The mystery of the Assumption into heaven of the Mother of Jesus "illuminates our destination, doesn’t it? The destination is heaven," Pope Francis said, in wrapping up a series of catecheses on the gifts and challenges of old age.
The Holy Father called for linking the mystery of the Assumption with the resurrection of Jesus, "which opens the way for the generation of life for us all."
This experience of the resurrection of our bodies, the pope said, referring to Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus, is like a second birth.
What does this mean for us?
The Holy Father painted an exciting picture of this new birth:
Headed to a party
Pope Francis noted how Jesus speaks of the Kingdom of God as a wedding feast -- "that is, like a party; a party with friends awaits us, as the work that makes the house perfect, and the surprise that makes the harvest richer than the sowing."
He is expecting us
Thus the pope insisted, "the best of life is yet to come." He said that Jesus' preparing a breakfast of fish was a "gesture of caring love" that "gives us a glimpse of what awaits us as we cross to the other shore."
