John and Mark served as firemen in New York City. Both entered into the twin towers of the World Trade Center and gave their lives in an effort to save others. When they reached heavens door, because of the tragedy, there was a line while St. Peter reviewed everyone's record for entry through the Pearly Gates into heaven, with its streets paved with gold.
"Yo, Mark," says John. "This sure is a short line compared to all the people who were killed on September 11th."
"Your right, bro," replies Mark. "Tony, Steve, and Mary aren't here for sure. Ya, gotta wondea, when they was pitchin' us that stuff 'bout all paths leadin' to God, don't seem to be standin' in this line. Eyes heard from a dude from the plane that crashed into the Pentagon, that he heard there was a line to get into hell too."
"Ya, the devil got to check his records too, huh Mark, this eternity is some serious business."
As the line moved along and they got closer to entry into heaven, the two friends noticed instead of one entry gate there were two different gates, in the gorgeous wall that surrounded the eternal Jerusalem. Both of course were covered with mother of pearl and were very beautiful. A sign over one read "St. Peter's gate" the sign over the other read, "The joy of the Lord."
As they got closer to meet St. Peter personally and to have their individual records examined, the two saints could see that some people were entering through both gates. After the examination of the records for each individual were announced, those persons who were told by St. Peter, "Enter into 'The joy of the Lord'." These men and women, all skipped like children through their assigned gate. Though the gate only opened briefly, everyone in line could see that this was truly heaven, and their hearts yearned to be chosen to enter into the joy of the Lord.
Others were told, "Your entry into heaven is through 'St. Peter's Gate' where you will be spending two weeks!" (Or a certain amount of time depending on each individual.) When these people were told that they were entering into heaven through St. Peter's, their countenance changed dramatically. It looked as if they received some invisible burden, but each, none the less, walked solemnly through the gate. When St. Peter's gate opened, all one could see is blackness, but the sounds that were heard were of laughter. Not just a simple hee haw, but gut wrenching laughter, and the large crowd inside seemed to be having a marvelously good time, even though there seemed to be no lights, visible through the gate.
"John, looks to me as eyes wanta go through 'The Joy of the Lord' gate," states Mark. "Even though it seems as there is a good time party going on at St. Peter's, Eyes always been taught that eternity is serious business, we must always be sober and vigilant, for the devil is a raging lion seeking anyone he may devour."
John replies, "Eyes wondea if St. Peter's be some kinda catholic purgatory, ya knows. Afta all, with a name like St. Peter's, and the time ya gotta spend there, maybe them mackerel snappas, had something all along. In any event, just as long as Eyes 'ventually gets to heaven and sees the Lord hisself, its OK with me. Bring it on Pete!"
"Well have it your way, John, yous were always too childish for me. You never seemed to grow up. Ever since we was in grammar school, you never seemed to take life all that seriously. Frankly, John, I am surprised they ever let you into the fire department at all. Even though yous work was great man, ya always had time for the kids, and the dogs, and even the old ladies. That's probably why you never made Lieutenant, or Captain man. You had the tools, not like me, ya just didn't use them"
John let Mark go ahead of him in line as they approached the table in which the books of life for each individual were read and their entry gate was determined. When his time came Mark walked right up to St. Peter and announced, "Mark O'Brien sir, Eyes died in the collapse of the World Trade Center trying to save the lives of countless thousands during that terrorist act, Sir. Eyes ready to enter into 'The Joy of the Lord,' Sir.
St. Peter responded, "Well, well, brother Mark, it is good to see you after all these years. But it is not up to me to tell you by which gate you will enter into heaven. It is all in the deep magic of the books of life, written before the dawn of time. Let us see hear, Mark O'Brien, Queens, New York City, New York, USA. died September 11th, 2001, 16th floor of the World Trade Center with your friend John Fertilli. Is that you?
"Yes, Sir it is!"
"Hum, let's see. Mark O'Brien, St. Peter's gate, six weeks!"
When John entered heaven through "The Joy of the Lord" gate, time seemed to become meaningless, but the days continued in wonderful bliss. One day in the public market John recognized his old buddy Mark. "Mark, my bro, how you been, I haven't seen you in a long time. Where ya been. I've been busy finishing my mansion, and the future home for the wife and the kids when they get here. As a matter of fact, I can't recall seeing you since you went into heaven through St. Peter's gate, how long ago was that, my friend. How time seems to fly by here, with eternity before us."
"Well John, I can't remember how long its been either, once I got out of St. Peter's night club, time seems to just fly by for me too. But that six weeks in St. Peter, well I remember each and every day and night. That time I will never, ever, forget. Come to think of it I don't recall ever seeing your video, you of all people didn't have to go through St. Peter's did you? Of course not. You got your laughs as you led your life on earth. If I had of listened to your humor more back in the Big Apple, St. Peter's would not have been the torture it was man."
"Torture in heaven, Mark, how can that be?"
"Well, John it wasn't torture in the worldly sense at all. I never laughed so hard in all my life. I laughed until I thought I could never laugh again. Then I laughed some more. We all who were in St. Peter's laughed at others, then we learned to laugh at ourselves, then we learned to laugh together. Then we just laughed and laughed and laughed. Now that is what I mean by torture, heavenly torture. You see the jokes, on me.
"St. Peters is like a night club, where all you do is not sit around on clouds and play a harp. Its a joke John, lighten up! In St. Peter's all we do is watch videos of our lives viewing them from God's eternal perspective. Oh, God are we funny. Sometimes a little strange, but even in the most serious, or the most humorous, our flesh and our vanity always got in the way.
"Remember that time when you and the neighborhood kids played that trick on Mrs. Robinson and got her that puppy, after her husband passed on, and I was all too serious to join in. Man oh, man was that joke on me. It was so good, I asked God if I could keep it to show it to my friend John, when I got out of St. Pete's. Come over to my dwelling place now my brother and let me show it to you.
"I see now, as I didn't then my brother John, that laughter in the world was just one of God's gifts of love, along with the brethren, the word, the music. John you see I had some idea of the other gifts while I was in the world, but I truly missed one of the greatest of all gifts. That was the gift of a sense of humor. You know why John? I never really wanted it. To me you were way to silly much of the time. Too child like. I thought it was childish, but I know now you were child like. More mature in the Lord than I could at that time begin to discern. You loved and laughed not because you didn't take life seriously as I suspected at the time. You loved God enough not to lose sight of your own humanity, and through your joy, the world truly became a better place. God truly worked through you my brother, through me, he worked in spite of me. I see it all so clearly now.
"John, can I give you a hug, right now, a hug would be nice. Let me show you my new home."
"That's all folks,"
all for this week, we have run out of space for now. The application
from all this will have to come next time. It is pretty heavy
stuff, it relates to ourselves, actually how the streets of heaven
are paved with the gold of the saints. So since none of us that
I know of wants to be tortured by laughter in St. Peter's heavenly
night club, keep John and Mark's little story in mind as you begin
this new year and each new day the loving God, Creator of the
universe, gives us on this earth. Just as John and Mark, the events
of 2001 should allow us to appreciate our lives more, and the
blessings of God more. One of those great gifts is to not take
ourselves too seriously in this world. The work of God is way
too important to be left in the hands of just self serving men
and women. For we all can by our daily choice, now enter through
the gate of "The Joy of the Lord", even if for this
brief time the golden streets have to be viewed through dark glasses.
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