Dear Jesus in Your Sacred Heart,
My venial sins have caused us to almost part.
Please ask Your Mother the grace for me,
Instead of offending I might please Thee.
My thoughts, actions, and yes feelings too!
May be wholly innocent, pure; perfect for You.
Amen

Imagine this tiny town of aged houses all
grouped together. The town seemed to tumble
down a slightly graded, bent road, where the tall
trees reached toward heaven and the field grass
was sprinkled with colorful wildflowers.

"Wake up now," a voice was heard from the
kitchen, it was Abraham and Zabrina's mother,
calling them to get out of bed. Abraham rolled over
and pulled the pillow over his head, and Zabrina pushed
her long red hair out of her eyes.

Abraham and Zabrina are very special twins.
Special because although they are twins they
were born during different years. Zabrina was born
first but she was born on the last day of the year,
therefore she is named with a capital "Z" since she
was last. Abraham was born after Zabrina, but he
was born on the first day of the New Year,
which is why his parents named him with a
capital "A" because it is the first letter. In other
words they were both born around midnight just
before and just after the New Year. Sometime,
parents have strange reasons for picking names and
sometime they name their children after themselves
or other relatives in the family.

Abraham and Zabrina both love to eat chicken soup, it didn't
matter if it was from the can or box but if it was homemade they were
overjoyed. Chicken soup was their favorite and it's good for you too!
Another favorite of the twins was playing outside, and Abraham
enjoyed collecting rocks while Zabrina's liked to chase bright,
colorful butterflies.

This day was different then most, the twins were very sad,
because it was raining, and they couldn't go outside. What if it rains
all day long? It could rain all day; they recently heard a story in the
Bible about how it rained for forty days and forty nights.
Before they ate their chicken soup it was raining,
and now after they ate their chicken soup, it was still raining.

From their large front window they could see their best friend's house
Her name was Mira, and she was also their cousin. It was raining there too!

Tick-tock, tick-tock ..... The seconds on the clock seemed to speak.
This day all they could do was press their noses to the
window and watch the rain, the clock and the rain again. It seemed to rain
forever starting at noon; it was now one o'clock in the afternoon.
They thought it would never end. But it did!

"It's over now," they shouted, "all the birds have had their drink of
water from God above."

The sun was trying to peek through the clouds that floated above
their tiny town, it seemed to be so fresh and clean outside.
It was certainly becoming a warm and pleasant spring afternoon.

The twins were excited and with permission from their mother they
both dashed outside, being very careful not to slam the door. Mira
met them, her pigtails dangling as she dashed to greet them.

Abraham, Zabrina and Mira saw others. Other children from the
neighborhood were looking at something. What was it?
"Look there!" the girls shouted. It was the most beautiful rainbow!
The rainbow glowed with the seven colors: red, orange,
yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet - vivid and bright.

"Let's catch the rainbow," Abraham called. With those words they
started running to where they thought the rainbow was but when
they got there it was just over the other hill. They continued to
run through the wildflower patch, and when they got there the
rainbow was somewhere else. They started to roll around in the
flowers laughing while trying to catch their breath.

"Look at that weird bug," said Mira.

"That is just a dragonfly," Abraham pointed at the bug;
he noticed the dragonfly seemed very mean. It started to
dart at him while trying to sting. "It's getting bigger, look!"

The dragonfly actually started to grow larger, and larger
and larger. It was almost as large as the children and very warlike.
The children started to run, but the dragon was right behind them,
and it looked exactly like a dragon now with fire coming out of its
hateful mouth. Crawling and roaring down through the wildflowers,
yet somehow it just could not quite run fast enough to catch the children.
They were so afraid, Mira was lagging behind; Abraham grabbed her
hand and started to pull her.

"Oh! this can't be happening!" cried Mira. But it was happening
and the real question was to ask why. What was going on?
Was this a dream? Things like this don't really happen.
"Dear God, please help us," prayed Mira.

All they could do was pray and run and that is exactly what they did.

Screaming, the children ran faster and faster.

Abraham, then did something unexpected; he turned to face the
dragon and put his hand out in front of the dragon. "STOP!"
he demanded. "The truth is you are nothing but a tiny dragonfly."
In turn the dragon started to cower when faced with the truth.

Suddenly they realized the rainbow was right over them.
Indeed the three children were right under it and looking up
right through it. The dragon could not come where they were,
and what they saw was so delightful! Nothing now could happen
that would be more bizarre.

But it did!

A voice came right out of the clouds just above the rainbow.
When they looked up they saw large silver wings.

