Feast Day of St. Daniel Comboni
Excerpt From Volume SevenFrom the Writings of Anne, a Lay Apostle, from the Lay Apostles of Jesus Christ the Returning King (Direction for Our Times)
St. Daniel
My brothers and sisters have difficulty separating from their earthly lives. You must begin to see your soul as a separate entity from this world. Your body, your life here, these are the vehicles with which your soul is sanctified. So your life is really a means to an end. You are here to gain eternity. You are here to serve God during your exile from heaven. You have been told you are to earn heaven here and that is true. But dear friends, let me assure you, having been in both places, we, none of us, merit heaven. When you live for Christ, earth is a joyful place to be. When you serve Christ on earth and come to heaven? There are no words. I cannot convey it to you except to say that every one of your greatest, most beyond belief hopes for heaven will be satisfied and your experience here will so far exceed that expectation that you will not believe you ever harbored hopes so low. Imagine being able to fly with no assistance except your will. You could fly as high, as low, as fast, as slow, and as often as you liked. You could go anywhere. The wind on your face would fill you with rejoicing. You would laugh aloud for the joy of it. You would delight in the joy of others who also experienced this perfect ability. Imagine never feeling too cold or too hot. Always you feel perfectly balanced with the elements, unless you suddenly crave warmth or cold. Then it is there for your enjoyment. I am probably making a mistake by trying to convey to you the smallest portion of heaven because it is impossible. Yet I feel I must give you some idea of why you are to be selfless for a small time. Imagine being with the people you loved, but always with the most perfect understanding of each other. What adventures you will share. Dear brothers and sisters, never worry about death. Please. Death is the greatest liberation you can imagine. God has the day of your death already established. It will come. And you will be ready if you serve Christ. You will have no regrets. You would not want to surrender your body to Jesus and feel as though you missed the whole point of your life. Serve, my beloved friends. Serve. Serve Jesus. Serve each other. Serve strangers. Serve. The last shall be first. Do not seek to be bigger than your earthly companions. Do not seek earthly respect and homage. Seek only to serve and through your service you will perfect your precious soul, which will join me here. We will greet you, you can be assured. We will rejoice in your coming and you will thank us for these words, particularly if you take them to your heart and let them change you. In these words you will find the greatest of wisdom. You will see that. You will not see the graces that flow from these words into your souls and through your actions for others. But you will discern the graces by a new reflective quiet. You will consideryour eternity and what you would like to do to prepare for it. You have been given this day, or rather this moment. Do you know for certain that you will see the end of this day? You do not. Perhaps this moment, these next few moments, will be your last opportunity to claim something for Jesus. This is how you are to live each day. In this way you will serve. You will not change immediately. Do not expect this. Remember that sanctification is a process. But you can immediately make the decision to change and begin the process. I am giving you good advice. A wise man accepts good counsel. Be wise. Serve.
St. Daniel Comboni, pray for us.