One of the many things that make it fascinating to be human is that we have the capacity to ask the ultimate questions: “Who created the universe and the human race? Is there a God and if so what is God like? What is the purpose of my life here on earth? How should I live? Is there a destiny after our journey on earth is ended? If so what awaits us after death?
As Catholic-Christians we have traditions like the Scriptures, the liturgy and Church teaching which not only ask these questions but give us definitive answers that we know are true because they are inspired by God.
Scripture[2]
We are made for heaven – eternal life with God. The Bible gives us revelations of eternity such as this vision of heavenly worship from the Book of Revelation: “ … above me there was an open door to heaven, and I heard the trumpet-like voice … At once I was caught up in ecstasy. A throne was standing there in heaven, … Around the throne was a rainbow as brilliant as emerald. … From the throne came flashes of lightning and peals of thunder; … The floor around the throne was like a sea of glass that was crystal-clear.” (Rev 4:1-3, 5-6)
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The Book of Daniel gives us a vision of the heavenly throne of God who sits in judgement over the nations: “As I watched, thrones were set up and the Ancient of Days took his throne. His clothing was white as snow, the hair on his head like pure wool; His throne was flames of fire, with wheels of burning fire. A river of fire surged forth, flowing from where he sat; Thousands upon thousands were ministering to him, and myriads upon myriads stood before him.” (Dn 7:9f)
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The Book of Daniel reveals what will happen at the end of time: “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake; Some to everlasting life, … those with insight shall shine brightly like the splendor of the firmament, …” (Dn 12:2f)
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The First Letter to the Corinthians gives us an insight into the transcendent nature of heaven: “What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what has prepared for those who love God.” (1 Cor 2:9)
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Chapter 13 of the First Letter to the Corinthians contains perhaps the most exalted and inspired rhetoric in all of human history. It includes a description of what we will see in heaven: “At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, …” We will have the unimaginable and indescribable privilege of seeing God face-face, the deepest desire of our human heart.
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The Book of Revelation Chapter 7 describes the Triumph of the Elect – those chosen to be in heaven for all eternity: “… they shall stand before God’s throne … They will not hunger or thirst anymore, nor will the sun or any heat strike them.” (Rev 7:15f)
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Psalm 16 gives us an idea of what it will be like to be in heaven: “You will show me … abounding joy in your presence, …” (Psalm 16:11)
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Jesus concludes the Beatitudes: “Your reward will be great in heaven.” (Mt 5:12)
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The Gospel of Matthew describes the eternal destiny of those who live their life on earth according to God’s law: “The righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” (Mt 13:43)
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In the Gospel of John Jesus Himself assures us a number of times that those who serve and follow Him will be with Him in glory: “Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me”. (Jn 12:26)
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“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be.” (Jn 14:3)
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“Father, they are your gift to me. I wish that where I am they also may be with me. That they may see my glory that you gave me, because you loved me before the foundation of the world”. (Jn 17:24)
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“Father, … I wish that where I am they also may be with me, that they may see my glory that you gave me, …” (Jn 17:24)
Official Church Teaching[3]
Vatican Council II’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy teaches the connection between the liturgy on earth and the heavenly liturgy (“the Holy City of Jerusalem” is often used as a symbol in the Bible and the Church’s spiritual literature for the presence of God which is heaven or paradise) : “In the earthly liturgy we take part in a foretaste of that heavenly liturgy which is celebrated in the Holy City of Jerusalem … With all the warriors of the heavenly army we sing a hymn of glory to the Lord;” Sacrosanctum Concilium, 8[4]
Divine Mercy in My Soul, Diary of St. Maria Faustina
St. Maria Faustina, the Apostle of Divine Mercy, complements the public revelation in the Bible and church teaching with many private revelations of what the personal experience of heaven is like. A brief sampling[5]:
#153[6] “At the end of the road there was a magnificent garden filled with all sorts of happiness, and all these souls entered there. At the very first instant they forgot all their sufferings.’’
#334 “I feel immensely happy at the greatness of God. Seeing God’s greatness is more than enough to make me happy throughout all eternity!”
#419 “O Jesus, I would like to toil and wear myself out and suffer all my life for that one moment in which I saw Your glory, …”
#439 “Trembling with joy in the embrace of the Creator, I felt He Himself was supporting me so that I could bear this great happiness and gaze at His Majesty.”
