Have you tried to imagine Heaven?

"On this mountain the Lord of hosts will provide for all peoples
A feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines." (Isaiah 25: 6).

Wednesday in the 1st week of Advent is the feast of St John Damascene (675 - 749) priest, religious, Doctor of the Church. Before his ordination to the priesthood in 726, he was finance minister to the Caliph.  His work of life was mostly study and writing where he produced books in dogmatic theology. But his defense of the use of images is his striking contribution to the history of the development of theology. Without John Damascene, we may not be able to use these images in worship or in our devotions: Sacred Heart, Divine Mercy, Mary and the Saints. Thank you St John Damascene.

When we celebrated the Solemnity of Christ the King, we reflected on the nature of the Kingdom that Jesus Christ came to establish.
We noted the core themes of His Kingship. Now let us recall the key attributes of the Son of Man from Daniel 7:

#1 Dominion and kingship
#2 Splendor
#3 Everlasting /eternal
#4 Indestructible
#5 Universal

Daniel saw clearly in the vision of the night Jesus Christ and the Kingdom He established through His death on the Cross.

Today, we are served the vision of Isaiah of the Kingdom, the New Earth. Isaiah calls it: "The Mountain." Consider some of the characteristics:

#1 Great Banquet
#2 No death. No tears.
#3 No sin. No reproaches.
#4 Universal reconciliation.

When you put together a composite of these visions, a very striking picture of the King and the Kingdom begin to emerge. Paul writes that no eye has seen, nor ear heard nor has it ever entered into the mind of man what God has prepared for those who love Him. The Sacred Scriptures give a tiny glimpse of that future.

Today's Gospel from Matthew 15 is a prefiguration of what will happen "on this Mountain."
"They all ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over—seven baskets full." (Matthew 15: 37). Abundance and generosity of God will be in full display.

I am very excited. How about you?

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com