Heaven and Vigilance

By Fr. Conor Donnelly

(Proofread)

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

My Lord and my God, I firmly believe that you are here, that you see me, that you hear me. I adore you with profound reverence. I ask your pardon for my sins and grace to make this time of prayer fruitful. My Immaculate Mother, Saint Joseph, my father and lord, my guardian angel, intercede for me.

We're told in St. Luke, “Watch yourselves, or your hearts will be coarsened by debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life, and that day will come upon you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come down on all those living on the face of the earth. Stay awake, praying at all times for the strength to survive all that is going to happen, and to hold your ground before the Son of man” (Luke 21:34-36).

In the Book of Revelation, it says, “Then he showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit … There shall no more be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall worship Him, and they shall see his face, and his name shall be on their foreheads” (Rev. 22:1-4).

Through the rich use of symbols, God teaches us in the Book of Revelation about the nature of eternal life. This is the fulfillment of mankind's deepest yearnings. We are to see God face to face and glorify Him forever.

St. John also depicts the happy state of God's faithful servants in heaven. The water is a symbol of the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father and the Son. It runs like a river from the throne of God and of the Lamb. The Name of God is to be found on the foreheads of the blessed. They belong to God.

In the Book of Revelation, we're told, “In heaven, night shall be no more; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they shall reign forever and ever” (Rev. 22:5).

Death is an indispensable step towards our reunion with God. The children of God should always view death as a transition to eternity. Once we are in God's company, “night shall be no more.” To the extent that we grow in our sense of divine filiation, we should become more desirous of meeting Our loving Father.

We should, therefore, look at death without fear, but with holy expectation. After all, “life is a journey towards eternity...Every moment becomes precious precisely through this perspective. We must live and work in time, beating within us the nostalgia for heaven” (St. John Paul II, Address, October 22, 1985).

We can be very aware that many, many people around us do not have that “nostalgia for heaven.” They've grown accustomed to their prosperity and material comfort, as if these things were to last forever. Lords of themselves, they are happy in their lot.

They've forgotten the fundamental truth. “For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city which is to come” (Heb. 13:14).

There are many messages that Our Lord gives us along the pathway of our life that bring that home to us; what we might sometimes refer to as human tragedies: plane crashes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, floods, and major traffic accidents in which a lot of people die.

We can look upon these things from a human perspective and wonder how these things happen. And yet, very often, these events contain great spiritual messages reminding us about the fleeting nature of this life.

Our hearts were made to last for all eternity. The things of this world cannot satisfy our nature. They can become for us an obstacle to our eternal happiness.

We, followers of Christ, are called to have a great love of life and a great love of all noble earthly realities—friendship, work, joy, human love, fun.

As a consequence, we shouldn't be surprised that the prospect of death may frighten us. This is quite natural; a natural reaction to have. But our body and soul were created by God to be united with Him forever.

It's good to use the opportunities that arise to explain death to children—to talk to them about their soul, the immortality of our soul, and to talk to them about heaven.

The Church prays in the Preface for Masses for the Dead: “Lord, for your faithful people, life is changed, not ended. When the body of our earthly dwelling lies in death, we gain an everlasting dwelling place in heaven.” That leads us to have a very positive outlook on the reality of death, to look at it from a very supernatural point of view.

The true child of God “expresses their joy in seeing at last the transcendent perfections of the Father in all His holiness.” One writer says: “The child recognizes the condescension of Infinite Majesty in adopting him on earth—in guiding, training, sanctifying, and preparing him for heaven now. In doing so, he has invited that child to enter heaven, to be with his Father for all eternity. God has had regard for his littleness and given him the power to glorify the Trinity forever” (Bonaventure Perquin, Abba, Father).

So, we have good reason to exclaim, “We shall never die! We will only be changing our lodgings, nothing more. In conjunction with faith and hope, we Christians also need to have this sure hope. At our death, we make only a temporary farewell. We should want to die in the spirit of those words: ‘Until we meet again’” (St. Josemaría Escrivá, Newsletter No. 1).

