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Life is Fragile

Thursday, December 6th, 2012

Thursday of the First Week of Advent

Is 26: 1-6; Mt 7: 21, 24-27

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Fragile!  That’s what life and our plans in this world are- fragile.  And yet most of the days of our lives are spent dealing with our goals and objectives based on optimizing our fragile earthly existence.  Whether it be our health, our security, or our relationships, we need to make sure we don’t build these things on sand, but on rock.  Because ultimately, we will pass away, these earthly things will pass away, and all our efforts can come to nothing.

We are in Advent, a time when we are called to reflect on the coming of Christ and what that means to us.  This morning, we are concerned with the second coming of Christ when all of us will be judged on the basis of our lives.  Jesus makes it clear, that we should build our houses, our lives as Christians if you will, on something solid, like rock, rather than on sand  Because not all those who cry “Lord, Lord” will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Now there are those who claim that they believe, but they concern themselves with building a life based on the passing sand of today’s secular world.  Given your status in life, whatever it is, which I liken to a building site, you can choose to settle into the life God gave you in a certain way, one that is built on sand; or alternately, one built on a foundation that will last into the Kingdom of God.

So then, what kind of foundation passes the test?  Well, Isaiah says it clearly this morning.  He says that those will be saved who are:  “A nation that is just; one that keeps faith; and one with a firm purpose; trusting always in God.”  These are the folks who will be welcomed into the Kingdom of God.

I think the Faith part of it is absolutely critical.  We all not talking about the kind of faith that involves what we believe in as much as the kind of faith that says:  “I trust in the Lord that he will be with me at all times and guide me at each moment to do the right thing.”  And the right thing is what we feel in our hearts is right whenever we have a choice to make.  That will be a course of action that is just in the eyes of God, a firm purpose that holds to the right thing, no matter what.

I don’t know how many of you have seen the new film Lincoln.  But I think the message in the movie is a perfect example of what we are talking about in building our houses on rock vs sand.  It was Lincoln’s task to deal with the issue of slavery at a critical time in our history.  Lincoln understood that our nation had to be built on equality for all and despite the politics and pressures of the day, he held to that conviction through thick and thin.  Lincoln pursued justice with firm resolve and passed the thirteenth amendment that freed us of slavery because he trusted always that God would be with him if he did the right thing.

Today’s world is full of sand.  Our challenge is to find the rock on which we build our lives. The rock we seek is real faith and trust in God.  If we build our lives on that then fragile as our human existence may be, when we pass on for judgment into the Heavenly Jerusalem, we will have survived the rain and floods and turmoil of life and will still be standing tall at the Last Judgment.

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The End of the World For Us

Thursday, November 29th, 2012

Thursday of the 34th Week in Ordinary Time

Rev 18: 1-2, 21-23, 19: 1-3, 9a; Luke 21: 20-28

By Deacon Larry Brockman

 

Sounds so ominous, doesn’t it?  Both of these readings describe terrible images of suffering- pregnant women in agony and running to escape; evil beings caged in their filth forever; people dying by the sword; people dying of fright; the powers of heaven shaken.

I think it helps to put all this in context.  We are in a transition between the end of the Church year and the beginning of the Church year, Advent.  Advent heralds the coming of Christ.  But there are really two comings of Christ- the Nativity, and the Last Judgment.  The readings during the transition emphasize the Last Judgment, because the end of the year symbolizes the end of life.

Many of our Protestant brethren claim this is a literal prophecy of the second coming of Christ.  They then try to predict when and where all this will happen.  But most of the Catholic interpretations are different.  For example, the early Church Fathers who analyzed the scriptures in the 3rd through 6th centuries were pretty well in agreement that the events predicted by Jesus here and some of those in Revelation, were already fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem in the year 70 AD.  These events, they say, only have symbolic significance for what happens to those who are not saved at the Last Judgment.

On the other hand, take note of what Jesus says in verses 27 and 28.  “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.  But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand”.  Wow!  This is a wonderfully optimistic message for all of us.  Yes, we, those who are confident at the Last Judgment should stand erect because we will be about to experience our redemption and heavenly reward.

Later on in Luke Jesus tells people not to be drowsy because of preoccupation with things of this world, rather, they are to be alert and aware.  Certainly, if our attention, our focus, our priority is on something other than our salvation while we are alive; and we are not in tune with the Lord in our lives, then if we die unexpectedly; we will be startled by the immediate prospect of Christ’s coming amongst the clouds and approaching us for the Last Judgment.  And that’s really what this is all about.

