What's heaven like?

 Homily

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time 13 September 2020

St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center at the University of Kansas

AMDG +JMJ +m

One of Jesus' favorite lines is - the Kingdom of Heaven is like . . . . 

So what is heaven like?  Do you know?  It's this week's pivotal question.

Today's Gospel suggests than heaven is an intense, incredible experience of mercy.

Jesus' hyperbole is even more over the top than usual.

The debtor who is forgiven owes over 60 million day's wages.

The debtor not forgiven only owes 100 day's wages.

Heaven is being forgiven 60 million day's wages.  Hell is futilely trying forever to pay it back.

Have you ever felt that forgiven?  The opening prayer for today's Mass begs us to try to feel the effects of God's mercy.  I suppose we've all skipped out of confession or been relieved when after being caught, we heard the words I forgive you.

But have I experienced anything close to what Jesus is getting at in the Gospel?  Heaven is ultimate intensity of experienced.  There is nothing lacking, nothing boring, in heaven.  Experiencing the kind of mercy of owing 60 million day's wages and having someone else be crushed to pay it back - that's heaven.

It's something like me flying the plane into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, then watching Fr. Mychal Judge, a Catholic priest, Body Bag 0001, go in and out of love, suffer the consequence of my hatred.

I know you've never done anything that bad, but have you ever wanted to experience that level of mercy.  A mercy that lies at the heart of heaven, in the very heart of God, at the heart of all reality.Have you ever wanted to feel that kind of love, so that your heart could never be the same after?  So that you could never go back to your sin or your unforgiveness?

I want to feel that kind of mercy - it's what heaven is like.  Because I want to love that way too, and the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.

I really have no clue what the divine mercy of heaven really is!  Peter thought he did - we're supposed to forgive the perfect number of times, right Jesus - 7 times!  We are to perfectly forgive, right?

Ha!  Says Jesus - nice try, but not even close.  Heaven goes so far beyond the tolerance that I usually settle for - it's all good, don't worry about it - let's keep our social distance so it doesn't happen again.

Tolerance is not heaven.  Heaven is mercy - someone loving me so much he wants to be crushed by my sins.  Only if I ever get to feel the effects of this mercy, would I ever dare forgive someone not from my lips but from my heart.

Forgiveness from the heart.  It goes far beyond perfect forgiveness.  It is supernatural - it is divine mercy.  It's out of love for my enemy willingly allowing myself to be crushed by his sins.

Only an experience of mercy this intense is worthy of heaven.

And it can only be born of perfect contrition.  Jesus, I am looking at you right now. I can see and feel the effects of my sin crushing you.  Lord, I am sorry for hurting you.  Not of of fear but for love of you, I never want to hurt you again.

Nothing less than this perfect contrition would free me to in turn forgive my enemy not a perfect number of times - not 7, but 77 times, with a supernatural over the top forgiveness that can come from one place only.

You know the place where mercy is all in all.

It's what heaven is like.