The voice said, "where did you three come from, and how did
you find our place here above the rainbow? This is where the
angels play when we are not helping God." The beautiful angel
handed down to the children a chain
of rosary beads that lifted them
up into the clouds, and above the rainbow.
She told them they were in the garden just outside
the gates of heaven - gates so tall that it was impossible
to see their tops! Yet they noticed there were
no fences around the gates to connect the twelve
golden gates that seemed to circle all around.

"Are we dead?" they asked.

"No!" said the angel, with some relief. "Which is why you
can't go through those gates. Only a few souls have ever come this
far before their appointed time But as long as you are here,
let me show you our garden."

The flowers were so vivid and some were actually
candy-like. Mira started to pick one and she tasted it too.
It was delicious! There were so many flowers in the garden,
as far as their eyes could see it was covered with flowers,
all from the different colors of the rainbow, all seven colors.
The angel seemed to know her thoughts and said, "Yes, the seven
colors represent the seven sacraments that God has given people,
seven treasures. This is the reason the rainbow has seven colors:
seven notes in music, seven days in the week. Seven is a favorite
in God's alphabet of numbers."

"No weeds," Zabrina declared.

"No thorns or stickers to poke at us either," said Abraham.

"Just soft and tasty flowers," said Mira excitedly.

"No dragons either," said Zabrina.

The angel spoke so sweet and softly. "You have been
blessed because you turned and faced the truth. The dragon
represents the lies and untruths that people tell each other
day after day. You, Abraham, have seen how lies can grow
into evil and hideous monsters. God is truth and truth
excludes error."

"Wow!" said Mira. "Have you noticed that we are
walking on clouds? Pink clouds, blue clouds, yellow clouds."
"Yes," said Zabrina. "Have you noticed too, that the clouds are
not clouds as we think of clouds, but they are made of cotton candy."
"Cotton candy clouds!" exclaimed Mira.

"We are in heaven!"

"Not quite," said the angel. "As I said before, this is where the
angels play, just look over there." The angel waved her hand
gracefully across to the other side where they could see beautiful
spirits, each angel as individual as a snowflake in a winter storm,
all playing.

"Why are they so happy?"

"Because they are the guardian angels of all the
souls that made it to heaven today, and they are waiting for them
to climb up the Golden Ladder," said the angel.

"Golden Ladder! Where?" asked Zabrina.

"But what about the guardian angels of all the souls that didn't
make it," inquired Abraham? "Do they get another soul to try
again with?"

"Abraham, those angels are happy now that their assignment is
over. You see, they know they did everything possible to help
their assigned soul, but in the end it is always the decision of
the person. Each guardian angel is assigned only one exclusive
soul to care for. Just think, each of you have your very own
special guardian angel. This is one thing you don't have to share
with anyone, your angel is yours and yours alone, forever."

"I want to see the Golden Ladder," said Mira.

Suddenly a great whirlwind came out of the higher
heavens and started to lift the children, turning them
this way, that way and every which way possible.
It even made them go upside down to right side up!
Around and round they went, up and down,
sideways and all ways.

Were they afraid? No! Dizzy? Yes! After all this day
was like no other day. Chased by a dragonfly, being lifted above a
rainbow, relaxing on cotton candy clouds. To the children, this
strange wind seemed to fit the unusual happenings of the day.

They twirled as if on a merry-go-round, and from high above they
could see a tiny opening within the cotton candy clouds. The wind
seemed to carry them higher still. All at once, when they were as
high as they could go, the children started to fall downward.
Faster and faster they were going down, down toward the clouds.
Such soft and fluffy clouds, no need to worry about falling on them,
they thought. Down through the clouds and toward that opening.
The same opening they saw from above. Now they were thinking
they might fall right through it and who knows where they would land?
Instead they began to slow down and just hover over the
opening.

As they continued to stare at the opening,
the children gently floated down and upon the fluffy clouds.
Curious they ran to where to opening was and looked down,
and inside.

They could see all these people old, young, men,
women, children, some were fat, others skinny all climbing
up a very, very, v-e-r-y long, delicate, golden lacy ladder.
The people came up with such ease!
They all seemed so peaceful.

An angel came with a key to let the people through.
When they reached the top it was clear by looking at
their face that they were happy to be there and one by
one they came through the keyhole. They entered into
the place where the angels were playing.

Each angel came in turn and presented himself to each
soul one at a time. It was obvious by now, that these were
the guardian angels that were meeting their assignments that
were entering heaven this day. Abraham asked,
"So many people coming in! Is this the only
keyhole to the garden here?"

"No, Abraham," said the angel. "This is just the easy way,
look there and see the other way."
Abraham looked and saw another Golden Ladder, rough looking,
yet sturdy. Only a few people showing up here and there on the
second ladder. Looking way down, he could see so many people
trying to get up but they kept falling off the ladder. Abraham finally asked.
"What is their problem?"

