What was referred to as the foretaste of heaven

Mary Ann, O. Don't Neglect Your Vocation to Holiness. Catholic Exchange is a project of Sophia Institute Press. Email Login. Catholic Exchange. Mary Ann Fatula, O. Closeness with Jesus in the Eucharist St. Sharing a Heavenly Communion St. Presence of the Trinity Still another wondrous fruit of devoutly receiving the Lord in the Eucharist is a deepening of the presence of the entire Trinity within us.

By Sr. Subscribe to CE It's free. CE Podcast Finding Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati Christine M. Most Shared. All rights reserved. Two years ago, I had the powerful experience of, for the first time, attending a religious profession of vows.

I was deeply moved by the Mass and ceremony and this past August returned for the second profession as my friend, formerly Anna, now Sister M. Clare, went from being a novice to a junior professed sister of the Franciscan Sisters of the Martyr St. Columba in Hopewell Junction and have remained close to her family in the years that followed my transfer.

It was a wonderful grace to travel to Alton, Ill. The Mass was in a charming, old church and it was a blessing to be with almost 50 of my brother priests who had a connection to the sisters. Bishop Paprocki, ordinary of the diocese of Springfield, Ill.

Along with my friend were three young women who were becoming novices with the order after spending the year as postulants. During her profession, one of the new novices was clearly emotional, wiping away tears of joy as she made her vows. The church is so precious that the Son was willing to suffer the agonies of the cross and die in obedience to the Father so that this eternal love gift could become a reality.

That verse has nothing to do with earthly riches or material things. Christ was rich as God is rich — rich in glory cf. John Neither is the poverty spoken of an earthly poverty. Christ divested Himself of His glory. He went from sovereign supernatural deity, to taking upon Himself the form of a servant — and ultimately to a death on the cross in which all the force of divine wrath was poured out upon Him Col.

So the precious value of the church is seen here in the price that was paid, when the One who was as rich as God in fullness of glory, became as poor as someone alienated from God cf. And, to return to the point of 2 Corinthians , Christ did this so that we might become rich.

His dying made us heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ Rom. In other words, in giving up His heavenly riches, Christ made it possible for the church to share in those riches. That makes the church the most precious thing on earth. But I mean that the church is the one place where all that occurs in heaven also occurs on earth.

In what sphere is that most likely to occur? In the United States Congress? Not likely. In the Supreme Court? Probably not. In the university? City Hall? What goes on in heaven? If all the activities of heaven were to be brought to earth, what activities would predominate? First of all, worship. In every biblical description where men of God had visions of heaven, the one thing that stands out most is worship. Praise, adoration, and devotion are constantly being offered to God in heaven.

We see it, for example, in Isaiah , where the prophet Isaiah wrote,. I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

We see it in Revelation , where the apostle John wrote,. Worship is also one of the main activities of the church. There he describes activities whose design is both to worship God and to edify the worshipers. A second activity of heaven is the exaltation of Christ. And throughout all eternity we will be occupied exalting His name cf. A third activity that takes place in heaven is the preservation of purity and holiness.

Heaven is a holy place. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying. Likewise, the church on earth is charged with preserving purity within her own midst. Matthew lays out a process of discipline by which the church is to keep herself pure, if necessary through excommunication of members. An unrepentant person was said to be bound to his sin, and a repentant person was loosed.

Heaven is in agreement with their decision. When the church on earth excommunicates an unrepentant member, the elders of that church are simply declaring what heaven has already said.