I'm Back...With a Question For Each One of You
I'm back from a quick one-day trip to Missouri, where I had some unexpected and important personal business to take care of, which is why I haven't been blogging much lately. It is amazing how much news can accumulate in a day!
My thanks go out to those who have made comments for de-lurking week and have stopped by to visit while I was away. One of these days, I will be purchasing a laptop. However, I have to admit that it was nice to have a brief vacation from blogging. It is rare that a day goes by without a new post.
Missouri is certainly a pretty state with its many hills, forests, and beautiful lakes, but Kansas is home now, and it is where we feel most comfortable, with its bright yellow sunflowers, man made lakes, and mostly flat land When ( Father Benedict Groeschel was here for the Midwest Catholic Conference) he said,"I get along with this place. I like it. It reminds me of America when I was a boy." He explained that he likes the “solid values” and “the commonsense” of people here. There is a large Christian base here and many solid Catholics who hold traditional views and are strong in their faith. Yes, we have a few cafeteria Catholics, like every other place in the country today, but the majority of people I have met here, in the past couple of years we have lived here, uphold strong family values.
Of course, the only place we can truly call home is heaven. I have only a vague idea of what it's like there, but I am sure it is a place where there are no abortions, no abuse, no addictions, no hate or violence, no disagreements, bitterness, unforgiveness or jealousy; but in heaven, our hearts will be filled with unconditional and eternal love for God and for one another. In heaven there will not be the least pain or sadness and our wills will be in perfect compliance with God's will.
St. Julian of Norwich describes heaven as a place of "eternal joy". She explains: "But we are not blessedly safe, possessing our endless joy, until we are all in peace and in love, that is to say wholly contented with God and with all his works and with all his judgments, and loving and content with ourselves and with our fellow Christians and with everything which God loves, as is pleasing to love."
That leads me to ask the following question:
How do you, dear reader, envision heaven?
My thanks go out to those who have made comments for de-lurking week and have stopped by to visit while I was away. One of these days, I will be purchasing a laptop. However, I have to admit that it was nice to have a brief vacation from blogging. It is rare that a day goes by without a new post.
Missouri is certainly a pretty state with its many hills, forests, and beautiful lakes, but Kansas is home now, and it is where we feel most comfortable, with its bright yellow sunflowers, man made lakes, and mostly flat land When ( Father Benedict Groeschel was here for the Midwest Catholic Conference) he said,"I get along with this place. I like it. It reminds me of America when I was a boy." He explained that he likes the “solid values” and “the commonsense” of people here. There is a large Christian base here and many solid Catholics who hold traditional views and are strong in their faith. Yes, we have a few cafeteria Catholics, like every other place in the country today, but the majority of people I have met here, in the past couple of years we have lived here, uphold strong family values.
Of course, the only place we can truly call home is heaven. I have only a vague idea of what it's like there, but I am sure it is a place where there are no abortions, no abuse, no addictions, no hate or violence, no disagreements, bitterness, unforgiveness or jealousy; but in heaven, our hearts will be filled with unconditional and eternal love for God and for one another. In heaven there will not be the least pain or sadness and our wills will be in perfect compliance with God's will.
St. Julian of Norwich describes heaven as a place of "eternal joy". She explains: "But we are not blessedly safe, possessing our endless joy, until we are all in peace and in love, that is to say wholly contented with God and with all his works and with all his judgments, and loving and content with ourselves and with our fellow Christians and with everything which God loves, as is pleasing to love."
That leads me to ask the following question:
How do you, dear reader, envision heaven?
Heaven is Vermont with Kansans living there.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, I adore the mountains, and they make me feel close to God, but there are precious few of the folks there which Fr. Benedict saw in the midwest.
Mountains, saints, my three miscarried children, my Irish grandma, beautiful music, Our Lady. . .and the eternal presence of Our Lord, radiating through it all and filling our hearts as He does in adoration, but O, so much more completely!
Ah, you ask this in the midst of football season, Jean, so I would be remiss not to mention the Buckeyes winning the National Championship, wouldn't I? :)
ReplyDeleteBut seriously, I'm pretty sure heaven is my grandma's kitchen, with the smell of an apple pie baking and a cup of something hot (tea or coffee, perhaps) steaming on the table as we cozy on up for some conversation.
Wow, both ideas sound so wonderful! I think I'll turn this into a meme to get some other great ideas like yours.
ReplyDeleteVermont with Kansans living there - I love it, too Leticia! Mountains are beautiful! I flew over the Alps last year - they were just gogeous! However, the first real mountains I ever saw were the Adirondack Mts. and I was overwhelmed by their beauty!
I'm pretty sure heaven is my grandma's kitchen, with the smell of an apple pie baking and a cup of something hot (tea or coffee, perhaps) steaming on the table as we cozy on up for some conversation.
I feel like I'm already there eating that pie with you and tasting that warm tea - what a warm, secure feeling!