The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-06-03
LII.

poNBNt
the reality Of the personal relations between
the elect. Our Lord and the inspired writer's
of the New Testament characterize the state
and conditions of the blessed life in Heaven by
expressions and symbols that permit US to
forecast the invisible and future real lies.
Heaven is the Holy City. the supreme tural
Jerusalem. OF which the elect become the 'ter-
nal citizens: Heaven Is the Kingdom OF God.
whose subjects are governed by the law OF love
or charity; II Ia the banquet over which Christ
presides, who distributes, not to his servants
but TO his friends and his brothers.. the bread OF
eternal Truth and the generous wine OF Charity
Heaven IL the House Of the Father, the Heaven
emily Father, In which the rooms are extended
and multiplied, IN domo PATHS mel multr suns
mansones. City. Kingdom. Banquet. Fathers
House. all comparisons land l pass over others)
from which there stands out clearly the idea
of an assembly. a meeting. a society. a family.
whose members must necessarily see. know.
love each other. and must be linked to one an
other by bonds az indestructible as Heaven
itself. These comparisons force upon us with
crushing certainty the necessity OF relations
of the mind, the heart. the memory OF action.
among the members forming the permanent
City Of God, the Kingdom begun by Christ here
| DPIOW anu COTlVltttu III cdNth 'bo eue''S Nv
the Divine table. the sons Of God and the coheirs
OF Jesus, the children, In fine, OF the Father and
the citizens Of the Eternal Home.
Secondly-"Our Heavenly Home" reveals to us
one Of the most consolinR realities Of the Gospel,
1t is not guessed at by human reason. Never
could this have conceived Of the elevation OF
man to a die nifty and a privilege like the Divine
Filiation. Yet the fact is indisputable. The
apostle st. John declares that man by the grace
| of Christ not only deserves the title of the Child
Of God. but really Possesses that quality with
its rights and privileges. u nh Del month";
| emur ct SINUS. And according to the tasti-
mony Of st. Paul, man reRanerated by Jesus
| Christ. possesses His spirit which makes him
utter the cry.of;filial piety Abba Pofer. God
my Father"
Thirdly-Will you, moreover. turn your attan-
ton TO the first words at the beginning Of the
, prayer above all prayers. brought down from
Heaven to earth, on the divine lips Of our Iord2
Our Father which art in heaven" Yes. do
not these words reveal TO you the origin and tha
destination Of man. Does not Jesus Christ
forbid the giving Of the nams Father. in the alb
solut" sense. 20 any man, for He says: "Ya have
all but one Father, which Is in heaven. and ye
ara all brothars?" Does He not lay stress on
thu necessity of fulfilling the will Of tha Heaven
ly Father. and to try TO accomplish in US the
infinite perfection Of which He Ia thu eternal
and living ideal? II. therefore. Jesus Christ
spends time in convincing minds. in persuading
hearts of that marvellous Divine application"
IL Is because that doctrine was TO renew the
world bowed down for ages under the slavery
Of sin and the tyranny Of the devil. Radaemer
and Saviour, He intended TO found between
God and man. tha religion OF love which Is moth
Inc more than flial piaty. To love. to serve
God, as the best and the true Father. such is
the work Of the Catholic religion. Therefore
did lie take on a body and a soul like unto ours
in order to embrace humanity In His person
and to raise each one of US TO the dig unity and
enjoyment OF the rights gained by his merits
for tha adaptive but real children Of God.
Now Heaven is the home where God gathers
all who remain faithful TO the grace Of the
Divine Affiliation; 1t Is the House. Ia the word
OF the Gospel. where children DIVE around
the Father. How. then. can We suppose that
God constitutes a family whose members
remain strangers or indifferent to each other?
II a father delights In the numerous gathering Of
his children about his Preside how can we con-
ceive the heavenly flreside without friendly
and harmonious relations' To suppose and
assert this is to misunderstand the Gospel and
to insult the God. who. according to the mag
nifcent phrase Of st. Thomas Aquinas, infinite
love. has given himself TO man By a manifesto
ton and In a manner similar to His love.
Clinging to the old order Of demonstration. let
us ask for a proof for the nature and the object
of the greatest virtues. charity.
Fourthly Through charity We love God by
| preference above everything. above all men.
| above ourselves. 1t is the first and greatest
of the Divine commandments. The second,
says Our Lord. Is like the first. Thou shalt
| love thy neighbor "a thyself." Now. at the
| gate of Heaven all virtues are effaced by. OF.
better, are swallowed up In charity. Heaven
as a woman OF infinite wit has said. II the eternal
b~lQssoming Of charity. whose perfume is in
c~essantly renewed and that blossoming is
its reward. Now. Is Il not normal and logical
that charity to ones neighbor should receive
an adequate recompense2 What God com
pels you imperatively TO love Him. and 10 love
for His sake, a father. a mother, a wife. your
children. your friends and even those whose
sympathy are not brought close to your heart
by sympathy. and II could be admitted
that He prevents you from seeing and loving
In Heaven those whom the ties Of blood. OF
gratitude. OF sympathy, OF benefits have bound
close upon this earth? What. Jesus has loved
us a. Himself and the sign by which His united
disciples can tell one another Is brotherly
charity, aud yet at the gate Of Heaven He
would efYace and destroy that Divine sign!
What, again! You set up a God. infinite
love. that is jealous Of ~paternal. conjugal.
flial love: OF friendship. Of gratitude capable
Of suppressing all relation OF mind and OF heart
between children and parents. married people,
benefactors and Obliged. the oonquerors OF
souls and those they have conquered What
A Paul, an Ambrose. a Chrysostom. an Angus
tine, a Vincent de Paul. the modest and heroic
Sisters OF Charity, the Little Sisters Of the
Poor. the apostles Of devotion, should be de-
prived Of seeing and loving the countless souls
to whom they have opened the heavenly home!
The mother Of the Maccabees. Felicitas, Per-
petua. millions Of Christian mothers have con-
secrated their children to God, and that God
would separate them, through isolation or In
difference or ignorance, from those whom they
have borne for heaven in prayer and sacrifice
and tears! And you suppose that God. who In
creating mar placed first of all in his bowels
kindness, would be capable of such harshness!
How could God, the living and infinite love.
Deus chdritas est, belittle Himself and lose His
nature? That Ia impossible and you must be-
leve the words that fell from the heart Of our
Lord when He came back to life: Il ascend 10
my Father and your Father and 70 my God and
your God" Heaven, the house OF my God and