"Oh, those souls insist on taking the hard way; few of them make it,"
was the reply by the angel.
Abraham ran over to the delicate lacy ladder and said, "What is the
difference? That ladder over there seems stronger." Pointing to the
sturdy ladder with only a few people coming in.
"This delicate lacy ladder is where the people ask
Our Lady to help them; see she is down there now
helping each person that asks her help." Looking
way down he could see the Lovely Lady dressed in
blue, taking the hand of each person and helping him
or her up the ladder. They all came up with such grace!

It was about this time that Mira noticed
tiny droplets of water, too tiny for rain drops, but what than?
She put her hand out just to make sure she was feeling
something and Zabrina noticed it too, because she said,
"I didn't imagine it could rain above the clouds?"

The angel told them it was not rain, but some mist from
the majestic waterfall above them. The children looked up,
and saw water spouting from the top of a grand mountain;
they understood the mountain represented the Treasures
of the Church-an infinite store of merits won for us by
Jesus Christ.

Another word for merits is gifts from God.
It is like a bank account from God for the needs
of people on earth. This mountain is so splendid
with no end because the merits there are over and
above, what mankind needs. To this mountain are
added the merits of the Blessed Mother. Everything
the world needs is stored right here in this great
mountain of grace. The angel explained to the children
that these merits have a power; a power of freeing us
from some of the punishment we deserve because of
our bad actions.

The waters coming down from the mountain
separated into seven different paths, each tumbling down
while constantly changing colors and sparkling as diamonds.
It was the most beautiful marvel the children had ever seen.
They wondered too, if this is what the garden outside of
heaven is like with all its beauty. Can we even begin to
imagine what we will see when we pass through those twelve
gates, and enter into heaven?

The children stood and watched the waterfall for a long time
because they couldn't take their eyes off of the beautiful
majestic mountain and water falling from it.

They started to think about all that has happened to them
beginning with the scary dragon. The thought of that
monster made them shudder, but when their thoughts turned
to the wonderful happenings of the day they were in awe,
things like tasty flowers, cotton candy clouds, angels
playing and people entering into the garden meeting their
Guardian Angel for the first time face to face.

Now this fantastic mountain of merits with water
of different colors coming down; such power! Could it get
any better than this?
But it did!

"Listen!" Cried Abraham.

What was that angelic sound? They could hear something,
something soft at first. This soft sound, was it a faint wind;
or perhaps a fluttering of wings? The sound they heard was
getting stronger now, and the sound was music! Yes, it was
music, the sweet agreeing voices of angels. The children saw
angels that were singing; playing musical instruments
right above them in the heavenly air. Music that was so very
beautiful; in perfect harmony, this is what they heard.
Words could not describe the tranquil melody that calmed
the children, and brought peace deep within their very souls.

The heavens above them were filled with spirits now all
separating into nine different groups. They knew this because
they were carrying banners with golden letters printed on them.
The banners contained letters that seemed to shine as diamonds
in the sky on a dark night. This however, was a bright heavenly
sky they were looking at, and yet the letters still were so brightly
lit on each banner.

"Angels!" Abraham cried out again.

The children understood now the meaning
of the different groups because their names were inscribed
on the banners. First came the Seraphim with their
six wings who sing without ceasing to God. The next group
was the Cherubim the protectors of holy places and things.
Followed by Thrones, Dominations, Virtues, Powers,
Principalities, Archangels, and Angels. The Angels are from
the last Choir and are messengers, and are the closest to
people on earth. We receive our Guardian Angels from
the Choir of Angels, the last Choir.

For some reason, the children seem to have an
understanding of everything they were seeing.

It seemed as if time was standing still for the children because
they completely lost their sense of time and what seemed like
an eternity was a very short time. The same angel that pulled
them up to safety from the dragon earlier, signaled to them
to follow her.

It's time for you to go back to your parents now," said the angel.
Before they could answer her they found themselves resting
on the grass near their home.The neighborhood was familiar
and everything looked exactly the same,
except the colorful rainbow
was gone, and all the other children in the
neighborhood were gone too!

Abraham was just sitting there staring out into space,
while Zabrina could not open her eyes.
Mira on the other hand
wanted Zabrina's attention because she was holding one of the tasty flowers.

Finally all three children walked slowly, and quietly toward home.

Mira ran into her house with her flower anxious to show her
parents what she had.

Abraham and Zabrina arrived at their home only to hear their
mother's voice saying?. "Good thing you came home early,
because I forgot to tell you that you both have a catechism lesson
today about the angels." They looked at each other with a big........ sigh!