Scripture for meditation: 2 Timothy 6-8
I for my part am already being poured out like a libation. The time of my dissolution is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on a merited crown awaits me; on that Day the Lord, just judge that He is, will award it to me- and not only to me, but to all who have looked for His appearing with eager longing.
Christ tells us: Matthew 25:32-46
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’ Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’ He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’ And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
St. Bernard reminds us in one of his sermons: Calling the saints to mind inspires, or rather arouses in us, above all else, a longing to enjoy their company.... In short, we long to be united in happiness with all the saints. But our dispositions change. The Church ...awaits us, but we do nothing about it. The saints want us to be with them, and we are indifferent. The souls of the just await us, and we ignore them.... We must rise again with Christ, we must seek the world which is above and set our mind on the things of heaven. Let us long for those who are longing for us, hasten to those who are waiting for us, and ask those who look for our coming to intercede for us. We should not only want to be with the saints, we should also hope to possess their happiness. While we desire to be in their company, we must also earnestly seek to share in their glory. Do not imagine that there is anything harmful in such an ambition as this; there is no danger in setting our hearts on such glory....Therefore, we should aim at attaining this glory with a wholehearted and prudent desire. That we may rightly hope and strive for such blessedness, we must above all seek the prayers of the saints. Thus, what is beyond our own powers to obtain will be granted through their intercession.
Prayer: For All the Saints
For all the saints, from whom their labors rest,
who thee by faith, before the world confessed,
Thy name O Jesus, be forever blessed. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Thou wast their rock, their fortress and their might,
Thou, Lord, their captain in the well-fought fight,
Thou, in the darkness, drear, their one true light. Alleluia, Alleluia.
O may thy soldiers, faithful true and bold,
Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old,
And win with them, the victor's crown of gold, Alleluia, Alleluia. (William W Howe)
My thoughts: I have attended a number of marathons and cheered my adult children to the finish line. It was a glorious feeling to see them complete the goal they had set for themselves; to see their rigid self-discipline and training pay off; to see the thrill of victory on their faces. I always asked them what kept them going when the cramps set in or the hills seemed insurmountable, and they always said the same thing. They had a goal, and they wanted to achieve it. We should picture our lives in this way. Our goal is heaven, and the saints are cheering us on. They are in heaven because they led disciplined lives, trained themselves to focus on God's requirements for good living and not the world's, and never, ever took their eyes off the finish line, where they would see God face to face in heaven. May we always pray to the saints to stay on the sidelines and cheer us on, and may a merited crown await us at the end of this life. Alleluia!
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