Notice particularly that we should stand erect when all these things begin to happen.  So those negative things are happening to those who are afraid of Christ at the Last Judgment right from the beginning of their after life experience either because they don’t recognize Him and run away to their own devices; or they who know they have done evil.  But to those who are confident Christians, they have nothing to fear.

So, we should take comfort out of today’s readings, rather than fear, because as our Psalm says today:  “Good indeed is the LORD,  Whose love endures forever, whose faithfulness lasts through every age.

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Accepting Changes in Status

Thursday, November 15th, 2012

Thursday of the 32nd  Week in Ordinary Time

Phil 7-20: Luke 17: 20-25

By Deacon Larry Brockman

It can be very difficult; yes, very difficult indeed for us to accept changes in someone’s status, especially if it turns the social order upside down.  But that’s what happened in the story of Philemon.

 

You see, Onesimus was a slave in the Philemon household.  Then he escaped; and after that he somehow became a companion to Paul.  Converted, and now accepted by Paul as a brother in Christ, Onesimus was sent back to Philemon’s household, and Paul is sending this letter along with him as a sort of credential.  Paul is asking Philemon to accept Onesimus as a brother.

 

Now, as you can just imagine, that is asking a whole lot.  An escaped slave would be considered a significant “property” loss.  So anger, resentment, gall, thoughts of reprisal- all these things probably came to Philemon’s mind; and probably pressure from Philemon’s wife Apphia as well!  After all, it would have been Apphia who lost the actual help.

 

Now even though Paul has some standing in the community as a founder of the Church there, standing which gives him the right to “order” rather than “ask” this favor; Paul is not ordering but asking- asking for Onesimus to be accepted as a brother out of love.  Paul is asking for a huge adjustment from Philemon out of the goodness of his heart.  And that would be difficult, very difficult.  Because he is being challenged to let go of his biases and feelings and personal interests, and to accept everyone, even this renegade, as a brother in Christ without strings.

 

All of us are challenged to do the same, accept our neighbors with respect and love, even when status changes between us, and in some cases, the pecking order even flips.   But this kind of challenge happens all the time doesn’t it?  Someone else gets the promotion at work, maybe someone who worked for you;  someone else is chosen as head of the ladies group- maybe even the person you introduced;  someone else is chosen as the team captain at school; or even someone you knew from the past who all of a sudden is in a position of authority over you.

 

And why is it so important to accept them as a brother in Christ?  Because stature in this world is not where our ultimate happiness or stature lies.  That is one of the main points of the Gospel.  The Kingdom of God just is- it is among us.  And whatever the order of things, we are called to love our neighbor.  All will eventually be made known to us.  But for now, love is the answer.

 

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Evangelizing in the Year of Faith

Thursday, October 25th, 2012

Thursday of the 29th Week in Ordinary Time

Eph 3: 14-21: Luke 12: 49-53

By Deacon Larry Brockman

 

Something we should all keep in mind is that the Father has named all Families.  In other words, He acted as the Father of all the peoples in heaven and on earth; and in so doing, He named, that is, created not just the Americans, but the Chinese, the Arabs, the Europeans, the Indians, and everyone else.  They were all made by Him; somewhat differently, indeed; but He made them all what they are for his own glory and praise.  And for whatever reason, God has inspired His people in different ways to come to knowledge of Himself.  And so, there are different Religious traditions- Hindus, Buddhists, Confucists, Taoists, Jews, Muslims, Christians, and so on.  All of these traditions recognize the need for a higher purpose in life than life as we know it; and most of them recognize that there is an architect of life and creation- God.   But to you and I, God gave something really special.  He has given us a clearer, more direct vision of Himself and our destiny.  We have been given the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Gospel, the Resurrection, and the path to Eternal Life.  And that, compared to the other traditions, is special.

   

Now Pope Benedict has declared this year the year of Faith.  His reasons are multiple:  The secular world has drifted away from God; and the truth, which we hold, is not being spread to all peoples.  We have also fallen victim to the idea of live and let live.  We hold to an unhealthy, and I might even say, an ungodly extreme of living and let live called pluralism- one in which we look the other way to evil and the devil under the guise that everyone is entitled to their own belief and opinion.

