The first reading and the Gospel are challenging texts about martyrdom and the absence of marriage in heaven. They point us to the world to come, which we reflect on at the end of each liturgical year. Our temptation when we think about heaven is to downplay the significance of this life. But it is a mistake to skip over our present moments in a sort of repression of earthly life in favour of heaven. God has given us this life to learn to love in preparation for the world to come. The way of salvation is through our lives here, not around them. So, as we remember we were made for heaven, we can show up for the moments and days we are living right now with the prayer from Thessalonians: “May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the endurance of Christ.” If God is asking us to grow in our faithfulness, we need to do that now. If He is asking us for more patience with a spouse, better boundaries with a loved one, growth in humility, now is the time. It is uncomfortable to grow in virtue in this world; and we are invited to a life that is larger than comfort and will far outlast this life. To the extent we listen to God’s call, we can start living heaven now.
Prayer: For lives that participate in heaven now and into eternity, we pray to the Lord.
Taken from the Facebook page of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary
