16 Nov 2016
When we go into something new, there’s often a time of “orientation.” When students go off to college they have to
go “orientation,” where people show them around. When St. Clare School has its parents’
evening at the start of the school year, it’s a time when the principal and
teachers can get parents acclimated to the place.
And, you know, even heaven has a time of “orientation.” When John is being shown heaven, and he’s
being exposed to all these new sights and creatures and sounds, it’s his time
of orientation—it’s his first steps toward getting acclimated to heaven. But it’s not just his orientation; it’s ours
as well.
As mysterious as heaven is—whether we call it heaven, or the
afterlife, or the New Jerusalem, or Paradise—as mysterious as it is, there is a
time of orientation for us. It’s an
experience we have to get used to. And
we have lots of help in getting used to heaven, even now. How many times do we hear Jesus say, “The
Kingdom of Heaven is like . . .” It’s
like a mustard seed, or the joy in finding a pearl of great price; it’s like
yeast in a loaf of bread, it’s like a kingdom where there’s a king; “The
Kingdom of Heaven is like . . .”
Jesus is our “tour guide” to heaven; he’s the one taking us
through our time of “orientation.” He’s
more than happy to tell us about heaven—in fact, he’s dying to show us what it’s
all about. And so, while there can be
hesitation about heaven, Jesus is right there to guide us into it. We just have to ask: Jesus, tell me more
about heaven. Show us where we’re
going. And he will.
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