Finishline of Faith

Seeing how heavenly hope changes earthly existence

05/15/2021

Mark 16:15-20 Jesus said to his disciples: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.

How we think about heaven immediately impacts how we live on earth. That is, the afterlife affects our activity in this present life. A little girl was talking to her teacher about whales. The teacher said it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human being because even though it was a very large mammal, its throat was very small. The little girl stated that Jonah was swallowed by a whale.

Feeling irritated, the teacher reiterated that a whale could not swallow a human; it was physically impossible. The little girl said, “When I get to heaven I will ask Jonah.” The teacher sarcastically asked, “What if Jonah went to hell?” The little girls smiled and said, “Then you ask him.” Notice how the little girl’s hopes for heaven changed her beliefs and behavior here on earth; she fearlessly shared her faith, because one day she knew she would see Jonah and know she was right.

On the other hand, Karl Marx, the political philosopher and father of Communism, argued that “religion” – and its attention on the afterlife – “is the opium of the masses.” That is, heaven harms our humanity. Or, John Lennon sang in 1972, “Imagine there’s no heaven / It’s easy if you try / No hell below us / Above us only sky / Imagine all the people / Living for today.” In other words, how we think about heaven – or imagine there is no heaven – either helps us or hurts us as we find our way on earth. I am convinced that some of our most enduring earthly questions will only have heavenly answers, like whether a whale swallowed Jonah. Heaven is closer to earth than we might imagine.

Today we celebrate the feast of the Ascension of Jesus into heaven, where “he took his seat at the right hand of God,” Mark tells us at the very end of his gospel. That description of Jesus sitting at God’s “right hand in heaven” does not merely mean Jesus is gone and out of sight and out of reach. Rather, he has reached his heavenly headquarters, and from that lofty vantage point, Christ our Captain can command his armies on earth.

That is why the apostles are not overwhelmed with grief and despair after his Ascension. Instead, we read: “They went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.” Just like the little girl looked forward to meeting Jonah in heaven, and meanwhile shared her faith on earth, so the apostles fearlessly preach and teach their faith knowing they would meet Jesus again in heaven and be blessed.

By the way, Jesus explicitly compared himself to Jonah in Mt 12:40, saying: “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Still, I am sure that teacher and Karl Marx and John Lennon would insist that such things are impossible. How can someone be swallowed by the earth for 3 days and 3 nights? Some of our most enduring earthly questions will only have heavenly answers. And therefore, the hope of heaven must guide our steps on earth.

My friends, may I suggest three ways how our beliefs about heaven affect our behavior on earth? First, keeping your eyes on heaven can help you with your marriage on earth. Today (May 16) my parents are celebrating their 55th wedding anniversary, and I am so proud of them. But as much as my parents love each other, they also know marriage is only for earth, not for heaven. How so?

In heaven they will be married to Jesus, not to each other. My parents will be part of the Bride of Christ, the Church, as we read in Ep 5:25. So, they are running the marathon of marriage like a life-long race. The finishline is in sight, and the finishline is heaven, where Jesus is seated at God’s right hand, ready to reward them for their labor of love. Their hope for heaven helps them stay faithful in marriage, especially when times get tough.

Secondly, heaven can help us choose a priestly or religious vocation. This year on May 25th I will celebrate my 25th ordination anniversary. I am so grateful for the gift of the priesthood. But I gotta tell you, it has not always been easy. There have been times I have wanted to throw in my collar and call it quits. But I have kept going. Why? Because there is also a finishline for being a spiritual father, namely, heaven. My hopes for heaven help me remember the hard work of pastoral ministry is not forever. And the reward is a retirement plan that’s out of this world! My hopes for heaven help me to be a faithful priest on earth.

Thirdly, heaven helps us carry our crosses. How so? St. Paul said in Rm 8:18, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” In other words, we all experience problems and pains, misunderstandings and mistreatment, defeats and disappointments, losses and loneliness, failure and fatigue.

But folks, there is a finishline for all our second-places and setbacks, and it is heaven. Our hope for heaven helps us to persevere in our problems with peace, and carry our crosses with courage. Why? Because in heaven Jesus is waiting to crown us with his glory, which cannot be compared to our crosses.

My friends, we can choose to live like John Lennon sang and “imagine there’s no heaven. It’s easy if you try.” But I believe we will be far happier if we live with our hopes set in heaven, where Jesus, and Jonah, and maybe even John Lennon, are waiting for us.

Praised be Jesus Christ!