Today we continue our meditation on the Our Father by looking at the
line “Who art in heaven.”
There are many
passages in the Bible that speak of heaven. Jesus himself makes it quite clear
that heaven is where 1) the Holy Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit-dwell in
perfect harmony 2) Angels surround the throne of God 3)There is a place for us
if we really want it, but 4) We must follow God’s ways in order to ‘get there.’
In the Book of Revelation, St. John shares a vision he had of heaven and the
saints who dwell there. It is appropriate for us to meditate on heaven today,
since it is All Saints Day. The glory they have achieved by fighting the good
fight and staying faithful to God until the end of their lives should inspire
us to never ever give in to secular reasoning that we should live for today,
since that is all there is. Heaven, as the title of a recently published book
states, is for real!
Matthew 18:10: See that you do not despise
one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see
the face of my Father who is in heaven.
John 14:2 In my Father’s house are many
rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place
for you?
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or
the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I
tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter,
not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until
everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of
these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in
the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be
called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless
your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law,
you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 19:14: Jesus said, “Let the little children come
to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
Matthew 5:11: “Blessed are
you when people insult you, persecute you
and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same
way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Revelation 21:4: He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Revelation 22:1-5: Then the angel showed me the river of the water of
life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through
the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the
tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The
leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will
there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in
it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name
will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light
of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign
forever and ever.
Tomorrow
we will look at what some of the saints tell us about heaven.
No comments:
Post a Comment