My dear parishioners, God says, “Behold, I make all things new.” [Rev 21:5] Our true destiny is life, eternal life, for our God is a God of the living. I believe anyone who is spiritually perceptive, who realizes human eyesight is not the only way to see, understands that God permits heavenly angels and saints to see and know the things of earth as well as heaven.
The heavenly angels and saints are not in a ‘happy hunting ground’ or ‘round-up corral’ somewhere. They are so much closer to us than human beings imagine. In truth, they and the whole heavenly realm are as near as your outstretched hand. Yet we mortals typically cannot see heaven, because our eyes of faith are weak, and we are not yet perfected. “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it yet dawned on man what God has prepared for those who love him.” [1Cor 2:9]
Great miracles occur when a person’s human eyesight and ‘eyes of faith’ converge for a few moments or more, and he beholds heaven and earth come together. His perceptions become extraordinary. He is able to see wondrous things, and into mysterious things, and know things that are truly beyond familiar human powers.
I believe great miracles are not so much events which appear to human eyes to be unique and unrepeatable. The true miracle takes place within in a person’s soul, the true form of his very own self. He is able to glimpse heaven, for a moment at least, the order of grace that surrounds the Church and her faithful always.
God’s heaven is as close as your outstretched hand. God’s heaven is nearer to you than your beating heart. The angels and saints surround us always, because heaven surrounds us always. This is why we speak confidently of the Mystical Body of Christ and the heavenly ‘Jerusalem’. The angels, saints and all our cherished departed are within our spiritual reach, our prayers, and our love.
Therefore, we hold fast to the heavenly promise: “Without having seen him you love him; though you do not now see him you believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy. As the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvation of your souls. [1Pet 1:6-9] Sincerely in the hearts of Jesus and Mary. Your pastor, Reverend Richard Barker