   

And so, the time has come for us to return to our roots.  Our roots are based on Faith- Faith in Jesus Christ, the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Gospel, the Resurrection, and Life Everlasting; and the living of that Faith in such a way that others will see it in action.  Our living of Faith should be so compelling that, just as in the early days of Christianity, the secular world will see it and be impressed by it, even when we are persecuted.  Our living in Faith should be as zealous as that implied in today’s Gospel by Jesus.  Clearly, Jesus was brimming over with excitement to fulfill the will of God and His destiny.  Because He knew that He would rock the World with controversy, with truth and the message of everlasting life for all who believe.  Jesus was not passive, but passionate and active.  And that is what we are called to be as well- zealous, passionate and active for Christ.

   

How?  By lobbying for and voting for people who represent Christian values; by showing our Christian Faith in what we say and do even when it is politically incorrect; by patient and loving tolerance of others, but without compromising our values at the same time.  For example, we need to be thankful to God, not just some abstract feeling of thankfulness, at Thanksgiving.  And it is Christmas, not the Holidays, that is coming up on our calendars.

 

In short, it is time for us to be enthusiastic for the Lord in all we do and say so that the rest of the World comes to know the Jesus we know. 

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All Things Are Vanity

Thursday, September 27th, 2012

Thursday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time

St. Vincent de Paul

Eccl 1: 2-11; Luke 9: 7-9

By Deacon Larry Brockman

 

So, “Nothing is new under the sun”.  And yet, our culture would like us to think otherwise.  Run out and get your new I-phone 5; or the new 3D TV technology; a new car with hybrid technology; or the latest in this year’s fashions.  We are getting close to the big shopping season when we will be told of all kinds of things new under the sun that we should run out and be the first to get.  But not according to our first reading.  So, which way is it?  

 

Well, it’s pretty clear the Bible, and not our society, has it right.  No matter how important any of the things of this life may seem to us, they are ultimately all passing away.  We can’t take them with us; and they don’t have any meaning where we all hope to go anyway. 

 

So what is the point of that first reading- to depress us?  I think not; rather, I think it is meant to uplift us.  Because these words from Ecclesiastes remind us that the world, and all the things that are of this world, whether they be fame, riches, power, possessions- whatever it may be of the world that captures our fancy- don’t make us happy.  Oh, they may fascinate us for a while, but eventually we get bored with them and ultimately they go away.  What remains is God and things of God.  The gifts of the Holy Spirit include Joy and Peace- these are the things that bring ultimate happiness.  And we have each other, because we form the body of Christ.  Lastly, we have the promise of everlasting life if we believe in God and His revelation to us; but we have to believe it enough to live our faith.  Those are the sources of happiness that lasts.

   

It isn’t so much that we should reject the things of the world but rather that we put them into the proper perspective.  They are gifts; we are stewards; and some of us have been more fortunate than others.  Consider that John the Baptist was very fortunate in the eyes of God.  He was, in Jesus’ own words, the greatest of men born of a woman, yett poor relative to the least in the Kingdom of God.  John lived a Spartan life; and did not hang on to the things of this world.  But He just did the will of God- acting as Jesus herald.  Look what happened to him in as told in today’s Gospel.  He was beheaded by the man of power.  Today, we honor John as saint; and can only hope that Herod repented of his way.  

 

Today is the feast of St. Vincent de Paul.  How appropriate that we be reminded today that the things of this world are passing.  Because if we can learn to share what we have rather than hoard it, we will have all learned the lesson of our first reading min a spirit of joy.  That all things are vanity, and there is nothing new under the sun.   

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Dealing With Reality, Not Appearances

Thursday, September 20th, 2012

Thursday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time

1 Cor 15: 1-11; Luke 7: 36-50

By Deacon Larry Brockman

 

Appearances can be deceiving- like in today’s Gospel.  First, there is the respected man of God- the Pharisee; and then there is the sinful woman.  Jesus praises the sinful woman, and pretty much blasts the respected man of God.  Why? Because of what is in their hearts and how that plays out in their lives.

