A Real Heavenly Banquet?

I was eating lunch and suddenly realized something as though pieces of a puzzle came together.  This realization just came to me so I haven’t had much time to do research to add references but I wanted to share it anyway.  I realized we will have actual physical bodies in heaven.  Ok it will be a glorified body but we will each have this physical body we are in now back to us to live in and enjoy heaven with for eternity.  Of course we each have to make it there first and wait for the day of the final judgment where everyone gets their body back but still what awaits us in heaven we will be able to enjoy physically.

After His resurrection Jesus was able to appear in a locked room but was still real flesh and bone that Thomas could touch, and  He was also able to eat with the disciples.  Isaiah chapter 25 mentions a heavenly banquet for one example, and if we each have a glorified body as shown by Christ after His resurrection then we will literally be able to eat in heaven!  I cant even imagine what a heavenly banquet would be like but the thought that I may physically be able to be there to enjoy it is astonishing.   How many times have you eaten something and described the taste as heavenly?  Now try to imagine eating that in heaven!

As anyone who has been to Japan will know Japanese people really appreciate good food, and get really excited over it.  There are many cooking/eating shows on t.v and people react with a lot of enthusiasm over foods they deem particularly fancy such as abalone and Kobe beef.  I wonder how many more Japanese would be interested in Christ if they heard what He has promised in heaven?  Of course conversion is more complicated than that but I think the idea of a real physical heavenly banquet could catch a lot of people`s attention.

I also remember in the Bible where Jesus says `in my Father`s house there are many mansions` but until today I just thought He was being poetic and never took that passage seriously.  Now I realize hey wait a second maybe Jesus literally does mean physical mansions after all!  If we have physical bodies we would need a place to live wouldn’t we.

Like I said I just deeply realized these things and have to do more research however they are so exciting to think about.

Father Peter Kibe: priest and martyr

On November 24 2008 Fr Peter Kibe and 187 others will be beatified.  I came across this article that covers Kibe`s amazing life.  If you think saints are boring read it!  The article also says

The site of his imprisonment has been preserved and is now a museum of the Tokyo martyrs. It is located not far from the cathedral. The site of execution is in another part of Tokyo.

I am going to have to look into where that is exactly and go there.

an excerpt

The man who, seeking ordination, walked most of the way from Japan to Rome, will be beatified in November

Heading the list of 188 martyrs of Japan to be beatified on Nov. 24 this year in Nagasaki is Father Peter Kasui Kibe. He is called “The man who walked the globe,” because of his remarkable journey along the arduous Silk Road in the 16th century in his quest of ordination to the priesthood.

Feast of the Guardian Angels

photo credit

More about this feast day

The Pope`s thoughts on this day

The guardian angel prayer

Angel of God, my guardian dear to whom God’s love commits me here. Ever this day/night be at my side to light, to guard, to rule and guide. Amen.

I chose the above photo because it shows the angel strong and full of emotion, and also as a male.  Too often angels are depicted as children or women but in the Bible they always appeared as men.  In church approved visions such as Fatima the angel the children saw they described by saying he, he was holding a flaming sword shouting “penance” for example.  At any rate though I pray often to my angel for help.  I also heard somewhere that you can send your angel to other people so I often ask my angel to give my family far away a hug and to watch over them.  On a similar note Ive also heard you can talk to other people`s angels so if you have an important meeting or interview for example you can ask that persons angel to help them listen to you or treat you favorably.  I like to keep my angel busy.