It’s that time of the year again.  School is getting out.  Folks are home from college.  Work schedules lighten up for a lot of people.  And we’re entering into vacation season.  Especially this weekend, with the three-day Memorial Day weekend, we’re kicking off the summer and getting ready to travel.  Lots of people already have travel plans for this summer.  It doesn’t matter if you’ve made plans to go to Florida or to Grandma’s house in Ft. Wayne, it’s nice to get a break and get away.   And it amazes me, at all the things that people will do to get ready to go on vacation.  They plan routes and make reservations.  They get the car all serviced and ready to go.  They read up on where they are going and what they are going to get to see.  Some people buy a new camera, or extra film, or another memory card for their cameras.  Some people get new clothes, or new luggage, or new gadgets before they go on a trip.  You love this, I have this one friend, who every year before he goes on vacation, he gets all-new underwear and socks.  I kid him about being afraid of dying on the road in his old underwear and socks.  But every year, Fruit of the Loom is very happy that my friend takes a trip.  You probably have your own routines and traditions.  Some people like to have everything planned out.  And some people like to fly by the seat of their pants.  And yet many times, what we do to get ready for our trip, really makes a big difference in what we get out of our vacation.  This same lesson holds true when it comes to eternal life.

      Today we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension.  Today is not only our day to celebrate Jesus’ going home to Heaven, but it is also our preview of where we are eventually also going to go.  Where Jesus has gone, we too are going to follow.  And if we get excited about our summer vacations and our trips in this world, just think about how much more excited we should be about Heaven!  Vacations are for a short time.  Heaven is forever.  If ever there is a trip that we want to plan for, and get ready for, and prepare for, it is our trip home to Heaven.  Why, oh why, don’t we talk more about this?  I’m always so amazed that Christians talk more about Hell, than they do Heaven.  If any thing, if any part of Jesus’ message, should definitely help us to want to follow Him, it is Heaven!   And today, my brothers and sisters, is our celebration of Heaven!  Not just for Jesus, but for all of us!

       The question we have to ask ourselves today is what are we doing to get ready to go to Heaven?  We do all kinds of things to get ready for our summer vacations.  What are you doing for your trip home to Heaven?  It’s a much bigger deal.  And, what are YOU doing to get your spouse, your kids, your parents, your friends, your neighbors ready to go to Heaven?  We have an accountability for one another.  Our time to get ready is right now.  We have today, now.  We might not have tomorrow.  There are no guarantees.  Our time to get ready for Heaven, our time to follow Jesus and imitate His love, is right now.  Think about that!  We put off, and we put off, and we put off, what we should be doing, and then some day, one day, we’re going to get caught unprepared.  And let me tell you, its one thing to find yourself unprepared on your summer vacation.  Maybe you forgot to check the air in the tires.  Maybe you didn’t bring enough cash along.  Maybe you packed the wrong kind of clothes.  All of those things can be fixed.  And yet, my brothers and sisters, it is a whole other thing to find yourself unprepared for Heaven on the day that you leave this world.  You want to do everything that you possibly can, to be ready for Heaven. 

        How are you doing?  Do you know God?  More importantly, does God know you?  Are you using your time in this world wisely?  Or have you pretty much only thought of yourself?  Are you learning and practicing the ways and values of Heaven right now, while you’re in this world?   Are you sharing your time, your talents, and your treasure with God, giving back to God Who has given everything to you?  Jesus has given us the directions to follow Him home to Heaven.  We have to live the life now, not just talk about it.  We are to truly be, in our thoughts, our words, and our actions, Christians – citizens of His eternal Kingdom!

        This is a day to celebrate and rejoice.  And it is also a day to prepare and get ready.  Heaven is one heartbeat away for all of us.  Let us be prepared.  For now, let us be warned.

May God bless us on this Feast Day,  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…AMEN !!!

St. Maria Goretti…Pray for us !!!