{HOME} { CONTACTS} {GIFT SHOP} {MEDJUGORJE}  {ABOUT US} {APPARITIONS} {DEVOTIONS} {SPONSORS}
{PICTURE GALLERY} {PICTURE OF THE MONTH} {GOSPA'S CORNER} {POW GROUP} {PRAYER ROOM} {RESOURCES} {WHAT'S NEW}

Ascension of Christ

My dear friends, I realize that many of you are unemployed and looking for jobs. Even though some do find work, it is frustrating to go through the experience of the employer not paying the amount he promised or stalling in handing over to you your just due. If better jobs were available, many of you would not hesitate in taking on the higher paying ones.

Now let us imagine a rich man who hires you and simply wants you to work only for a day. You are to clean his yard, prepare him lunch and walk his dog. For all of this, you will receive seven apartments on the ocean front, twelve mansions in the resort area of town, nine BMWs, six vacation trips overseas and a deposit of 120,000 dollars. What do you think of that? Of course, the salary is way out of proportion for the work done!

(people start to laugh)

Now do you know that God gives us even more than all this? For simply obeying his Commandments on this earth and loving our neighbor, he promises nothing less than eternal life with Him in heaven! He did not say that we would be there only for  a few minutes or an hour or a few weeks and then return back to the earth again…no, He promised us a participation in His very Divine happiness and life forever. The recompense received, in exchange for  what He asks of us, is truly disproportionate. He is generous towards us in consideration of the fact that Christ already paid the price and made all this mercy and goodness possible for us.

    The saints have tried to give us an inkling of what this all means. The Bible tells us that Jesus entered into the glory of His Father. What is this glory all about and what does it consist in? There are two types of glory: human and Divine. We all know what human glory is. A man or woman possessed of glory on this earth is constantly followed by reporters, wears diamond rings, has all the comforts and pleasures of life and exercises power over others. This type of glory, however, is a passing one. Soon, the person grows old, leaves everything behind, is forgotten by everyone and dies alone of a miserable sickness or accident. So much for human glory!

Now there is no comparison with God’s glory. It is so infinite and sublime that St. Paul tells us that eyes have not seen nor ears have heard nor has it entered a man’s imagination and heart what God has prepared for those who love Him! One second in God’s presence and love is greater than to live the most delightful moments on earth during a hundred years. We too, will be glorious like God and Jesus Himself (as far as our nature permits this) for having suffered persecution in His name and lived His teachings on earth. The least person in heaven has a greater happiness than the most joyful, powerful and richest man or woman on earth.

      The saints tell us that one degree of glory in heaven is equivalent to a hundred years of the most profound pleasures and joys that one could possibly try to experience on earth. No two saints have the same happiness in heaven, though both are completely satisfied. Those who prayed loved and suffered more for the good of others and God’s kingdom increased and accumulated their degrees of glory to the point of entering into a deeper union with God and therefore a greater happiness. That is why God does not take us immediately out of this life: He wants us to enrich ourselves and amass treasures for eternal life while we have the time to do it on earth. Jesus  Himself had to pass through humiliation, suffering and death before rising and entering into the glory of His Father. Let us not waste a second, but engage ourselves everyday in either praying, doing good works or practicing the virtues. Each Hail Mary, act of humility or sincere smile of love towards our neighbor in the name of Christ is one more degree of glory gained for our eternal joy. In this way, we will become spiritual millionaires.

Let us not forget that the devil, who lost heaven and eternal life, is extremely jealous and will do everything to rob us of our precious grace. He will put doubts in our minds and tell us that heaven does not exist, but that we should concentrate our energies in becoming rich in this life. He will do everything possible to distract us from our primary goal and try to make us lose eternal life. Don't wait until you get to heaven to start loving others and practicing virtues. Let us already start this heaven on earth as did the First Christians. By becoming Christ like through the grace of the Holy Spirit, we too can create a community where no one is in need of anything because the charity of all has taken care of the problems. As St. Juliana Falconieri once commented: “If men truly realized the value of one grace and degree of glory, they would assault our convent walls in great numbers to try to get in,confess their sins  and sanctify themselves before God and win heaven instead of killing others for perishable and worthless material goods.”

Father Anthony Mellace