Trust in the Hope of Heaven
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
This month we are delighted that Angela Burrin has written our opening articles on the promise of heaven. Angela is our longest serving coworker here at The Word Among Us. Her name even appeared on the masthead of our second issue ever, back in January 1982! And, as many of you know, Angela has spent the past twenty years serving in our Partners outreach as director of our prison ministry. In that role, she stays in touch with prison chaplains throughout North America and—more importantly—visits inmates regularly to pray with them and share her faith. Angela lives out Jesus’ saying, “I was . . . in prison and you visited me” (Matthew 25:35, 36).
The Hope of Heaven. What comes to mind when you think about heaven? I sometimes think, “I hope I get in by the skin of my teeth!” or “Maybe I can slip in through the back door!” But having read Angela’s articles, I’m not sure I’m viewing heaven the way God wants me to see it.
Heaven is all about hope. Not some fading hope or unreliable dream, but real hope, a hope based on the promises of God. Because he is God, he is absolutely reliable. When God says something, we can be sure it’s true! So when Jesus promised the good thief who was crucified next to him, “Today you will be with me in Paradise,” that man could die in peace (Luke 23:43). Today, we honor Jesus’ promise by celebrating this man—called Dismas—as a saint.
You can depend on the reliable hope of heaven because God is faithful and his promises are trustworthy. As Angela tells us, “Through his death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead, Jesus has promised that life doesn’t end with our death.” She goes on to say, “Jesus told his followers that his Father was like the father in the parable of the prodigal son, who rejoices ‘because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found’ (Luke 15:24). Through this parable, God promises to forgive everyone who is ‘lost.’ He will always welcome his children with open arms when they turn to him in repentance.”
Appeal to His Mercy! Many of us have lost loved ones: spouses, parents, children, or close friends. Sometimes we struggle to understand why the Lord allowed them to pass away. We may never find the answer in this life, but we can know without a doubt that our God is merciful and his promises never fail. And so we rely on the hope of heaven as well as God’s faithfulness and mercy.
As the Lord told St. Faustina, “Souls who make an appeal to my mercy delight me. To such souls, I grant even more graces than they ask.” This is even true when we are praying for our loved ones’ salvation. So when you appeal to God’s incredible mercy and faithfulness—whether for yourself or someone else—you can have confidence that he hears you, that he delights in you, and that he will give you more than you can ask or imagine!
Jeff Smith
President
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