Come up there (Message of Light)
From the Gospel of John 12, 25:
He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life.
When, every morning, you wake up and around you, there are only people, animals, plants and stones, it is difficult to think that there is anything other than matter in this universe. When, in our environment, everyone is chasing material goods, how can we not get carried away by the same illusory desires? So, we leave the comfort of our home, then we put ourselves in the same whirlwinds of material quests. Since the battle is tough in the physical world, we turn to Heaven for help. We cling to this promise: “Ask and you will receive.” (Matthew 7:7). So, we say to ourselves: Heaven is generous… Why not take advantage of it? But, asking God for things, wanting to spend a good life here on earth, a life devoid of all suffering, is that the essential thing that brings us there?
We must realize that our life in the flesh has only one goal: to grow in spirit. And everything that Heaven gives us in this life is only a tool to get there… family, social position, houses and cars, land etc… only serve to teach us how to focus all our attention on what is essential, have the right reactions to situations and make the right choices. Unfortunately, the majority of people have a very different perception of their time on this earth. They think that a good life is led under coconut trees, sheltered from problems and bad weather. And this creates in us so many expectations that everything we say to God in our prayers is just a big pile of complaints and lamentations, which we call «requests»!
Asking for things from here below is good. But if we stop only at that, we are still far from celestial reality. Because putting all your energy into asking for perishable things, isn’t that showing little intelligence? Isn’t everything that Heaven gives us a treasure for us? And behold Christ says to us: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (Matthew 6:19-20). So, do we really agree with this Word of the Lord? Do we understand its scope? Do we love the quintessence of truth it conveys?
When the Lord asked King Solomon what he wanted, he chose wisdom, a heavenly good (1 Kings 3). This is what Christ advises us today. When we go to Heaven, we must aim higher than the fleeting treasures of this world. When, through meditation or other spiritual exercises, we rejoin Christ in the depths of our heart, it is appropriate to offer Him all our gratitude or simply to be there contemplating Him. Because gratitude means that we are happy with what he has already given us. Then he will give us more! And if, above all, we immerse ourselves in contemplation, it is proof of our detachment from matter. This rejoices the heart of God!
