The Sheepfold and the Voice of the Shepherd

Posted by on
Stone sheepfold John 10:22-30 Recently my boys have been spending a great deal of time outside in the area that will soon be transformed into our garden. They spend endless hours digging in the dirt for worms. They then promptly take those worms and throw them to the chickens. It amazes me how even chickens can learn to recognize sounds or voices. My oldest makes this funny high-pitched sound when he comes out of the house and heads toward the coop. The chickens practically fall over themselves running toward the fence or out of the coop when they hear him making his sound. They know there is food to follow! In Sunday's Gospel Jesus tells us that, "My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me." and "I am the gate for the sheep." Today, again, Jesus mentions that His sheep know His voice and follow Him.  In these few verses we learn that Jesus is both gate and shepherd for the sheep. In those days and even today in some places, a sheepfold w
0

Faces in Heaven

Posted by on

 Mark 12:18-27

Recently a friend shared that her daughter was concerned that she would not be able to see her mother's face in Heaven. In Heaven, before the Ressurection of the dead, while still separated from our bodies, she wondered if she would even recognize her mother.

While reading today's Gospel I was saddened to think that my wife of nearly 23 years would no longer be my wife in Heaven. When asked about the woman married 7 times and whose wife she would be, Jesus basically says that none of the men would claim her as his wife in Heaven.

The sentiments expressed by myself and my friend's daughter are those of love. They show that we appreciate what God has given us and are dearly afraid of losing that love forever. Her daughter loves her mother and cannot bear the thought of being without her. I love my wife and recoil at the idea of not being with her forever.

In the Gospel though, Jesus goes deeper into what Heaven will be like. Marriage, friendship, and blood relations are all temporary. This isn't to say that they are not important. These relationships are all ordained by God, but in a mysterious way they are to lead us closer to Him. They are a small, flawed but beautiful taste of His eternal love.

Will I recognize my wife in Heaven? Will my friend's daughter recognize her mother in Heaven? Will we recognize our ancestors, the individual Saints, and our friends? Absolutely! Will we be concerned that we no longer have our earthly relationships? Not at all!

The joy of Heaven will be so complete that we will miss nothing of our "vale of tears". Part of that joy will be the knowledge that comes to us of how God's plan worked throughout time and eternity for everyone's good. Like a great tapestry of life we will see the interconnectedness of every person's life with the common thread of God's love joining us together. We will be "like the angels in Heaven", not in nature but in knowledge and grace. We will rejoice in God's goodness, the fact that we will be together for eternity, and that nothing will ever separate us again; from each other or from Him!

Jesus says, "He is not God of the dead but of the living." This is a good reminder that you and I are immortal beings destined to live forever. This thought should not cause us to tremble but to run towards that goal, hand-in-hand, with those God has placed in our lives. We are supposed to live forever, this was the plan from the beginning. However, due to sin, this paradise has become the desert we must wander through like the Israelites of old, before reaching the promised land of Heaven. So, as St. Paul encourages us, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith. For the sake of the joy that lay before him he endured the cross..." (Heb 12:1-2)

If then, in this life we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, we can rest assured that in Heaven we will see His face and the faces of all those we love and who loved us here on earth.


Click here to read more from James M. Hahn - Blog - Books 
Check out his ongoing memoir about life with his special-needs daughter.

If you'd like to make a donation to help get this book about Catherine completed, our family would greatly appreciate that and you'll be the first to know when it's ready.

God bless you - Jim Hahn
* Contains affiliate links. No, that doesn't mean that the kids should leave the room. Rather, it means that if you click on a link, and if you purchase something, I may get some financial remuneration for that click and buy. All that means is that my kids will finally get to eat, just kidding but I may get something, just so you know...

Comments

Post a Comment