Economics of Heaven 101

Do not ignore this one fact, beloved,                                                     
that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years
and a thousand years like one day.
The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard "delay,"
but he is patient with you,
not wishing that any should perish
but that all should come to repentance.
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief,
and then the heavens will pass away with a mighty roar
and the elements will be dissolved by fire,
and the earth and everything done on it will be found out.



Since everything is to be dissolved in this way,
what sort of persons ought you to be,
conducting yourselves in holiness and devotion,
waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God,
because of which the heavens will be dissolved in flames
and the elements melted by fire.
But according to his promise
we await new heavens and a new earth
in which righteousness dwells.
Therefore, beloved, since you await these things,
be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace.

There have been a lot of wise men and women in the Church that have taken 2 Peter's message to heart and lived a life where the economics of heaven is more important to them than the economics of earth. These fortunate people have a different view of the universe than most of us have. 

Let's take St. Francis of Assisi as an example.  He understood that the things of this world were temporary. He understood that he needed a certain amount of food and water and shelter in order to live and he spent as little of his life as possible in seeking this absolutely small amount.  Even the little bit that he allowed himself would be given away to someone who was in greater need of it.  On the other hand, Francis would not take a king's ransom in exchange for his relationship with Jesus.  He valued that more than anything that this world had to offer him.  St. Francis became St. Francis because he understood the value of things both temporal and eternal. 

In this letter, we are being reminded that what we see as delay on God's part, is not delay, but His patience with us.  He wants all of us to be with Him in heaven.  God wants all of us to understand a little better every day the economics of His Kingdom.  If everything that we have is going to end up as ashes, then why covet everything material so greatly?  This does not mean we have to eschew all of the things on this earth.  We are entitled to keep ourselves clothed, fed, warm, and dry but we are also called to do what we can to help others achieve their own basic comfort level as well. Is it okay for me to have an abundance while you have nothing?  Sometimes it is, especially if you have been given the chance to upgrade your circumstances through work and you have decided it was beneath you.  But, on those occasions where you are not at fault, you have every right to expect some assistance from those that have more. 

This can be a complicated subject but I think that I can break it down into one simple concept.  Share what you can with those that need it the most.  If you do this then your economics will not be found wanting when the Lord returns for us.  

 The souls in Purgatory need your help today. Please, pray for them.  Not everyone who dies goes directly to heaven, one or two of us might need some time to release the attachments to sin that we did not release fully on earth.  Death does not qualify you for heaven, holiness does.  Is it possible that as they are you might someday be?