#480 “God’s presence penetrates me to my very depths and fills me with peace, joy and amazement.”
#491 “… once again the majesty of God overwhelmed me. I felt that I was immersed in God, totally … penetrated by God, being aware of how much the heavenly Father loves us. Oh, what great happiness fills my heart from knowing God and the divine life!
#507 “Already here on earth we can taste the happiness of those in heaven by an intimate union with God, a union that is extraordinary and often quite incomprehensible to us.”
#509 “In the adversities that I experience, I remind myself that the time for doing battle has not yet come to an end. I arm myself with patience, and in this way I defeat my assailant.”
#513 “Love is flooding my soul; I am plunged into an ocean of love.”
#566 “… my soul was flooded with such unspeakable love that I thought I would die under its influence.”
#578 “… days of suffering always seem longer, but they too will pass,… their end is near, and then will come endless and inconceivable joy. Eternity! Who can understand this one word which comes from You, O incomprehensible God, this one word: eternity!”
#582 “I was dazzled and overcome with awe. His radiance blinded me.”
#592 “Incomprehensible is the happiness in which the soul will be immersed. O my God, oh, that I could describe this, even in some little degree. Souls are penetrated by His divinity and pass from brightness to brightness, an unchanging light, but never monotonous, always new though never changing. O Holy Trinity, make yourself known to souls!”
#604 “… the Lord also gave me to understand what unimaginable glory awaits the person who resembles the suffering Jesus here on earth.”
#679 “Good night, my Beloved; I rejoice at being one day closer to eternity.”
#683 “Once, when I was praying fervently to the Jesuit Saints, I suddenly saw my Guardian Angel, who led me before the throne of God. I passed through great hosts of saints, and I recognized many of them, whom I knew from the pictures,… I came before the throne of God. I saw a great and inaccessible light, and I saw a place destined for me, close to God. But what it was like I do not know, because a cloud covered it. However, my Guardian Angel said to me, “Here is your throne, for your faithfulness in fulfilling the will of God.”
#691 “I remained in prayer for a whole hour and united myself in spirit with those souls who are already worshipping God in the perfect way.”
#771 “…the chosen ones in heaven see God face to face and are completely and absolutely happy.”
#777-779 “Today I was in heaven, in spirit, and I saw its inconceivable beauties and the happiness that awaits us after death. I saw how all creatures give ceaseless praise and glory to God. I saw how great is happiness in God, which spreads to all creatures, making them happy; and then all the glory and praise which springs from this happiness returns to its source; and they enter into the depths of God, contemplating the inner life of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, whom they will never comprehend or fathom.”
“This source of happiness is unchanging in its essence, but it is always new, gushing forth happiness for all creatures. Now I understand Saint Paul, who said, “Eye has not seen, nor has ear heard, nor has it entered into the human heart what God has prepared for those who love God.”
“The sight of this great majesty of God, which I came to understand more profoundly and which is worshiped by the heavenly spirits according to their degree of grace and the hierarchies into which they are divided, did not cause my soul to be stricken with terror or fear; no, no, not all! My soul was filled with peace and love, and the more I come to know the greatness of God, the more joyful I become that He is as He is.”
#780 “O my God, how I pity those people who do not believe in eternal life; how I pray for them that a ray of mercy would envelop them too, and that God would clasp them to His fatherly bosom.”
#835 “O God, this unfathomable mercy enthralls anew all the holy souls and all the spirits of heaven. These pure spirits are immersed in holy amazement as they glorify this inconceivable mercy of God, which in turn arouses even greater admiration in them, and their praise is carried out in a perfect manner…, I see all my littleness, and cannot compare myself to the heavenly beings who praise the Lord’s mercy with holy admiration.’’
#1048 “Then in an instant, I was caught up to stand near Jesus, and I stood on the altar next to the Lord Jesus, and my spirit was filled with happiness so great that I am unable to comprehend it or write about it. A profound peace as well as repose filled my soul. Jesus bent toward me and said with great kindness, What is it you desire my daughter? and I answered, ‘’I desire worship and glory be given to your mercy.’’ “I already am receiving worship by the institution and celebration of this Feast; what else do you desire? I then looked at the immense crowd worshiping The Divine Mercy and I said to the Lord, ‘’Jesus, bless all those who are gathered to give glory to You and to Venerate your infinite mercy.” Jesus made a sign of the cross with his hand, and this blessing was reflected in the souls like a flash of light. My spirit was engulfed in His love. I felt as if I had dissolved and disappeared completely in God. When I came to Myself, a profound peace was flooding my soul, and an extraordinary understanding of many things was communicated to my intellect, an understanding that has not been granted me previously.’’
