Minimum Heaven By: Very Rev. Protopresbyter Lawrence Barriger Saint Nicholas Church, Barton, Ohio
Once, in the course of his ministry, a priest was summoned to the deathbed of a member of his parish by an anxious member of the family. As he gathered his sick call bag and began driving to the hospital, the priest reflected that the individual in question was a “C and E” member, that is, his only appearance in Church was for Christmas and Easter, along with the annual Lenten Confession and Communion. In the midst of weeping relatives, the priest heard the man’s last confession, somehow no different than any of the others; he had eaten meat on Friday, not said his prayers, taken the Name of the Lord in vain. When asked about his church attendance he said, “I went the minimum amount of times that I had to and made my Easter confession too.” Between the dawn and the day, the man died. The parish treasurer reported that the newly departed had paid the minimum dues and, since he had come to the sacraments the minimum number of times, he was buried from the Church, much to the relief of his family. However, at the hour of death the man encountered the Archangel Michael who led him to the “fearful judgment seat of Christ,” which he had heard tell of in the Liturgy. Prostrate before the Lord, he was relieved to hear that a place had been apportioned him in the heavenly kingdom. As the Archangel led him past the beautiful mansions, and crystal streets of the New Jerusalem, he wondered in anticipation, which palace would be his. Finally, the Archangel led him to a small house seemingly on the edge of heaven. The place looked unfinished and was sparsely furnished. 2022
Diocesan Yearbook
145
