The Sunday Sermon Archive

Dear Friend,

Heaven and Hell are eternal. It does not matter if we enter into eternity first or last because our eternity is neither shorter nor longer than anyone else's. There is no time in eternity, so there is no shorter or longer, no first or last. There are higher and lower depending on our nearness to God.

When we consider the parable presented to us in today's Gospel reading, we are inclined to think that those who worked the whole day were not fairly treated when those who only worked one hour were given the exact same wage. Some on this earth only live a very short while in the service of God, and others labor a lifetime or for very many years, but both receive the same reward of eternal happiness with God in Heaven. The joy of both is full and complete.

Perhaps the difficulty we perceive is because we have difficulty truly understanding eternity. There is happiness without end in Heaven, and there is misery without end in Hell. Those in Heaven are completely happy, and they cannot be any happier, and those in Hell are entirely miserable and cannot be any more miserable than they currently are. In eternity we will have reached our fullest capacity in one direction or the other. Change is not part of eternity, those in Heaven will never increase or decrease in their joy, and those in Hell will never increase or decrease their misery. Eternity is forever and unchanging.

With this in mind, we can see that we all receive the same reward. All those who merit Heaven receive the same compensation — eternal happiness to the fullest extent with God. Those who deserve Hell receive the same reward — eternal misery to the fullest extent in the absence of God. There is no real difference between those who entered Heaven when Jesus first opened the gates of Heaven compared to those who will enter last at the end of time. Nor is there any difference between those who entered Hell at the beginning of time and those who entered Hell at the end of time. Their rewards are the same, and it is fair and just.

Our spiritual life here on earth is sometimes compared to a race. This is so that we will put forth our strongest efforts. It is not that we should enter into Heaven first. Jesus has already taken the first place in the entrance to Heaven. Our goal is not to get ahead of anyone else but simply follow Jesus into Heaven. We must labor and love with our entire being while we are here on earth. If we put forth our all for the whole time we have left, then Heaven will be ours — regardless of whether we have one hour or hundreds of hours left to our life here on earth.

The devils tempt us too often to compare ourselves with others. There truly is no comparison with others because we are each very different. Each of us has our own lives, crosses, graces, etc. Jesus did not instruct us to learn from others or to imitate others. On the contrary, Jesus gave us Himself as our model and guide. We must compare ourselves with Him. How do we measure up to Him? We are to learn of Him because He is meek and humble of heart. We are to deny ourselves and take up our crosses daily to follow Him.

Those who have followed Jesus for a long time in this world should be grateful and rejoice that they have been found worthy. Those who have followed Jesus for a short while should be grateful and rejoice that they have been found worthy. Because we are all sinners and did not from the moment of our conceptions know, love, and serve God, we can all say with St. Augustine: "I have loved You late, oh My God. But I love You now and seek to love You more and more every day."

As we look around in this spiritual field of labor in this world, let us see fellow laborers, not competition. If we see someone fall, let us help him up. His entry into Heaven will take nothing away from our happiness in Heaven. On the contrary, his success will only add greater honor and glory to God and, therefore, greater merit for us.

We are all in this together. The question is not who works the longest or does the most, but rather that we all put forth our best efforts and give our all for as long as God desires. Let us call to others even in the last hour and encourage each other when we falter or fall. The loss of any one person is a loss for everyone. Every soul that is saved (no matter how) is a greater honor and glory to God and therefore to all the saints that are, or one day will be, in Heaven.

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