what we read in Matthew 20:1-16.  The landowner goes to town throughout the day and brings in workers to the field and at the end of the day, even those who came at the end and worked only an hour, received the same pay as those who had labored all day. 

Some of us will “labor” all our lives to live the gospel and follow God.  Others will “labor” mere moments at the end of their lives.  The reward is the same for all of us.  In heaven they rejoice when a sinner repents and we should do the same on earth.

Answered Prayer

Garth Brooks did a song years ago about how some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.  I thought about that at Mass this morning during the homily because the deacon was saying that God does not always answer our prayers.  I respectfully disagree with both of them. 

God answers all prayers, He just doesn’t necessarily do it the way we want Him to or when we want Him to.  Our world has moved into an “instant gratification” mind set and that, coupled with our self-centeredness, means we expect everything we want right now.  We need to learn “delayed gratification”, but I’ll talk about that another day.

God does answer each and every prayer, in His way and in His time.  He will either answer “yes,” “no” or “not yet.”  If we truly have a relationship with God, we’ll understand these answers when we get them.  This requires maturity in our spiritual lives, which takes time (delayed gratification).

Just because God doesn’t “grant our wishes” does not mean He has not answered our prayers.  Our Father loves us and He knows what’s best for us; much more than we do.  We may look with our own eyes and see what we need, but He looks with His all knowing eyes and knows what we need.  He is more interested in helping us get to heaven than in getting more prestige, money or whatever we think we want.

The next time you think God has not answered your prayers, spend some quiet time in prayer and ask God what His answer was, you may just find He answered it in a way you didn’t quite expect.  Garth Brooks had it somewhat right, some of God’s greatest gifts are different answers to our prayers than we expected.

“He whose attitude towards Christ is correct does indeed ask ‘in His Name’ and receives what he asks for, if it is something which does not stand in the way of his salvation. He gets it, however, only when he ought to receive it, for certain things are not refused us, but their granting is delayed to a fitting time.” ~Saint Augustine~