Teaching and giving love is the key to achieving heaven, our eternal goal

In part, the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, “Heaven is the ultimate end and fulfillment of the deepest human longings, the state of supreme, definitive happiness” (1024). Picture yourself at the happiest moment in your life where time was nonexistent. It is precisely in these moments that we encounter the type of joy and happiness where one becomes unconscious of time – capturing all the joys in one full moment. When we are lost in the eternity of this joyful moment, we get an unconscious glimpse into what heaven must be like. Knowing that these are earthly moments, we must have a conscious heavenly plan if we want to achieve eternal happiness.

Getting to heaven should be our first and supreme goal in life, both for ourselves and for our children. The constant practice of the theological and cardinal virtues is indispensable if we are going to make a successful journey to heaven. This perpetual practice of virtues is what the saints in heaven did while living an earthly life.

One of the greatest modern-day examples is St. Teresa of Calcutta. Her life was totally immersed in charity. She gave her all in the name of love and made a total gift of herself to others. She devoted herself unconditionally — materially, physically, and spiritually. Through the virtue of charity, she was brought even closer to God, who is love, and this allowed her to love her neighbor with the same love. Her intimate, sacrificial, and earthly relationship with God and man paved the way for her to gain heavenly communion with the Blessed Trinity, all the angels, and the saints.

Mother Teresa was an extraordinary human being who performed daily, ordinary tasks to show her love for God and neighbor. Although we are not all called to the same vocation, we can surely show little acts of charity toward our families and neighbors. Mother Teresa summed it up beautifully, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”

A heavenly plan that will assure us one day to have a personal face-to-face relationship with God in heaven must be exercised daily. For one, we must believe and have faith. The Catechism sums up the Church’s teaching on this truth: “By his death and Resurrection Jesus Christ ‘opened’ heaven to us” (1026). We must not only believe in this truth but live it. Living it means putting our faith to work on a daily basis. We do this by teaching our children and sharing with others who are ignorant about our faith.

As a prerequisite to sharing Christ’s work, we must gain familiarity with the teachings of the Catholic Church on the sacraments and Ten Commandments. Regarding knowledge, we must remember that we cannot give what we don’t have. That is why we must show our children how to love others and give of themselves. An example of this would be taking your children to feed the homeless. Another would be sharing with them ways you support causes and charities like the pro-life movement, or even attending a pro-life march with them. Teach love and give love, because love is the key to heaven.

CHEF NEIL FUSCO is founder of Cucina Antica Foods, Corp., a specialty Italian food-products company. Raised on a farm in San Marzano in southern Italy, he learned his family’s farm production and cooking. His 2017 cookbook, May Love Be the Main Ingredient at Your Table, presents amusing and heartfelt stories about faith, family, and recipes from his Old World childhood.

Baked Italian Eggs - Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Cucina Antica Tomato Basil sauce
• 3 tbsp milk
• 4 eggs
• 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
• 2 tbsp Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Basil, to garnish

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Pour Tomato Basil sauce into a medium oven-safe skillet or greased ramekin. Top with milk, eggs, cheeses, salt, and pepper.
• Bake in oven for 10 minutes, or until egg whites are completely cooked. Remove from oven, garnish with basil, and enjoy!