My friends we know that in these last weeks of our liturgical year we hear about the End Times and so these last few weeks we’re hearing about the end of our own time here on Earth and our new life that Jesus promises us in the Kingdom of Paradise. So I have a joke, least I think its a joke, It turns out that these two gentlemen saw each other after many, many, many years and one of the gentlemen asked the other one “How are you? “How is your wife?” and the other gentlemen had to respond, “She is in Heaven.” and the other guy said, “Oh, I’m sorry!” and he said, “That’s not right. Its good for her to be in Heaven.” and then he said, “Oh, I’m happy for her.” and then “No that’s not right because he’s sad.” then he said, “Well I’m surprised. “that she’s in heaven.” He was just so confused on what to say. He was just so confused. He didn’t know what to say. The reality is that the, though the gentlemen lost his wife had this deep abiding belief that his wife is now comforted in the bosom of God and the arms of Jesus in the Kingdom of Paradise. He had this burning belief and we encounter in the Gospel today Jesus telling us about everlasting life that is to come. That’s our deep, deep, deep belief. We hold onto that and I know that there are Christian, even Christian Catholics out there who struggle with what everlasting life might look like. Of course we’ve never seen it but it is such a foundation in our own lives about what we believe in everlasting life. I want to just go back to the Book of Maccabees for a second ’cause you heard in the Book of Maccabees about the seven brothers and the mother. Their belief was so firm that they shouldn’t defile their bodies with eating pork. It’s not so much important necessarily what the law was but they held onto that belief so dearly even to give their own lives knowing that God would welcome them to a better place in the Kingdom of Heaven. We hang onto that belief. It’s ours. It’s ours as faithful people. That our generous God will grant us eternal life and the way that we support ourselves and the way we journey towards that everlasting life is around the Eucharistic table. Holding close to our journey with Jesus who’s our savior. Who teaches us how to be with him forever. Through love, through compassion, through sharing our journey with Jesus with others as well. Let us hold onto that faith with all of our hearts in the knowledge and promise of everlasting life. Let us cling to Jesus who escorts us into everlasting life.