Every morning, I walk the grounds of St. Ignatius Hall that are closed in by a muffler of tall trees and short trees and bushes and shrubs. The other morning, as I started around the circle, I stopped and looked at a beautiful heap of greens. And I thought: “This is where I belong. This is home. Even if I go to the moon or to another planet, this is home, this is where I belong.

Now, if I were not a believer in Jesus Christ, I would have to live aware that this home of mine is temporary. I will die and leave behind some dust or ashes. I will be gone.  But we who believe in Christ do not think that way.

We live convinced that death for us is what it was for Jesus of Nazareth and His mother and some millions of believers. It is a passage, a door to another way of living – still myself, still the persons we have been all our lives, body and soul.

So when I die, I have to say that death does not mean that I am going somewhere else—somewhere not so intimately connected with this earth that I inhabit. I am convinced that I am not going anywhere. I am not to go inhabit another planet or a space. I am not “going to heaven.”

I certainly hope not, because Jesus was very clear: when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory [Matt.25:3] The Son of Man comes – He comes here. Then He will judge all the peoples, separating the sheep from the goats. And His throne is to be a throne in this earth, where He, Himself, spent a lifetime as the carpenter’s son. And where, when He had first risen, He had to eat in front of His friends to help them recognize Him.

What we know is enough. We are already living the eternal life that was poured into us when we were baptized. This suggests that we do well to learn to love this earth and all that is in it. And perhaps that we ought to take better care of it than we have until now. For we are not going anywhere and Jesus’ absence is only temporary. We’ll want to be here when He comes again.  Amen!