November 10, 2019

illustrate the meaning of this passage from St. Paul is to imagine yourself describing a modern home with its air-conditioned room, and TV, home theater, computer, ipad, etc. to a cave man. No matter how hard you try, the cave man will not understand what you are talking about. Try to describe your travel by airplanes, and air-con bus to him. It will not make sense to him. It is beyond his experience in life.

If you try to explain a modern kitchen with its refrigerator, mixer and blender, electric stove, and microwave oven, to a cave woman, she would not make sense of what you’re talking about.

Likewise, for someone to describe what God has prepared for those who love Him, we would not comprehend what he’s talking about.

We just know that God will give us what would be the best for us, because He is all-wise.

And He loves us dearly.

This gives us a whole new perspective of looking at death. The late Fr. William Klement, S.J., in his own funeral homily wrote: “We might describe death in this way. You are on the seashore, and a ship is leaving. It’s carrying a dear friend. He’s leaving your shore and going to another.

And as you watch the ship pull out, your heart is full of sadness, because your friend is now leaving you. And it is goodbye – God be with you!

“As it disappears over the horizon, it is a sad goodbye. But at the same time to those on the other shore, as it appears on the horizon, the ship is just the same. It holds the same passengers as the time it left you at the shore. But as it comes over the horizon and becomes closer, more visible, there’s great anticipation for those waiting on the shore. They’re waiting say their welcome, welcome.

The Father is waiting there, the Father is waiting for His prodigal son to come home, and his loving brother, Jesus, who loved him so much that he gave up his life for him. And the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of love, and there his Mother, Mary, Jesus’ mother and mine.

And as the ship arrives, there is a great shout. ‘Welcome home!’ And Jesus says, ‘Come, beloved of my Father, enter into the Kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world!’ ”

Relatives and friends, too, who have gone before, are waiting there with their welcome, and all the Saints, whom we have known in history and have loved and prayed to. They too, join in the “Hail,” in the “Welcome!”

Death a sorrowful thing? A fearful thing? Could anything be more joyful than on the shores of heaven, when one has crossed over the sea to the other end?

Let’s conclude by quoting again the words of St. Paul concerning heaven. They are a beautiful summery of our faith and our hope concerning life after death.

St. Paul wrote:

“What eye has not seen, and

Ear has not heard,

And what has not entered the human heart,

What God has prepared for those who love Him.” This God has revealed to us through the Spirit.