Jesus Is (Luke 20)
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In the early years of Peanuts (1955-56, to be precise), Charles Schultz had a recurring punch line that Linus would deliver. Lucy would call him inside for lunch, or tell him it's time to go to bed, or inform that he should color giraffes yellow rather than green, or warn him that he shouldn't eat cookies without washing his hands first, or admonish him for dancing too much with Snoopy. And Linus would respond by saying, "Five hundred years from now, who will know the difference?"
Linus is on to something. But his time frame is too limited. We are immortal beings with immortal souls. We will spend all eternity in heaven or hell. The question to ponder, as we make our way through our brief time here on earth, is this: "One hundred million years from now, who will know the difference?"
One hundred million years from now, we won't worry about who won the game last weekend. We won't worry about making the big sale at work. We won't worry about the weather or the election. We won't worry about how we look.
Our choices for good or evil, however, have eternal resonance. One hundred million years from now, it will matter if we fed the hungry or gave drink to the thirsty. It will matter if we shared the faith with others. It will matter if we forgave those who wronged us. It will matter if we offered up our sufferings, uniting them with the Lord's Passion for the salvation of souls. It will matter if we prayed for the sick and the dying.
The Hillbilly Thomists have a song on their latest album Marigold about the celebration when the prodigal son returns home - a celebration signifying the heavenly banquet. The song is called "When We All Get Together Tonight" and the refrain goes like this:
Couple of saints and a whole lot of sinners
But don't start talkin' 'bout the losers and the winners
When it comes to love we're all just beginners
And there's no point startin' a fight
Nobody here wants to go it alone
Everybody's just tryin' to find their way home
We'll talk about the journey 'til the morning light
When we all get together tonight
Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet every day for the salvation of souls. One hundred million years from now - when your eternity is just getting started - you'll be glad you did.
Michael Haverkamp Jr. is a lifelong member of the Roman Catholic Church. He is grateful to his parents for raising him in the faith. He resides in Columbus, Ohio with his amazing wife and three sons. By day he is a (usually) mild-mannered grant writer. You can read more of his writing at his blog, buildonrock.org.
