Roadmap to Heaven

Abbreviations and Buzzwords seem to be everywhere these days... I can't seem to get through the day without someone emailing me a "LOL", "IMHO", or "BTW". It's even worse when there is direct dialog, because there's about a 99% certainty that someone's going to throw out a "Leverage", "Best Practice", or "Think outside of the box". Yeah, you know what I'm talking about, right? :)

Oops... there I go with the famous and greatly overused smiley face. :) :) :)

OK, at this point you might be asking yourself, so how does this relate to Jesus Christ?

Well, Jesus had his own arsenal of buzz words that He "leveraged" on a daily basis. Unlike the buzz words of today that enter and fade with the passing of fads, we have the comfort of knowing that the words of Jesus will endure the test of time.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
Mark 13:31

Jesus frequently used one word in particular... "Blessed"

If I were to look up the word "Blessed" in the dictionary, I would run across this definition:

Blessed: divinely or supremely favored; fortunate.

Wouldn't everyone want to be blessed in some way? I can't reasonably say that I know anyone who wouldn't want to be blessed.

Now the question becomes... How do I find favor with God? What do I need to do to remain obedient and be pleasing in the eyes of God? Well it's easy to get overwhelmed with trying to find a single answer to this question. Let's face it, the Bible is big book and there are thousands of passages we could underline, highlight, and memorize that would help. However, there is one particular event in the Bible that, to me, sums up the path to Heaven. Let's call it the "Roadmap to Heaven" as they would probably say in the business world.

This one significant event was The Sermon on the Mount. It's where Jesus preached of the Kingdom of Heaven. It's the third decade of the Luminous mysteries of the Rosary. "The Announcement of the Kingdom."

During the Sermon on the Mount Jesus introduced the Beatitudes (which means blessed or happy in Latin) to all of us and each teaching begins with the word "Blessed."

Here are the Beatitudes:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Matt5:3-12

In conclusion, when I think of a question like, "What's the roadmap to Heaven?" I think of the Beatitudes. This is because Jesus clearly outlines the way we should act, think, and live in nine loving statements. He shares the secret with us.

Personally, I felt the Beatitudes were so important that I memorized them and now recite them on a daily basis. It really doesn't take long to memorize, it just takes some determination and a little repetition. IMHO :)

See you can't get through anything these days without an abbreviation/buzz word!

God Bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Two for the price of one

A man in Lisbon, Portugal, was suffering from Parkinson's disease. As the creeping paralysis rose from his lower limbs, eventually closer and closer to the heart, the patient was plunged into deep melancholy. His wife pleaded with him repeatedly to go to another Mirian shrine like Lourdes, which was only 90 miles away.

One day, in mockery, because he knew that, like himself, his attending physician did not believe in miracles, he said to his wife in his doctors presence: "I'll go if he does." It occurred to the doctor that a trip to the church at Fatima might cheer his patient, or at least it would be a temporary distraction, so he surprised the ill man by saying: "Alright, let's go."

The day they arrived at the shrine was the 13th of the month, so there was a large crowd of pilgrims. The non-believing doctor and his non-believing patient were among the first in the rows of invalids. A man beside them was carrying a canopy over the Holy Eucharist as it was raised by the priest to bless the patient. Suddenly, the ill man pushed himself up from his wheelchair, trembling, he began to move and feel his legs. Then, over and over he pleaded to those around him: "Am I not dreaming? Am I not dreaming?"

The doctors mouth fell open in amazement and he slowly sank to his knees. Tears began to roll down his cheeks. "This is not for you." He exclaimed through his sobs. "This was for me."

A true story by John M. Heffert

Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima photos

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Allow others to see Jesus through you

At a very old age, St. Francis of Assisi was blind and in poor health. During the same time a nearby village was in an uproar about their priest and had called for St. Francis to help them. You see, the priest of this village was living in sin. He had a woman living with him in the rectory and the people of the village were absolutely furious about it.

St. Francis hobbled into the village, came up to the door of the rectory, and when the priest opened it... St. Francis looked at him through blind eyes, fell to his knees, grabbed the hands of the priest and said... "All I want to know is that these hands bring me Jesus."

The priest was instantly converted on the spot and from that point on he turned his life around.

St. Francis could have easily condemned, disheartened, discouraged, or warned the priest of his sinful ways. Instead, St. Francis humbled himself and through his actions, showed the priest Jesus.

Take from this story what you will... but one thing to remember is that all of us should be a light for others. Each day find one person who can see Jesus through you.

For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Matthew 7:2

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

A short prayer on Pride

Lord, help me to come to grips with any pride I might have in me that separates me, like a chasm, from the people I just don't feel comfortable with. You had to work on your disciples to get them over the problem of always wanting to be first by teaching them that, in the Kingdom of God, the "first" is last. Work on me, too, Lord. With your help, I can overcome any obstacle to serving You when you come to me hungry. Grant me some of the humility that prompted You to enter our human race as an infant in poverty, hungry and homeless. Amen.

-From the book... "When did I see You, Lord?"

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Reflections

As we prepare to enter into a new year, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on the past and also get into the appropriate state of mind for the future.

As part of our ongoing growth as Christians (followers of Christ), the short meditations written (below) are to help us overcome barriers in recognizing Jesus in our midst, so that we can serve Him. Specifically, the seven Capital Sins serve as reference points for our meditations because so often, those common failings in our lives prevent us from seeing Jesus all around us, and moving into the mode of serving Him.

Pride, Envy, Anger, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, and Lust are among the principal hazards of the spiritual life that prevent us from seeing and serving Jesus. There are others as well - for example, Ignorance and Fear. You may wish to add whatever else should come to mind as you consider these barriers.

However, with the grace of Christ, we are able to overcome these hurdles. Each hurdle we overcome, each struggle that we succeed, each small victory over sin that we achieve, brings us one step closer to preparing us for the heavenly reward that awaits those who see, follow, and act according to His words.

Meditations:

There is never a moment when God does not come forward in the guise of some suffering or some duty, and all that takes place within us, around us and through us both includes and hides His activity.

-Jean-Pierre De Caussade, S.J.
(Abandonment to Divine Providence)


If we do not recognize Jesus in the poor, he will not be able to recognize us at the Day of Judgement.

- St. Teresa of Calcutta


The bread which you do not use is the bread of the hungry;
The garment hanging in your wardrobe is the garment of him who is naked;
The shoes that you do not wear are the shoes of the one who is barefoot;
The money that you keep locked away is the money of the poor;
The acts of charity that you do not perform are so many injustices that you commit.

-St. Basil the Great

Many excerpts are from the book "When did we see You, Lord?" by Bishop Robert J. Baker and Father Benedict J. Groeschel, C.F.R.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!