#1391 “… such a vivid presence pervaded my soul that, for a while, I had no idea where I was. The sweet presence of God kept filling my soul.’’
#1439 “… my whole being found itself plunged in God… At that moment, I had a deeper knowledge of the Three Divine Persons, whom we shall contemplate for all eternity and, after millions of years, shall discover that we have just barely begun our contemplation.’’
#1443 “… my Joy throughout the whole Christmas season was immense, because my soul was unceasingly united with the Lord.’’
#1500 “Today, the love of God is transporting me into the other world. I am all immersed in love; I love and feel that I am loved, and with full consciousness I experience this. My soul is drowning in the Lord, realizing the great Majesty of God.’’
#1582 “ … when I stand at the foot of your throne, … I feel that I will be immediately drowned in God as in an ocean of happiness.’’
#1592 “During meditation, the Lord gave me knowledge of the joy of heaven and of the saints on our arrivals there; they love God as the sole object of their love, but they also have a tender and heartfelt love for us. It is from the face of God that this joy flows out upon all, because we see Him face to face. His face is so sweet that the soul falls anew into ecstasy.’’
#1604 “… a vivid presence of God suddenly swept over me, and I was caught up in spirit before the majesty of God. I saw how the angels and the saints of the Lord give glory to God. The glory of God is so great that I dare not try to describe it, because I would not be able to do so.’’
“Saint Paul, I understand why you did not want to describe heaven, but only said that eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the (human) heart what God has prepared for those who love Him [cf. I Cor. 2:9; 2 Cor. 12:1-7]. Yes that is indeed so.’’
#1653 “I go, O my bridegroom, I go to see Your glory, which even now fills my soul with joy there where all heaven is plunged in your adoration,…In eternal happiness, I will not forget those on earth, I will obtain God’s mercy for all.’’
#1654 “I will stand before You … to be drowned in You, in peace forever.’’
#1660 “My soul was filled with peace much deeper than anything I had experienced before, a divine reassurance which nothing can efface, a deep peace which nothing can disturb.’’
#1741-1742 “… merciful God, one God in the Holy Trinity, unfathomable, infinite, incomprehensible, immersing themselves in You, their minds cannot comprehend you, so they repeat without end their eternal: Holy. … the pure spirits plunged into the ocean of Divinity;
contemplating and praising the depths of His mercy, they drown in His mercy and manifold light, possessing in knowledge the Trinity of persons, the Oneness of Godhead.’’
1781 “After Holy Communion, the infinite love of God swept over me. My soul was in communion with the Holy Spirit, who is the same Lord as the Father and the Son. His breath filled my soul with such delight that it would be useless for me to try to give even a faint idea of what my heart experienced.’’
#1787 “… When, in heaven, you see these present days, you will rejoice and will want to see as many of them as possible.’’
As exalted and inspired as the rhetoric from the diary is, we must remember what St. Maria Faustina says about her writings: “… in order to write something of what the Lord gives me to know, I must use words with which I am totally dissatisfied, because they do not express the reality.” #758
The assumption of the secular culture we live in is that life here on earth is all there is. Once we die, that’s it, there is nothing afterwards. This is a deception of the Devil. Eternity awaits us after we complete our pilgrimage here on earth. All the smartphones and SUV’s in the world will never make us truly happy. We find true and lasting joy only in heaven with God.
How do we get there? God, who is infinitely loving, is the source of all creation. We are to love and obey God the best we can every moment of our life. We have the privilege of participating in God’s work of transforming human history – the violence, injustice and all its darknesses – into the peace and love of God’s kingdom. Those who recognize and embrace this call and privilege will be immersed in the indescribable joys of heaven for all eternity!
Bibliography on Heaven
The Happiness of Heaven: The Joys and Rewards of Eternal Glory By a Father of the Society of Jesus J. Boudreau, S.J. Fourth Revised Edition TAN BOOKS AND PUBLISHERS, INC. Rockford, Illinois 61105 ISBN: 0-89555-232-9