   

The Pharisee is comfortable with himself and his position.  He has learned all the rules and is following them.  He thinks he has it made right where he is.  The sinful woman is not comfortable with herself.  She has broken all the rules and knows it.  She realizes something must be done.  Both have heard the message of Jesus.  The Pharisee is seeking validation by association.  It’s like he is saying:  “I will invite this man, the latest crave among the people, to my home; and by association with him, my perfect life will be validated.”  But the sinful woman wants only a chance to be forgiven.  She hears the message of Jesus, believes and repents.  She demonstrates her contrition and faithfulness with actions not words.  On the one hand, we have complacency, comfort and inaction.  On the other hand, we have faith, contrition, and growth.

   

St. Paul echoes the faith and humility of the sinful woman.  He persecuted the Church, and he realized his sin.  But by the grace of God- the grace of God- he saw the light, and became a believer.  And by the grace of God, he said “I am what I am”.  Yes indeed, Paul was the greatest of the evangelists to the Gentiles.  Similarly, by the grace of God- after hearing the message, repenting, and coming to believe, the sinful woman reaches out and does something.    Do we see this contrast today- this contrast between people like the Pharisee who have settled in on a way of life and the sinful woman who realizes that more is required of her?  Because Jesus message applies to us today as well.

 

God is always calling us to change, to conversion.  It is a life-long process.  Our growth as Christians isn’t over when we become confirmed and go out into the secular world to make a living; it doesn’t end when we have children; it doesn’t end when the children grow up; and it doesn’t end when we retire.  Our challenge to recognize our imperfections; repent; and trust in the will of God, to move out and do something that grows us as Christians, is always there till the day we die. 

  

Our humility and willingness to respond to God come from the heart.  They are not always visible from the image we portray.   Indeed, don’t let appearances be deceiving.   

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Following The Spirit, Not the Teacher

Thursday, September 6th, 2012

Thursday of the 22nd Week in Ordinary Time

1 Cor 3: 18-23; Luke 5: 1-11

By Deacon Larry Brockman

 

A fish story!  We just heard a whopper of a fish story.  So, let me ask this:  What is the point of catching all those fish, and then just leaving them all on the beach?  After all, these men, Peter, James, and John depended on those fish for their livelihood. 

You see, the point is that this fish catch just so monumental that the fish simply don’t matter afterward.  These fisherman- Peter, James, and John, knew what they were doing.  They had years of experience, the wisdom of the world on fishing.  They fished when the tide was right, at the right time of the day, and in the right places- and nothing.  And then, this fellow comes along, and tells them some things about God from the boat, and after that, contrary to everything they know, that is, contrary to all their worldly and conventional wisdom, He tells them to put out their nets and fish.  And the catch is monumental, the best of their lives.  It’s like someone coming up to you at the lottery counter,   Whispering in your ears the numbers to play, and walla, you win the $50M jackpot!  It was a billion to one chance or better.  It just blew them all away, and so, they followed Him and forgot about the fish. 

  

After the Resurrection, Peter, Paul, and Apollos went through the countryside, and as Paul recounts to the Corinthians, each of them passed on a part of the wisdom of Jesus.  People were divided, not unified like that band of fisherman- divided because they were looking for the part of the message that matched their liking rather than the integrated message, the wisdom of God.  And God’s wisdom, like Jesus teaching was less directed at specific avenues of thought or action by individuals.  Rather, it was “trust in me, and the Spirit working in me, and just follow me; just follow my word”.  The Corinthians were putting their efforts into arguing about parts of the message, rather than living the message.  They weren’t letting the spirit of God carry them away like it did the Apostles. 

  

Now Paul goes on to say that whether it was Paul or Peter or Apollos, they all belong to you and to me.  Yes, God’s word and spirit was working through each of them.  And not only that, but the inspiration shared through these three great teachers belongs to all of us, just as we should belong to Christ- that is, follow His will for us; and just as Christ belonged to God, that is, followed God’s will for Him.  Paul is exhorting them to get with the teaching rather than argue about it, and let the spirit carry them away as God wills. 

  

Are we like the fisherman in the Gospel, or like the Corinthians?  God’s message is one of spirit and life.  We are supposed to grab onto life, and live it to the fullest in the ways that God prompts us.  Yes, we need to know about God and what is right and wrong.  But God prompts us to be unselfish, concerned for others, and supportive of each other- not just concerned for self.  When it’s about you, what you think, what you want, controlling your destiny, picking and choosing from what God tells you through his teachers to suit your agenda, then you’ve got it wrong, just like the Corinthians did. 

