Living on earth by the standards of heaven
Revelation 10:8-11
I,
John, heard a voice from heaven speak to me. Then the voice spoke to me and
said: “Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is
standing on the sea and on the land.” So I went up to the angel and told him to
give me the small scroll. He said to me, “Take and swallow it. It will turn
your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will taste as sweet as honey.” I took
the small scroll from the angel’s hand and swallowed it. In my mouth it was
like sweet honey, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. Then someone
said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and
kings.”
Boys and
girls, I have some important questions for you today, so put on your thinking
caps! But first I want to tell you one question that people often ask me. They
ask: “Fr. John, how old will people be in heaven?” Do you know how old you will
be in heaven? Let’s do a quick survey. Raise your hand if you think you will be
ten years old in heaven. Now, everyone knows that Mrs. B is 39 years old, so
raise your hand if you think you’ll be as old as Mrs. B in heaven, that is, 39.
Well, do you know what the best answer I’ve heard to that question? St. Thomas
Aquinas said we will be 33 years old because that’s how old Jesus was when he
went to heaven. My point is that our age on earth and our age in heaven will be
different. That’s good news for us old guys!
Now, let me
ask YOU some questions about heaven. Will there by Americans in heaven? YES!
But it won’t really matter if you’re an American, and we won’t do the Pledge of
Allegiance in heaven. Will there be Mexicans in heaven? YES, but it won’t
matter if you speak English or Spanish. Will there be Cubs fans in heaven? YES,
but there will not be any goats in heaven, so relax. Will there by Razorback
fans in heaven? YES, that’s why it’s called “Hog Heaven,” but no one will need
to call the hogs there. Will there by Republicans in heaven? YES, sorry
Democrats. Will there be Democrats in heaven? YES! Sorry, Republicans. All
these people will all be there, but it won’t matter if they are Mexicans or
Republicans or Razorbacks. They will all love Jesus and they will all love each
other, and they will all be 33 years old.
In the first
reading from Revelation, which Fifi Coleman read so nicely, it said: “Keep on
telling what will happen to the people of many nations, races, and languages
and also to kings.” What St. John means is tell people what heaven will be like
and how they will love each other in heaven, so they can love like that on
earth. You see, thinking about heaven helps us to know how we should live on
earth. We have studied the “seven habits” here in school. Does anyone know what
the second habit is? It states: “Begin with the end in mind.” That’s what St.
John was saying, too: the end is heaven, so start thinking about heaven and
that will help you know how to behave on earth.
Boys and
girls, I want you to measure your earthly behavior be heavenly standards, how
things will be in heaven. For example, I’ve got a bald spot on my head. Have
you noticed that? But I don’t worry about it. Do you know why I don’t care
about that? Because I will have tons of hair when I get to heaven! Like I did
when I was 33 years old. I’m trying to let how things will be in heaven guide
how I behave on earth. Here’s another example. After the election some people
said mean and hurtful things about people from Mexico. Will people talk like
that in heaven about each other? No, of course not. So, we shouldn’t talk like
that on earth, either. Boys and girls, one reason I love this school so much is
that we’re trying to teach you that heavenly standard to live by. I’m so proud
of Mrs. B and the teachers and staff who try to model that.
How old will
you be in heaven? Will you call the Hogs in heaven? Will Fr. John have hair in
heaven? Think about these questions, and try to live your life by the
answers.
Praised be
Jesus Christ!
No comments:
Post a Comment