It is easier to get into heaven than it is a poorly rated college. Jesus taught us to love God and our neighbor as ourselves. I'll only continue because the requirements for this article are a minimum of 400 words!
How do I treat myself? That can be embarrassing in the light of my religious vows of poverty, celibacy and obedience. I share an apartment with another sister and we have yet to miss a rent payment or a meal. We don't walk for recreation and rarely spend money on eating out, movies, or the like. On the other hand, the roof doesn't leak, we don't believe we have criminals in our building, the landlord likes us (despite the Green Wing Macaw), and we extravagantly have high speed internet!
Jesus asked the disciples when they fed him when hungry or gave him drink when he was thirsty and they were astounded responding, "when did we find you hungry or thirsty and not give you food or drink?" Jesus responded, "Whenever you do this to the least of our sisters/brothers, you do so unto me."
This certainly can complicate that "easy" entrance requirement to heaven! I have chased inebriated folks off the steps to the funeral home I operate. Occasionally it crosses my mind that I might have chased Jesus away, but rarely do I allow those thoughts to linger. I watched a morbidly obese gentleman jockey three heavy bags while waiting for traffic; I didn't offer him a ride because "you can't trust anyone these days." Did I leave Jesus trying to balance those bags? I often meet homeless folks in the poorer neighborhoods of the Twin Cities. They ask for money and I do reach into my pocket for change. Seventy cents won't by much for them. It costs me more for a simple meal than that; I can't get a "value" meal at McDonalds for less than $1.00!
Our lives are not meant to be lived in isolation. We have responsibilities for our neighbors (both those whom we know and those we don't know). Recently, I put my house on the market. As I near 60, I feel the need to simplify my life. My realtor has seen several areas in the house that have need attention and friends of hers have come over and scrubbed for several hours. The time and supplies have been volunteered. I grumble some days when the Macaw throws too much food out of his dish and onto places I must vacuum!
Opportunities to reach out in love surround me. As a priest and a licensed funeral director, I meet people every day in grief, concerned about funeral costs, needing transportation of a family member to a distant reservation, and donations of food for the traditional feast following the funeral/burial. Despite my commitment to providing reasonably priced services and merchandise, I occasionally wish that more families would come from reservations that provide a decent funeral stipend.
Loving our neighbors as we love ourselves sounds easier than it is. It means that we can't walk through life with our eyes cast down and never acknowledging our neighbors. It also means that we must be involved in our communities, our nation and the world advocating for those who have no voices. Those of us who do not have children must recognize other's children for more that running across our lawns and knocking down an occasional plant. These children must hear the voice of Jesus through us as we inquire about school, congratulate them on their achievements, provide good examples of adulthood.
As in many churches, we have children as altar servers (acolytes). I can become so frustrated watching a 12 year old pull at her hair, or an 8 year old who needs to lean his head back and stretch out his legs during a sermon. We have crucifix twirlers, altar leaners, sermon yawners, and many more...all of which make me think of them as anyone but Jesus!
Despite our earnest daily attention to reaching out to our neighbors as we would Jesus, most of us struggle throughout our lives. I believe that the mitigation of our failures is our determination to be more aware of our neighbor; to be less judgmental of those whose life styles are not pleasant to observe and which make us uncomfortable. The message Jesus left us is not one that says "sit back, relax, and you'll attain heaven." Instead, we are challenged every minute of every day to treat our neighbors as we would Jesus; to recognize them in everyone we meet and to respond in a Christ-like way to them.
I was mistaken when I began; it really isn't easier to get into a poorly rated college than it is to attain heaven. Jesus demands that we focus on the people of God every day, in many places and situations. He expects that if we can spend a couple dollars on a meal, that we can spare a couple more dollars so another can eat at least as well as we have. Despite our aversion to inebriated people struggling down the street, we are expected to make sure they aren't struck by a car, or injured when falling on the sidewalk, or mocked by kids with nothing better to do.
Striving for and "getting into" heaven is a lifelong process. "Hold on a minute.....can I help you write that article for Helium?"