“Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.”

"You can fly to Heaven on the wings of confession and Communion." – St John Bosco

(Scripture text: HEB 9:15, 24-28)

Christ is mediator of a new covenant:

since a death has taken place

for deliverance from transgressions under the first covenant,

those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance.

For Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands,

a copy of the true one, but heaven itself,

that he might now appear before God on our behalf.

Not that he might offer himself repeatedly,

as the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary

with blood that is not his own;

if that were so, he would have had to suffer repeatedly

from the foundation of the world.

But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages

to take away sin by his sacrifice.

Just as it is appointed that human beings die once,

and after this the judgment, so also Christ,

offered once to take away the sins of many,

will appear a second time, not to take away sin

but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.

What is your image of heaven?

If Jesus is perfect love, there could be nothing better than to be in his presence. No matter what happens here and now, that is what we are guaranteed if we pick up our cross and follow him (LK 9:23).

What many Baptized Catholics do not realize is, we can experience a foretaste of Jesus’ promises every time we receive Communion or turn to him in prayer. Why do many of us not experience this reality in the here and now?

I will answer my question with a question: When was the last time you went to a Sacramental Confession with a priest?

St. Paul stretches our imagination when he writes, “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” (1 Corinthians 2:9). What awaits us is so amazing that words will never be able to describe it! But just knowing that God will wipe every tear from our eyes and that there will be no more death, sorrow, or pain, can go a long way in encouraging and strengthening us.

So keep your eyes on the prize!