On this holy day set apart for the Lord, Jesus invites us to go up the mountain with Him (Mt 5:1). There we can see for miles beyond planet earth even into eternity. We can see the heavenly hosts "from every nation and race, people and tongue" (Rv 7:9). We want to be in that number, go to heaven, and see Jesus face to face (1 Jn 3:2).
We ask Jesus how we can become a saint in heaven. He answers: "These are the ones who have survived the great period of trial; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (Rv 7:14). Saints are survivors who have received forgiveness for their sins. They are God's look-alikes. They are as they were created to be, in the image and likeness of God (Gn 1:27). Saints think like God, feel like God, talk like God. They are "like Him" (1 Jn 3:2). The Beatitudes tell us what God is like (Mt 5:3-12). They reveal the characteristics of a person "getting to look a lot like" Jesus.
Are you choosing poverty and a simple life? Are you repenting of sins? Are you trying to be lowly? Are rivers of mercy and peace flowing from you? Are you so single-heartedly committed to the Lord that you are a threat to the devil and a target of persecution? Are you "getting to look a lot like" Jesus?
| PRAYER: | Father, may I want to be a saint on earth and in heaven. May I have a family reunion in heaven without anyone missing. |
| PROMISE: | "Salvation is from our God, Who is seated on the throne, and from the Lamb!" –Rv 7:10 |
| PRAISE: | Alleluia! All you saints, praise the all-holy Lord! Alleluia! |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College