  

Indeed, when you get it right, you will echo the words of our psalmist this morning:  “Who may go up the mountain of the LORD?   Who can stand in his holy place?  The clean of hand and pure of heart, who are not devoted to idols, who have not sworn falsely.  They will receive blessings from the LORD, and justice from their saving God.  Such are the people that love the LORD, that seek the face of the God of Jacob.”   

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Love and Forgivness

Thursday, August 23rd, 2012

Thursday of the 20th Week in Ordinary Time

Ezekiel 36: 23-28: 31-34; Mt 22: 1-14

By Deacon Larry Brockman

Love and forgiveness!  Isn’t it amazing how much Love God has for us, and how far He is willing to go in forgiving us.  The Israeli people ignored the prophets over and over again; ignoring God’s commandments; worshiping false gods; and doing wrong in the sight of the Lord.  And the consequences of their actions were the defeat and exile of the Jewish people.  It was humiliating for them; but it was even more of an insult to their God, because the Lord was the one true God; all powerful and loving.  He had delivered His people from trials; but could not deliver them from themselves and their own evil.  They had to meet him part of the way- they had to at least try to follow His example.  And so, as Ezekiel says, the Israelis had profaned His name; they had turned their back on the legacy of salvation.  Even so, the Lord swept them from wherever they were exiled, and reestablished the Israeli Kingdom.  He gave them yet another chance, such was His love and forgiveness for His people.

   

Jesus parable is a story about love and forgiveness as well.  Jesus talks about a King who invites his people to a joyful and festive celebration- not strangers, but his own people.  But they ignored him; turned their backs on him; and went about their own business.   And that is not all.  The king sends a second set of messengers to the people.  As a loving king, he is willing to forgive them of their selfishness and invite them a second time.  But his messengers are treated all the worse.   

Now of those who did come to the party, there were some who half-heartedly responded to the king.  They came, but they came on their terms.  It was a special celebration to the king; but these few didn’t see it that way.  They didn’t even bother to dress to the occasion.  And so, there are limits to the love and forgiveness of God.  God’s love is unconditional; but it is not unlimited.  Ultimately, God’s offer to love and to forgive us is limited by our need to respond, to reciprocate, to recognize that God’s will is primary and our will must be secondary.

   

One of the worst pains that we suffer in this world is unrequited love; love that you have for someone else, but it is not returned.  Can you sense that kind of pain in the King in the parable?  I certainly can.  And while God is limitless and infinite; He cannot supply both parts of a two way relationship.  And so, by definition, His love and forgiveness have to be limited.

 

Today we would do well to reflect on these aspects of our relationship with God.  Are there areas where you and I are not meeting God at all?  Is there a wall between you and God that has been constructed by your own will in some area- some area where you don’t ask for forgiveness, don’t admit to your sinfulness, or don’t share your love; perhaps because of pride, preoccupation with our own agenda, or lust for things or power?  Are there areas where you don’t let God in, and don’t respond to His invitation.  If there are, remember Jesus’ parting words: “many are called, but few are chosen”. 

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Resurrection of the Body

Wednesday, August 15th, 2012

Assumption

Rev 11: 19a, 12:1-6a, 10ab; 1 Cor 15: 20-27; Lk 1: 39-56

By Deacon Larry Brockman

 

A paradox!  Life is a paradox, because all of us will experience physical death.  And yet, as our first reading predicts, at the second coming of Christ, humanity’s last enemy, death, will be destroyed, and destroyed forever.  That means that none of those who are saved will really die.  So, all of us are going to die; and yet all of us who are saved will not die but live forever- seemingly a paradox.   

 

I just attended my Cousin Jack’s funeral Monday.  He was the first of my generation in my family to die.  It brought home to me the reality of my own mortality; and that got me thinking about the real implications of the Assumption.  Our church teaches that when we die, we don’t really die; rather, we transition to a different kind of life.  It’s the resurrected state of life in the Kingdom of God that Paul talks about in Corinthians.  But that is not all, because somehow, we will all be reunited with our bodies after the Last Judgment.  Recall that we profess just that in the Apostles Creed.  When we say “I believe in the resurrection of the body”!   

