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Straight from the Heart
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 IS HEAVEN JUST AROUND THE CORNER?
- By Carolle Bautista
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More than a year
ago, I visited an aunt who I have not seen for more than a decade. Many
things have changed, and she was so sad to relay to me that her husband,
my uncle, has been suffering from lung cancer, which was at an advanced
stag e.
It is always hard to find the right words to comfort someone you know will
lose a loved one soon. All I could say in the end was, “Try to be strong.
In everything that happens, God has a purpose, and we just have to accept
His will for us and His plan for our lives.” She was bitter, and in
tears, she replied that she was not yet ready to lose her husband. I just
kept silent knowing I was not getting my message across. She might also
have some deeply embedded feelings she would rather not talk about.
I prayed for them. But six months after, I heard my uncle passed away.
My seven-year old
son always tells me of his desire to go to heaven. And he wanted to know
how and when he could get there. It was easy for me to explain to him
that he should lead a life like Jesus lived (in the framework and using
the words little children can understand), and that he should try to be
like an angel and refrain from committing sin. However, I always try to
avoid the ‘topic’ of when he could get to heaven for I know he will have
no fear of death if it means he can go to heaven. Somehow, I have told
him in an indirect way that after we are done with our life here on earth,
it is by God’s grace that we enter our heavenly home.
Are we ready to face
our Lord and be accountable for our deeds once our life on earth expires?
Are we prepared to give up our earthly lives, no matter what, when the
time finally comes? Are we willing to let go of our loved ones when the
prospect of death becomes evident?
I guess that if you
ask a hundred people in their teens or older, if they are ready to be
called by God now, majority of them would answer “No” or “Not yet”. But
I’m sure, if you try asking a hundred little children the same question,
majority of them would be enthusiastic to be with God in heaven. They are
so innocent and pure of heart; they have not formed any attachment to
material things. They have not yet known the ‘pleasures’ older people
experience in this earthly life. Whatever is taught to them by our faith
about eternal life in heaven is most important. It is we, the adults, who
fear losing them because we think of our children and ourselves, and how
life could not go on without them. We completely forget about God’s plan,
and that we are just temporary stewards of these little children.
Older people are
unsure of what lies beyond death. They have so many good experiences on
this earth, which are too hard to forego, and bad experiences, which they
want to correct in their daily lives. Committing sin has become a habit,
and the uncertainty of whether or not the grace of eternal life in heaven
would be granted to them upon death, has become a fear in their hearts.
I could
understand the feelings of both my aunt and my son towards life on earth
and life in heaven, or not having the grace of going to heaven. I have
been at the age of my son and would soon be the age of my aunt in my
lifetime. And I believe that it is only when we let go of our earthly
attachments that we become closer to God and all His lovely creations.
All our fears about death would disappear, and we become ready the moment
death comes like a ‘thief in the night’. Psalm 90:4-6 says, “For a
thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like
a watch in the night. You sweep men away in the sleep of death; they are
like the new grass of the morning ---- though in the morning it springs up
new, by evening it is dry and withered.”
- TELL US LIKE IT IS!
- Has something
wonderful and unique happened in your life lately? Did God answer your
prayer in a very unexpected way? Did you, like Isaiah, meet God’s
whisper?
- Have you felt His
powerful hand working in your life recently?
- Everyday, people are
experiencing God’s mighty Word in their lives and it is a pity that very
few know about it. Do you have a story to tell? Some Good News to
share?
- E-mail us (genesis@catholic.org) or fax us
(021-6627384), and tell us about it. That’s right! You don’t have to be
a great writer to do this. We can help you write it – just tell us like
it is!
- Don’t forget to write
the subject: “Let Me Tell You A
Story”
For comments, suggestions or
ideas:
E-mail us: genesis@catholic.org
Write us: Jl. Bacang No. 20 Kebayoran Baru,
Jakarta Selatan, Indonesia
Call us: (6221) 720-3824
Fax us: (6221) 662-7384
Genesis Catholic
Community - All Rights Reserved 2003
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Viewpoint
Straight from the Heart
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