PREPARATION FOR HEAVEN

One of my students asked me "Father, bakit po kailangan mamatay?" Four of his relatives died one after the other. I understood he was in grief. After consoling him for his loss, I proceeded in answering his inquiry "We have to die in this world for us to go back home to God; to heaven where our true citizenship is (Phil 3:20)." Death is not an end but only a transit for us to continue to live in a new chapter in our eternal home. We have begun to live eternally when we received it in our baptism. However, the earth is not our ultimate destiny. Heaven is. And so, one day we are all going to die. But to where shall we continue living our eternal life very much depends on the life we have lived here on earth. After all, life here on earth is a preparation for the next chapter of our eternal life. Will you transit towards heaven or hell?   

In the gospel (Lk 16:19-31), we heard the story of Lazarus and the rich man, how the rich man treated Lazarus not as a brother but just like a dog that feeds from the scrap that falls from his table. The sufferings of Lazarus here on earth was rewarded with the prize of heaven; of being in the presence of Abraham where the hope in his faith which he held dear finally saw fulfillment; true salvation; isang tunay na maginhawang buhay. The rich man who enjoyed his material possessions for himself here on earth to the neglect of his needy neighbor met the punishment of his life; damnation in hell. Probably, he thought his comfortable life here on earth was the end; that life is just about this world. But he was wrong. There is an end in the life here on earth. Judgment awaits us at the end of the earthly chapter of our life which would determine where we shall continue our eternal life; either heaven or hell.

I remember once we were traveling for community integration. Along our trip, we pass by a restaurant to have lunch. It was a beautiful place with floating cottages by the lake teeming with colorful fish. Local singers entertained us. The local delicacies they served us were a delight to our palates. Without us noticing it, it had been two hours passed the hour of noon and one of our brothers had to remind us of our schedule. As the stop we made distracted us, we have been delayed in arriving at our destination.

Life here on earth is only a stop in the journey we make back to God; back to our true home. This stop may distract us and entertain us so much that we may think this has become our final stop, our final destiny. Worse is, this stop can alter our life's itinerary; can change the course of our life's ultimate end. The prophet Amos (Amos 6:1A, 4-7) reminds us not to be complacent with the comforts afforded to us by this world and not even lift a finger to alleviate the suffering of our neighbor. God entrusted to us the resources of this world for us to use them in making our way back to Him. We can effectively do so by using them in attending to the needs of our needy neighbor. And so, as we journey here on earth, we are not to miss our definitive goal by focusing too much on the side trips we make here with the junks that it offers us. The stops and side trips we make in life should all gear us towards that ultimate end we all desire. We are not to be distracted by the allurements of this world. Greater Treasure, beyond all telling, awaits us to the next chapter of our life, if and only we remain focused and prepare well for it.

Life on earth is our grand preparation for heaven. If we do not live a life fit for heaven here on earth, we cannot expect that in the end of our earthly life, we shall be rewarded to continue life in heaven. I remember a pious story on what it is like to be in heaven and hell. According to the parable of long spoons, life in heaven and hell can be likened to a group of people who have been served a bowl of delicious soup. They were given spoons with very long handles, as long as the height of each member. In hell, the people were in a constant struggle to feed themselves. When one is about to take a sip of the soup after much struggle of scooping it from the bowl and bringing it closer to his mouth, another would prevent him, so that he would not get even from others. And so in hell, no one would partake of that delicious soup with those spoons with long handles. In heaven, however, they use the spoons with long handles to feed not themselves but the persons across them. In heaven, everyone partakes of the soup through the help of everyone. Hell is a place for the greedy and those who thought only about themselves here on earth. Heaven is for those who share and feed others here on earth. Earth is the place where we can practice either to be in heaven or hell. It is by seeing our life here on earth as a preparation and anticipation of life in heaven that we can heed St. Paul's admonition (Tm 6:11-16) to pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness, compete well for the faith, and lay hold of eternal life, to which we were called when we were baptized. So that when judgment time comes, the King of kings and Lord of lords would welcome us to the entrance of heaven.

Do we help those who are in need, that we may be prepared for a life of endless generosity in heaven?

Have we grown complacent and distracted by worldly allurements, so much so that we miss our final destiny?

As we live our life here on earth, be reminded of heaven as our ultimate life-goal, lest we might regret forgetting it in the end. Nasa huli ang pagsisisi!

Let us prepare for life in Heaven through life of generosity here on earth.