St. Anthony the Abbot Catholic Church

When Pope John Paul II was dying, the doctors were treating him with pain killers and other chemicals to hold him together as long as they could. At one point, he had simply had enough, and he waved them away, knowing that his moment had come. And his last words were, “Let me go to the Father’s house.” 

To the Father’s house, where all his brothers and sisters in the faith were waiting for him, where all the saints he had canonized would be cheering his arrival, where he hoped to see again his mother who had died when he was so young, his older brother who passed away soon after, and his father, who had not even lived long enough to see his son ordained a priest. 

To go to the Father’s house, and to find that we each have a room there, just for us, and to live there, as on a permanent Christmas vacation, surrounded by countless friends and family members… It is no coincidence that our Lord describes heaven as a banquet, a wedding reception.  Today we should ask ourselves: Is that how I think of it?

This truth about heaven, the shared knowledge of the communion of saints, reminds us that our life has meaning.     It is part of a story, THE story. Following Christ means being a soldier in the cosmic struggle of good vs. evil. Every decision we make, every relationship we are faithful to or unfaithful to, every act of kindness or selfishness – it all goes toward furthering the cause of Christ, or not. You and I are not alone.

We have a role to play in a bigger picture. Our individual world – the people we know and will come to know, the talents we have, the opportunities and challenges we will encounter – is absolutely unique. Only each one of us can bring that personal world to Christ and plug it into His Eternal Kingdom. All that we do matters. 

Today, let’s renew our awareness of this truth. Let’s ask Christ, to bring us the light to recognize this, and the strength to fulfill our task in His Kingdom. Christ is the hero in this story, but we are His partners. May we live accordingly, this week and forever.