Today, Jesus offers a word that might make some of us scratch our heads and wonder. Speaking to a group of Jews, he said: Whoever keeps my word will never see death (Jn 8:51). Like them, anyone among us who thinks simply in terms of this world will find this teaching to be very difficult. What did Jesus mean when he said that his word would help us to never taste death?
Keeping the word of God requires us to constantly listen to it. We must seek it out every day in order for it to be part of our daily routine. Only in this way will be become accustomed to the discipline of drawing on is wisdom in order to help us live lives of faith, and the ultimate goal of our faith is eternal life in heaven. In fact, the promise that Jesus makes is that if we keep his word, we will one day pass through the doorway that separates this world from the world of heaven. This is a new way of thinking about death: not as something sad but rather as a transition.
Jesus himself passed through this doorway: that's the miracle of Easter. Because he has risen from the dead, we too can look forward to the day when we too will rise to new life - the fullness of life in heaven. In order to understand this truth, we must first learn how to nourish ourselves every day on the word of God, the scriptures ... and to trust that this word will also help us to look forward in faith and trust to the promise of a future that is bright with hope.
Have a great day.
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