We probably have many different visions of Heaven. For our children, Heaven is like an endless shopping spree at Toys R’ Us. It’s like all the new toys that you want, any time that you want. For our teens, Heaven might be having the ultimate pimped out ride. I’m going to add that to my list of words that I never thought that I would ever use in a homily – Pimped out. But you know what I mean, don’t you? Heaven for many of our young people is the ultimate nice car filled with all of the latest electronics and technology. Heaven for many adults is like a never-ending vacation, in Hawaii, or the Caribbean, or Europe. Others want Heaven to be a really big mansion with someone else to clean it, or a place of ultimate rest and peace, or a great gathering of all the Saints and angels. We’ve got a lot of different ideas about Heaven. And from what Jesus has taught us, the real Heaven is going to surpass all of our expectations, all of our wants, and will be the one place that all of us are going to want to be. We can’t even begin to imagine what it’s going to be like. What I’ve long believed, is, that as Catholic Christians, we ought to spend a lot more time thinking about and concentrating on, Heaven. It’s our ultimate purpose. It’s our real home. It’s where we are really going to want to be for all eternity. Far too often, we get more excited about our earthly homes where we are only going to be for a few years, than what we do our eternal “home”, Heaven. And that’s not right. We need to think about Heaven. We need to talk about Heaven. We need to concentrate on Heaven. It’s our goal.

But equally as important as thinking, and talking, and concentrating on Heaven, has got to be doing what we need to do to get there. It’s like you can’t plan a vacation to Hawaii and never get around to buying the airline tickets. You have to make the preparations! It’s like you can’t lose weight and get healthy, if you don’t quit eating donuts and candy. You have to do the work! It’s like you can’t get smarter if you don’t learn, and study, and read. You have to do your part! Sometimes, we’ve got to do what it takes to reach our goal. This is so true of Heaven! If we want to get to Heaven, if we want to enjoy the Kingdom that Jesus has planned for us, if we want to live forever in Paradise without any sickness, or any hatred, or any death, then we’ve got to do whatever we need to, to get to Heaven. And what is that? Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He tells us that today. You want to get to Heaven? Then you had better be living the way of life that Jesus came to reveal to us. It’s that way of life that the Church is committed to and that the Church is trying to call all of us to follow. The Church isn’t inventing rules just to make life more difficult for us. The Church is trying desperately to help each and every one of us get safely home to Heaven. You can’t do that if you are living like everybody else in the world. It is NOT the Church’s job to be popular. It is NOT the job or our new Holy Father, Benedict XVI, to be popular or to make everybody feel good. It IS the Church’s job and the Pope’s job to get us home to Heaven. The media is clueless about this. They want the Church to live and act like our dying world lives and acts. And Thank God that’s not they way that it is. The way that we are living now has a direct affect on where we are going when our time in this world is over. Let us follow Jesus and His Church! He’s given us the directions. Today we know the way.

Jesus also tells us today to not let our hearts be troubled. We can’t be afraid. If we are faithful, and if we persevere, we have nothing to be afraid of. His Way is taking us to Heaven. No matter what your vision of Heaven is, being in God’s presence without any limits, or boundaries, or barriers separating us from His love and grace is going to be more than we can imagine. What’s Heaven going to be like for you? What are your expectations? How are YOU following Jesus’ way to get there? What do YOU need to change in your life to more authentically follow Jesus’ Way? May we have the humility to do whatever we need to, to follow Him home.

May God bless us on this Fifth Sunday of Easter, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit… AMEN !!!

St. Maria Goretti… Pray for us !!!