You may recognize this post as the tittle of the
the famous John Denver song “Leaving on a Jet Plane”. This certainly is the first line of that
famous song, yet it’s also the famous quote of Blessed (very soon to be Saint)
John XXIII as he approached the end of his earthly life. I love me some John XXIII. I actually love a lot of Popes, which is a
good thing, since after all, I am a Catholic priest. This is a great line because it’s a reminder
that we are all pilgrims in this world our true destiny is to be with God
forever in heaven.
We should constantly be asking ourselves, “Am I
ready to go?”, for the trip to heaven, there is really only one thing we
need. The transforming, sanctifying
grace of Jesus Christ available ordinarily
at your local Catholic Church, free of charge. So, if you haven’t already in this Lenten season,
stop by the small room in the back of the Church with the little red light over
the door. Even if it has been a
while. You've heard it said that You
Only Live Once, well that isn't true. You
were made for more than this life, you were made for the Glory of God, which
St. Ireneus tells is the Human person fully alive. After all, Jesus came that
we might have life in its fullness, so go get you some.
So, that’s one reason why that line has been
going through my head, the other, more immediate reason is that as I write
this, my suitcase is packed and I am departing to spend two weeks on pilgrimage
in Rome. I've been considering
re-entering the world of blogging for a while, so it seems a good time to go
it. It is my hope that this will force
me to do some journaling and reflection on this trip as I visit the principal
See of God’s Holy Church. I hope to be
able to share some pictures and stories with you as I travel. Also, if you have not already, feel free to
comment with some prayer intentions for me to remember while in the Holy
City. God bless you all, please pray for
my safe travels.
