Is It a Gateway to Heaven?

I wonder if the woman from the Gospel (Matthew 9:18-26) remembers the heat of the sun, the noise of the crowd, the feel of Jesus' cloak, or the love in His eyes.

Maybe the light streamed through the bedroom window onto Jesus' face when the little girl arose, and even into her old age she remembered His eyes every time the morning light glowed in her window.

I wonder if these women from the Gospel looked back years later and understood that these moments in their lives were like a gateway to Heaven.

In the Old Testament reading, Jacob's dream revealed truths about God and God's will for him (Genesis 28:10-22). Imagine the scene again with me. Jacob laid down for what he probably expected to be an average night of sleep outdoors. When he awoke in wonder to the realization that the Lord had spoken to him in that spot, Jacob declared it a gateway to Heaven.

Perhaps each time we encounter the Lord—in major and minor moments—we find our own gateway to Heaven. Even in events that may seem insignificant to us, the Lord can and will use anything to draw us to Him. When the Lord reveals His will, heals illness, forgives sins, mends hearts, and renews His promises, He shows us the path to Heaven.

Those moments are gateways, like Jacob's. They are where our journey to the Lord begins, or where we find our way again. They are like billboards declaring His invitation to embrace the love of His heart because of what He's doing.

I hold places and moments like this in my memory, like seeing Saint John Paul II from a few yards away as the sun set in Paris, or a particular hill in a California neighborhood where I started to make sense of my life journey while on a long run.

Sister, I encourage to pray and journal about any moments like these you remember. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you where God has worked in your life and is working still. Ask to hear His voice calling you to take another step towards Him and Heaven.

Take another step towards Him. // Gina FenstererClick to tweet

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