Friday, November 22, 2019

Looking forward

“…he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive”. (Luke 20: 38)

I too often live my daily life not thinking about the afterlife much. The temptation is to live for today. The battles, struggles, dreams and rewards can keep me pretty occupied. I’m leery using the term ‘afterlife’. To some, that seems to imply that life ends, when in fact the life we are living now is merely the beginning of life. I’m partial to the terms ‘final reward’, or ‘better place’ (hopefully).

I’ve been to quite a few funerals. There is often a wake service the night before a funeral during which family members give testimonials about the one who died. The language of many of those talks sometimes reveals little evidence in a belief in an afterlife. At times, a poem that is read or a song text used on the program may speak about the consolation we have that our loved one “remains with us in our memories,” or “they survive in the good deeds they have done.” Only rarely, is there mention of the person being “in a better place.”

But Jesus told us the afterlife would be like a wedding banquet – a great celebration (Matthew 22: 1-14). He said he went ahead of us to prepare a place for us (John 14: 1-3). Paul encourages us to live in this world with our hearts set on the world to come (Colossians 3:1-4).

I’m not suggesting we don’t live in this life or enjoy it. I’m just reminded by this gospel (Luke 20: 27-40) not to forget that we await new life, everlasting life. The victory over sin and death has been won. This world and its anxieties, struggles, and deaths isn’t all there is. There is a merciful God who is also just. That is such good news for those who will never have justice in this world. It can be bad news for those who live this life in total disregard for the poor and marginalized (Luke 16:19-31). For us who might be dealing with the limits of this life – in real poverty, with diminishment, with sickness, with the critical or chronic illness of a loved one, even grieving death itself – we have real good news to look forward to. We can imagine it however we like. It’s going to be so much better than we can imagine. That thought is quite a grace to lift my spirits today.

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"I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it.

I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor:
the first — by deed, the second — by word, the third — by prayer. In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy.

Many souls ... are often worried because they do not have the material means with which to carry out an act of mercy. Yet spiritual mercy, which requires neither permissions nor storehouses, is much more meritorious and is within the grasp of every soul.

If a soul does not exercise mercy somehow or other, it will not obtain My mercy on the day of judgment. Oh, if only souls knew how to gather eternal treasure for themselves, they would not be judged, for they would forestall My judgment with their mercy".