Have you ever felt like heaven is just too far to reach? I mean, we hardly expect anyone to go there directly without going to purgatory. Only the saints do that. And we all know how hard their lives have been on earth. They have had many sufferings and they went through terrible pain. About those in purgatory, they won’t escape suffering either. It is said that the suffering in the life after this one, even if not in hell and just in purgatory cannot compare to the greatest suffering on earth.
Why is it like that? Why is it so hard to be happy? Sometimes it can even feel as though salvation isn’t free. It doesn’t feel so free when we all have to pay such great a price. And yet, it seems that even all the suffering in the world couldn’t even make us deserve heaven. Only the sacrifice of Jesus Himself, of God Himself can do that. And He was the One who suffered most for our sake.
In times like these when I am tempted to despair, I try to remember the child-like faith of St. Therese of Lisieux. I also try to recall an excerpt from St. Faustina’s diary about God’s conversation with a sinful soul. Further, I keep in mind the writings of Julian of Norwich about the goodness and mercy of God.
None of us may enter heaven without suffering, but maybe we can find comfort that the happiness waiting for us there is greater than all of our temporary griefs. The greater our sorrow, the greater also is the space that’s made for more happiness to enter in.
I may be afraid, but I have to trust in the Father who loves us all like little children. Though I cry and cry, He holds me upon His arms to comfort me. And in that way, heaven is never so far away.
“Believe in a love that is being stored up for you like an inheritance, and have faith that in this love there is a strength and a blessing so large that you can travel as far as you wish without having to step outside it.”
? Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet
The thing about hope is that it’s a positive force that shines the most when it’s dark. When everything’s going well, we hardly notice it’s there. But when things go against us, when our dreams fade and when we see no immediate reprieve from our troubles, that’s when hope does its best work for us.
"Where Hope Can Be Found"