Venerable Bishop Fulton J. Sheen tells us that we will have three surprises in Heaven. The first is: we will be surprised to see that many people we expected to be in Heaven are not there. St. John of the Cross gives the reason why they are not there: “At the evening of our life, we shall be judged on how we have loved.” The second surprise: we will be surprised to see that the people we never expected to be in Heaven are there. That is because God judges man’s intentions and rewards them accordingly. The third surprise: we will be surprised to see that we are in Heaven! Since our getting to Heaven is principally God’s work, we should be surprised that God somehow “went out of His way” to save us, simply because we showed the good will and generosity to cooperate with His grace.
In today’s Gospel someone in the crowd says, “Lord, how many people are going to be saved? Who’s going to go to heaven? Who’s going to go to hell? Can you tell us now?”
When I was at the seminary one of my classmates asked the philosophy professor the question: “Can God create a rock that He couldn’t lift?” The professor did not answer that question, but he said; “From the philosophical perspective, it’s a wrong question. God is the Creator of heaven and earth, and He can do everything. But there is a contradiction in that question. It’s a wrong question.”
And I think it’s the same with the question that Jesus was asked. It was a wrong question. And that’s why Jesus is angry, because, we not only don’t know the answers, but we also don’t even know the questions! And that question has never been in Jesus’ mind. Jesus has just got done telling them what it’s all about. It has nothing to do with the next life. It has everything to do with this life. Jesus has walked, and He’s walking and teaching and preaching, and He is going to Jerusalem, and He will suffer, and He will die, and He will rise from the dead. That’s the whole message.
But the people want to know what’s going to happen in the future, what’s going to happen after we die. And you can understand Jesus is nodding His head and He’s saying, “It doesn’t matter; it doesn’t matter what happens after you die. What really matters is how you live and how you live now. And leave the future to God, He’s the one who decides that. Even I, Jesus, do not decide that.”
“But why should you be worried, because I have come to tell you that when you follow me, you live, and you reach out… Why don’t you ask questions of yourself and say to your own heart, ‘What must I do to hear and listen to the words of Jesus and put them into practice in my own heart among my own family in my own world? Why am I going to worry about who goes to heaven and who goes to hell when people all around me need love and care and concern.’”
“Lord, how many people are going to be saved?”
“You don’t need to worry about it. Focus on me, cling to me, follow me I’ll get you through.”
This is what Jesus tells us in today’s gospel.
This week we welcome Fr. Denis O’Brien, the Irish Pallottine, who will be preaching at every Mass, sharing the missionary work of the Irish Pallottine Fathers in Tanzania, Kenya and Colombia. and his thoughts on the challenges of evangelization. Please pray for the mission and missionaries and be generous supporting their effort.
Thank You to all of you who gathered on the feast of the Assumption by the grotto of our Blessed Mother to pray the rosary. I have good news for you! We are going to continue that prayer by the grotto every Wednesday of the week while the weather permits! Many are waiting for our prayers… let’s come back to our weekly rosary gathering. Only through Mary can we find a way to Jesus!!!
Please continue praying for our Family of Parishes: Our Lady of Loretto, St. Valentine, St. John XXIII and our parish. In these days, together with Fr. Socorro and Fr. Greg we continue working on the covenant agreement. This the starting point for our spiritual journey as one family. During the next few weeks, you can expect more information about the Family of Parishes gathering. May God through His grace help us to work together for the salvation of the souls entrusted to us.
Are you ready for the parish picnic? It is coming up!
Be blessed! Fr. Tom