Imagine you've died and gone to Heaven.
Joy of joys !!! At last, you've made it. God has seen it fit for you to deserve Heaven. An eternity with Him. You are so glad, more than you've ever been your entire life.
You look around and meet old friends and relatives who have made it here too. You greet them with a tear in your eye - a tear of joy as well as a little sadness when you remember how you missed them and cried when they were gone!
You renew old acquaintances as well as make new ones as you meet the Saints you've read so much about but had never met.
Then you realise someone is missing.
A relative, or friend, whom you'd expected to see
here is missing. You ask St Peter and he confirms your suspicion. That
person is not here.
Is he in transit? In the Purification Center we call Purgatory, perhaps?
No ... he is ... in the other place.
Your joy turns to sadness, confusion, despair even.
How can it be? You so expected to be with that person in Heaven for
eternity.
What do you do?
Seek an explanation from God? Perhaps there's been a
mistake! Ask Him to re-consider. Plead with Him even? Beg that this
person is brought up to Heaven?
Has that person's absence tarnished your joy of being in Heaven? Changed your view of God's justice and mercy?
How can you possibly be here in Heaven for ever,
knowing full well that a dear loved one is in the other place and will
never join you?
On the Cross Jesus forgave those who dared to inflict so much suffering and death to the Son of God. What more heinous sin could your relative or friend have committed to deserve an eternity in hell? If God forgave those who killed His Son; and they probably didn't ask
for forgiveness, why can't He forgive your relative or friend missing
right now?
Your human sense of justice; and your understanding
and perspective of forgiveness and mercy would like things to be
different and, no matter what that person has done in life, you wish him
here with you in Heaven.
But God does not work like that. His perspective is not a human perspective. He decided otherwise.
In Luke 16:19-31 we read that the rich man in "the other place" pleaded
that his brothers may not join him there. But his pleadings were met
with the response that each person makes his or her own decisions in
life, and by their actions they choose whether to go to Heaven or not.
No one goes to hell by mistake. We choose to go there. And many, by their actions, are sleep-walking their way to hell.
The time for action and prayers is now.
And yet ... what if we're one day in Heaven and our loved one is not there? What then?
The time for action and prayers is now.
And yet ... what if we're one day in Heaven and our loved one is not there? What then?
...try to make the right choice.
ReplyDeleteYes ...
DeleteGod bless, Tom.
We were just talking about this at Bible study a few days ago! My friend Cindy was telling us about her grandson's dismay: While at the recent funeral of his other grandmother, an avowed non-Believer. The 12-year old asked my friend, "What happens when I get to Heaven and "B" isn't there?" Cindy said, all she could think to say was, I believe because in Heaven there are no tears or pain or sadness -- you won't even know if she's not there.
ReplyDeleteI hope she's right, but that's of little comfort to those of us who desperately long for a reunion with our loved ones.
Thank you Mevely for what you said here. This is a difficult subject. We are taught that God is loving, forgiving and merciful. Jesus taught us so. But let us remember that these are qualities measured by us in human terms; because we are humans.
DeleteGod is not human. Could it be that in His Divine state His love, forgiveness and mercy are in different measure/quantity/quality to ours?
Jesus asked His Father to forgive those crucifying Him. So the question is: Did God forgive them or not? Even though they may not have asked for forgiveness.
If God forgave them, then ... (probably), He also forgave Judas for what He had done. And He would probably using His Divine standards as opposed to our human ones, He would also forgive many we do not consider are in Heaven.
Cindy's story reminds me of Father Francis' sermon. Here's what he says:
I think of a life as a tree. If a tree leans in one direction when it dies it will fall in that direction. It is not going to fall in the opposite direction. So, too, with our lives. If all the time we are leaning towards God, very likely, with God's grace we shall fall into His arms when we die. But if our lives never point to God, it is very likely that when we die we shall die in enmity with God.
God bless you and yours, Mevely. Thank you.
Father Francis' explanation is common sense and easy to understand!
DeleteYes, I like it as an example. God bless you, Kathy.
DeleteHello Victor: This is a great post, I tell many who I have met that I believe in God and worship Faithfully each and every Sunday and Holy Days, I also tell them that I would rather believe in God here on earth and find out that he was not real after death than to not believe and find out he is real, it has made many think and think hard.
ReplyDeleteI would never even think of asking God why someone was not in Heaven (if I make it, hopefully) I have Faith I will.
Catherine
Indeed, the time to love and obey God is now. See my quote from Fr Francis in my response to Mevely, (above).
DeleteGod bless you Catherine; and thank you.
It is wonderful to know we are going to Heaven, and it is the saddest of sads when you don't think a loved one will go.
ReplyDeleteYou are right, Sandie; but as Jesus taught in the parable of the rich man and poor Lazarus, every individual makes His decision in life right now. And that will affect their eternity.
DeleteGod bless always.
Each person has a choice, do the right thing. Either you believe or you don't.
ReplyDeleteAmen. God bless you, Bill.
DeleteI have a feeling we are going to be surprised who we see in Heaven and also who we don't!! Only God knows our heart.
ReplyDeleteI have loved ones who don't believe and it saddens me. One wants nothing to do with me because of what I believe.
Pray, pray and pray some more for all those who don't believe. Just "hand them over" to God to care for them. He knows what He is doing and is always in control.
DeleteGod bless, K. Praying for you and your loved ones.
thecontemplativecat here. People make decisions about everything, but do not recognize that the most important decision is about Christ. They have put those things ahead of our Saviour. I may be surprised but deep down, I am not.
ReplyDeleteAmen Susan. It's nice to see you visiting here again. Thanx.
DeleteGod bless.
I have thought of this and pray daily for everyone I know and love to be there with me someday.
ReplyDeleteAll we can do is pray ... and trust in God.
DeleteGod bless, Mimi.
Seek an explanation? Being me, I probably would. Demand, even ask for, a do-over for that person - - tempting notion: but even knowing what little I do know, that seems ....... pointless, at best.
ReplyDeleteGood question!
As for now being the time to act: agreed. But also - 'no pressure'. And a good reminder that daily prayer makes sense.
It's great to see you visiting here again, Brian. Thank you so much.
DeleteGreat comment! God bless always.