By Fr. Roy Cimagala
Chaplain
Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)
Talamban, Cebu City
Email: roycimagala@gmail.com
Where our real treasure should be
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.” (Mt 6,19-21)
These are words of Christ that clearly tell us where our real treasure should be. We need to see to it that even as we immerse ourselves as deeply as possible in our earthly affairs, we do not lose our sense of heaven and eternity. In fact, the ideal is that as we go deeper in our temporal affairs, our sense of heaven and eternity should also become sharper.
This is always possible and doable as long as we are guided first of all by our faith rather than by our feelings and by our merely human estimation of things. Let’s always remember that it is our faith, our Christian faith, that gives the whole picture of our life—where we come from, where we are supposed to go, the purpose of our life here on earth, the true value of our mundane concerns, etc.
Let’s be theological in our thinking and reaction to the things of this world. For that, we of course would need some training. It should consist of always referring things to God, whatever they may be—good or bad, a success or a failure, a victory or a defeat, etc. We need to feel the urge to do so.
This may sound like a fantastic and overwhelming exercise, but I believe it is something necessary for us to do if we want to have the proper priorities in life, and thus to be properly guided. Especially these days when we are bombarded with so many fascinating things that can confuse us and lead us astray, we should consider this exercise as indispensable.
Heaven is where our eternal definitive home is. It is where we see God face to face and share in his very divine life that is meant for us. As St. John would put it in his first letter, “We know that when Christ appears, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is.” (3,2) Heaven is our ultimate goal, to which all our other goals in life have to be oriented and subordinated.
Meditating on heaven might sound like an impossible exercise, since we have been warned by St. Paul himself that “eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Cor 2,9)
But this warning should not stop or discourage us from meditating on heaven. If at all, the unfathomable mystery that heaven is, should only prod us to be ever so curious about it. It is not meant to be a wet blanket, but rather a rouser.
We have to train our mind and heart as well as our feelings and senses to conform themselves to this truth of our faith. In our personal prayers and meditations, let us consider from time to time the reality of heaven and reinforce that primitive yearning we have in our heart for a life without end, for a happiness that has no limits, which can only take place in heaven.