 

Now Jesus lived amongst His disciples for 40 days after Easter in His resurrected body.  So there is the first instance of a resurrected body.  Today, the feast of the Assumption we celebrate a second incidence of a human who remains in their resurrected body- the Blessed Mother.  And so, the implications of the Assumption are clear.  It is not just God the Son, Jesus, who somehow will retain His body in the resurrected state in the kingdom of God but as promised, Christ has conquered death for all of us who are saved, so all of us humans will be reunited with our bodies somehow as well.  Mary is proof of that, and Mary has been seen over the centuries in her resurrected body by many.  She was and is not divine, but fully human, just like you and I.  And so, life remains a paradox- our bodies die, yet somehow, we will not die but will ultimately live forever reunited with our bodies when Christ returns.   

 

Now there are a couple of important points to make about all of this.  First, how we can be reunited with our bodies, and just what will these bodies be like. Well, these are mysteries- like the incarnation and the resurrection of Jesus are mysteries of faith.  Yes, like many of the tenets of our Faith, we are called to believe in these mysteries of faith. 

 

Second, the experiences of Mary and Jesus in their resurrected bodies are validation of the reality of both the promise of our resurrection and life in the kingdom and the actual demonstration of that reality.  So, although we are called upon to accept as a mystery how all that happens; we have been gifted with the demonstration of that reality through the Gospel account of Jesus resurrection and the appearances of Mary throughout history.   

 

For most of us, when a loved one dies, it seems as if a permanent wall comes down that separates us from them.  We say that we believe that they continue to live, only life has changed for them, but for us, they seem so totally gone.  It’s part of the grieving process that we go through.  Sometimes that feeling of grief is so great that it can cause both doubt in the resurrection, and fear of death of ourselves in our minds.  We see that apparent permanent wall, and it just seems so daunting and real.  Well, that’s what makes the Assumption, and the centuries of validated appearances of Mary, so important for us to recognize, because Mary lifts for us that veil of separation.   

 

In the reading from Corinthians today, Paul says it all very well from a theological perspective.  Christ was raised; the first fruits.  And all of us will follow in the right order when Christ returns.  So, we really don’t need to fear death at all.  But, do we really believe that.  Most of us want validation, and Mary’s Assumption that we celebrate today, is part of our validation.   

 

So rejoice, because our Blessed mother has shown us the reality of our future destiny.  Life everlasting, reunited in our bodies, in the Kingdom of God.

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The Ultimate Covenant- the Kingdom of God

Thursday, August 9th, 2012

Thursday of the 18th Week in Ordinary Time

Jeremiah 31: 31-34; Mt 16: 13-23

By Deacon Larry Brockman

 

Lest we become too critical of Israel for breaking the covenant that the Lord made with them as we listen to the first reading, consider this:  Haven’t we broken our covenant with God as well?  Not just the covenant of Moses’ day, but rather, the New Covenant, the covenant promised in the New Testament? 

 

Jesus promised us Eternal life if we believed that He was the Savior.  That’s right, first we must really believe, and then we must follow after Jesus by using His example, the example left in the Gospel, the new way of living life, by first discerning and then doing the will of the Father, just like He, Jesus did.   

 

And yet, which of us is not guilty of failing to do all that?  In the Gospel, Jesus confirms in his talk with Peter and the disciples, straight up, that He is the Messiah.  And he also tells Him straight up, that by following the will of His Father, He, Jesus, will suffer at the hands of the Jewish leaders, and then die, be buried, and rise from the dead.  And what does his main man Peter do?  This man who is living right alongside the God made man, who tells Jesus that he believes He is the Messiah?  He doubts Him. He even rebukes Him for suggesting such a thing.     

 

How about us, are we any better than Peter?  How many times have we doubted, and not really believed?  Belief implies trust, forbearance, patience, and calmness whenever we are confronted with trials.  It means always knowing in our hearts, that is, believing with our hearts, that God is with us no matter what happens to us.  And there is something else that we need to believe as well.  Because if we believe that God is with us, and we bear up to whatever trials we are tested with, then we need to believe that the reward is great.  Jeremiah sums the reward up very well this way:  “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD.  I will place my law within them, and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  No longer will they have need to teach their friends and kinsmen how to know the LORD. All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD, for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more”.   

 

Yes indeed, “after those days”, the days of our life on this earth, we shall all know Him, and our sins will be forgiven forever- such tremendous consolation, and such is our reward, to know God forever; to be in perfect harmony with Him; and to live happily with everyone else who is saved.  Amen! 

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