Dear Parishioners and Visitors,

About a month ago, I reread an ancient document on prayer.  It is something of a classic: a letter written by St. Augustine (354-430 A.D.) to a wealthy widow named Proba.  She had asked Augustine, who was a bishop at the time, for instruction and advice on how to lead a life of prayer.  Augustine writes to her about why we pray, how we should pray, and what intentions we should pray for.

Augustine’s short answer to the question “What should I pray for?” is this: “Pray for a happy life.”  I liked reading that; after all, all of us want to be happy.  After this short answer, Augustine goes on to examine the good things that can make us happy.  Of course, he supports prayer for all these good things.  Then he summarizes all the intentions that make for a happy life by quoting Psalm 27, verse 4: One thing I ask of the Lord; this I seek: to dwell in the Lord’s house all the days of my life, to gaze on the Lord’s beauty, to visit his temple. In this context, Augustine writes that a truly happy life is one that is directed towards heaven, where the happiness will be true, complete, and eternal.

This came to mind when I looked at the Scripture readings we will hear this weekend.  In the Gospel, Jesus tells us to provide for ourselves “an inexhaustible treasure in heaven”; he goes on to say, “Where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.”  These words lead to a definite conclusion: if our treasure is in heaven, and if our heart is wherever our treasure is, then Christ wants our hearts to be in heaven.  Okay.  It makes logical sense.  But how does this affect our daily life? 

Well, St. Paul tells us in our second reading this weekend that “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.”  It seems that “what is hoped for” and is not seen is heavenly glory.  So our life of faith is a life directed towards heaven.

Looking ahead towards that goal, keeping our eyes on the prize, is a good way to ensure that every step we take is in the right direction.  It also provides us with strong motivation to live the heaven-directed life we call faith.  This is a journey worth traveling: our difficult experiences are worth going through; our pleasant experiences are a foretaste of something even better.  In other words, the goal of heaven gives meaning to our earthly lives.

The life and teachings of Jesus Christ show us how the journey works.  Maintaining a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through prayer guarantees that we will never be alone on the journey.  In the good times, in the bad times, and in the in-between times, we know that Jesus has been through it all himself and, because we are united with him, he goes through all these things along with us.  Our goal will be the same as his: resurrection and eternal glory.  Together with you and together with Christ, I hope to keep on walking heaven-bound.

Blessings,

Fr. Philip