Do the things successful people do.
That is a tip one hears in the business world. It is a tip that helps one better himself, improve, and ultimately succeed. Another good tip is: “Never take advice from someone who is more messed up than you are.” For example, do not listen to the person who says, “I don’t pray to saints, and you shouldn’t either. There is one mediator, and that is Jesus. So, when praying, just go straight to God.”
Now, think about that. Has the person who “just goes straight to God” ever had anyone intercede on his behalf? Did someone ever help him get a job or help him buy a home? Did someone introduce him to his future wife? Of course. He didn’t just go straight to God for these things. His wife, for example, didn’t fall out of the sky onto his lap.
Some might argue that these kinds of analogies don’t work because the above examples occur here on earth with people we know who are alive and visible to us.
But the saints in Heaven are alive, are they not?
Our Creed says we believe in things visible and invisible. Now, just because something is invisible does not make it unreal, does it? The Bible states there is one mediator. That is true. But the Bible also states that there is a multitude in Heaven. As a young man, St. John stood at the foot of God’s throne on Calvary. As an old man, he had a vision of a great multitude in Heaven. He wrote, “They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes” (Rev. 7:9).
Who are the ones wearing the white robes? They are the ones who have survived the time of great distress. Now, since there is no distress in Heaven, these people must have been somewhere else first. That would be here, on earth. Earth is full of distress. These ones have reached their ultimate goal, their final end. And they are alive! Dead people don’t stand before thrones crying out in loud voices, “Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne, and from the Lamb” (Rev. 7:10).
John also saw that this great multitude was sealed. Seals were used to determine one’s property. The multitude in Heaven had seals on their foreheads. That hearkens back to what the prophet Ezekiel wrote. In Ezekiel’s vision, a man in white linen went through Jerusalem marking the foreheads of people with a tau, which is the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It’s a “T,” a cross. Isn’t that interesting? Ezekiel saw how anyone sealed with the sign of the cross would be spared destruction. However, assisting angels would roam through the rest of Jerusalem striking down anyone not sealed (Ezek. 9:4–6).
Now, if this multitude is alive and sees God face to face, would it not be reasonable to honor God by acknowledging His special friends and asking for their help? You see, another tip that is often truer than not is this: “It’s not what you know; it’s who you know.”
My friends, the saints are alive. They are our friends, and they want to help us. Since it is the rare soul that leaves this life completely purified of sin, many, if not most, of the saints in Heaven, part of the Church Triumphant, were at one time part of the Church Suffering in Purgatory. People on earth, the Church Militant, as well as those in heaven, prayed for their purification and release from Purgatory. And now, because they are pure of heart, they see God, just like Christ said they would. They stand before His throne and return the favor by interceding for us. Last Sunday’s Offertory Prayer states that, assured of immortality, they are concerned for our salvation.
I, John, saw another angel come up from the East, holding the seal of the living God. (Rev. 7:2)
That’s the opening line of the first reading for All Saints Day. It’s interesting to note that angels didn’t come from all different directions. No, the angel came from the east, from the land of the rising sun, which is a symbol for Christ, the rising Sun of Justice. And so, the Preface for the Eucharistic Prayer for All Saints Day states we pilgrims, priest and people, eagerly advance toward the heavenly Jerusalem, marching together to meet our Maker. We call this one direction “liturgical east,” in Latin ad orientem, meaning “toward the orient.”
This is why traditionally our churches were long and narrow and vertical. This helped the faithful understand the processional nature of Mass. Some priests today are working toward a “liturgical reset” by recapturing these beautiful and essential liturgical components. Of course, priests doing this get accused of “going backwards.” I do at times. But why should I listen to these people who accuse me of going backwards? They belong to aging and dying-out parishes that are constantly trying to “get with the times.” They then are hardly a model for success. So why would I take this advice? Why would you?
The fact is I am not going backwards. I’m marching forward, standing in for Jesus, with a cross on the back of my vestment, leading you on a procession to the heavenly Jerusalem. At Mass the great multitude, invisible to us now, bows down in front of the Lamb on His throne. We bow down with them. And God willing, we will bow down with them when they are visible to us in Heaven. That is our final end, my friends—to be a member of the great multitude.
Will this be your end? Will you ultimately succeed? First of all, remember it is not so much what you know, but who you know. The saints’ prayers in Heaven are powerful because they have washed their garments in the blood of the Lamb. So, go to them. Go to who you know. Go to the saints.
And remember, your short life on earth is a procession to somewhere else. Process forward, then, toward the rising Sun of Justice. Keep your eyes fixed on Him, remaining on His road of grace, making sure you are marked with the sign of the cross. Do the things that spiritually successful people do, and you will survive the time of great distress. You will become a saint.
Image from Wikimedia Commons
