Nov. 10, 2019: 32nd Sunday C - Our life heaven-bound

Nov. 10, 2019:  32nd Sunday C - Our Life Is Heaven Bound

Some years ago, my nephew (who was then 5-years old)  and I went for a walk in his neighborhood. The weather was beautiful with blue skies dotted with cotton candy-like clouds. Seelos, my nephew, turned to me and said, “I want to be up there in the clouds.” From the way he said it, I sensed that he desired more than just to be in the clouds. When I shared this with his dad (who is my brother-in-law), he recalled one day Seelos asking him, “How can I go to Heaven now?” His dad replied, “One has to die in order to go to Heaven.” Seelos replied, “Well then, I want to die now.” His dad said, “Well, we don’t want you to die now!” Seelos then replied, “You and mommy can die now and come with me to Heaven.” While my little nephew may not fully understand that death is the doorway to reach Heaven, he was touching upon a deep desire of the human heart--to be in Heaven. 

For those of us who have been through the death of a loved one recently, we may recall some of the prayers at a catholic funeral: “Into your hands, O Lord, we humbly entrust our brother. In this life you embraced him with your tender love; deliver him now from every evil and bid him enter eternal rest. The old order has passed away: welcome him then into paradise, where there will be no sorrow, no weeping nor pain, but the fullness of peace and joy with your Son and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.” This prayer gets to the heart of who we are before the Father — beloved children whom God created out of love to serve Him and love Him while on earth, and be with Him in all eternity. 

Do we believe in the resurrection and the promise of eternal life with God? Or is our view short-sighted, only focused on what this earth has to offer? Have you ever met someone who did not believe in eternal life for their own soul. The Sadducees who challenged Jesus could not conceive of heaven beyond what they could see with their eyes. Because they could not comprehend an afterlife, their faith was severely limited, and their interaction in society in a moral and just way was compromised. Are we sometimes like the Sadducees, believing as though spiritual realities don’t exist and that the only thing that matters is what we accomplish or accumulate on this earth? The way of life for such a person may seem impressive from earthly perspective (from what they possess and accomplished), however, it may also be that it’s a sign of their frantic attempt to hoard before they die everything that this earth has to offer before it all disappears before them like smoke.

A 55 year old staff physician named Dr. Gerry Landry at the University of Texas Health Center learned through his own heart attack that there was much more beyond this earthly life. He was a nominal Christian at that time; attending church, but he did not have much of a prayer life nor did he pray for his patients. As he was being transported to the hospital in an ambulance, he asked his wife to pray for him, and he was heard saying, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus” over and over again. At the hospital, while his wife quietly prayed by his side, his heart stopped and was pronounced “clinically dead” at 4:13PM. His heart stopped for 4 minutes. Meanwhile, Dr. Landry said, “I became acutely aware of my spirit separating from my body...I found myself in heaven, a place of dazzling beauty sounded by my late relatives and historical figures who preceded me a long time ago.”  He was overcome by the crowd who adored God with inexpressible joy. The most memorable experience was meeting Jesus in whose presence Dr. Landry experienced the most profound and fullness of the love of God. Although Dr. Landry protested, Jesus asked him to go back to his family and friends on earth to tell them about His love. Dr. Landry came back to his comatose body and then drifted in and out of consciousness for ten days. When he resumed his “normal life,” his outlook on life expanded from being earthbound—that is, focus on his reputation and work—to heaven-bound—focused on serving God. In his medical practice, he shared Jesus’ love with many critically ill patients and their families. He began to travel to many countries to share his testimony.

Our faith teaches us about our earthly life and the afterlife. Do we believe in an afterlife? If we do, are we living a life that is worthy of our call as children of God who are made in His image and likeness? Heaven awaits us, and it should radically change our life here on earth. Dr. Landry said, “I thank God that He allowed me the privilege of seeing first-hand the reality of John 11:25-26 where Jesus says: ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies and whosoever lives and believes in Me will never die.’” As we encounter the living Jesus in the Eucharist today, ask, “Lord, am I living my life as you desire for me, spreading your love and making your presence known to others?”