For St Austin said to our Lord thus: Lord, he loveth Thee but little, that loveth anything with Thee, which he loveth not for Thee. For the more love and covetousness of any earthly thing is with thee, the less is the love of God in thy heart. For though it be so, that this love of earthly things putteth them not out of charity; but if it be so much that it strangleth the love of God and of their neighbour, verily it hindereth and letteth them from the fervour of charity, and also from that special reward which they should have in the bliss of heaven for perfect poverty, and that is a great loss if thou couldst see it. (John Climacus)

This supposed conflict between heaven and earth, between love of God and love of others has been imposed on biblical interpretation by neo-Platonism.

Jesus taught us, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." This is God's earth, we are God's creatures, and it is very good.

Covetousness, avarice, envy, pride and other such are not expressions of love. We never own anything that we love. Love honors the integrity and separateness of the other.

The bliss of heaven does not compete with the bliss of our present condition. It was the purpose of Jesus to show us how to live here and now within God's reign.

There is beauty and abundance, here and now. There is goodness and joy, here and now. There is truth, as much as we can know, to be encountered today.

The image is of the marriage feast at Cana by Veronese. A larger image will open by clicking above.