We have to try and work at the divinization of our soul, and to see how our faculties and our bodies will be glorified in heaven. The Book of Daniel says, “but the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever and ever” (Dan. 7:18).

We will find that everything appears new and young in heaven. The Book of Revelation says the old universe will “seem to have vanished like a scroll that has rolled up” (Rev. 6: 14).

At the same time, heaven will not be a complete surprise for us, because, after all, it's the focus of the deepest yearnings of every person, even of the most depraved sinner—that place where “every tear will be wiped away” (cf. Rev. 21:4).

Heaven is the new community of the children of God who have attained to the fullness of their adoption. We will have a new heart and a new will. In the time of Christ's glory, our bodies will be transfigured. The happiness based on the vision of God will not override personal relations.

One writer says, “There in heaven will be found all authentic human love: the love between spouses, the love between a father and his children, friendships, family relationships, noble camaraderie…

“We're all traveling in this life. As the years go by, we find that more and more of our loved ones are now on the other side of that barrier.

“This knowledge might be a source of fear, but it can also be a cause for joy. This is possible if we believe that death is the door to our true home. It leads to our definitive homeland, which is inhabited by ‘all those who have come before us, marked with the sign of faith.’ Our common homeland is not a forbidding tomb; it is the bosom of the Lord” (C. Lopez-Pardo, On Life and Death, Madrid, 1973).

While we're here on earth, we might find it quite difficult to imagine what heaven will be like. The Old Testament compares our condition in heaven to that of the Promised Land. The Book of Isaiah says, “They shall not hunger or thirst. Neither scorching wind nor sun shall smite them, for he who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them” (Isa. 49:10).

Our Lord frequently spoke of the incredible happiness that lies in store for us if we are faithful. The soul and its faculties, along with our glorified bodies, will be divinized. But there will still remain an infinite difference between creature and Creator. We will contemplate God as He truly is. In addition, the blessed will delight in the knowledge of other people in God: parents, relatives, spouses, children, and friends.

St. Thomas teaches that the blessed will know in Christ everything that pertains to the beauty and integrity of the world. He said because of our membership in the human community, the blessed will know the objects of Christ's love on earth. The blessed will have a clear understanding of the truths of the Faith regarding our salvation: the Incarnation, the divine maternity of Mary, the Church, grace, and the sacraments (cf. St. Thomas, Summa Theologiae, 1, Question 89).

In The Forge, it says, “Think how pleasing to Our Lord is the incense burnt in his honor. Think also how little the things of this earth are worth; even as they begin, they are already ending.

“In heaven, instead, a great Love awaits you, with no betrayals and no deceptions. The fullness of love, the fullness of beauty and greatness and knowledge…And it will never cloy: it will satiate, yet you will still want more” (J. Escrivá, The Forge, Point 995).

In heaven we will see God. This will fill us with a great joy. The extent of this joy will be related to our holiness here on earth. Yet the mercy of God is so great that He has prepared additional motives for our joy in heaven.

Theologians have termed these goods “accidental glory.” They include being in the company of Christ glorified, Mary Our Mother, St. Joseph, the angels, particularly our guardian angel, and all the saints. We will have the joy of being with our loved ones—parents, brothers and sisters, friends, those people who showed us our vocation.

In heaven we will also be capable of acquiring new knowledge using our faculties. We will have the joy of seeing new souls in heaven. We shall be able to see the progress of our friends on earth. We will see the fruits of our apostolic efforts and sacrifices.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent says: “At the time of the Last Judgment we shall possess our resurrected and glorified body. Accidental glory can increase up to the time of the Last Judgment.”

Theologians say that we will get our own body back when we go to heaven, in its most perfect state. Whatever age it was that our body was in its most perfect state, that is what we will get back, so we will all look very good in heaven.

All the Church's teaching on this issue can lead us to foster the virtue of hope so that that hope will strengthen us in moments of difficulty. So much is at stake. We have to be vigilant in our struggle to be detached from the things of this earth. “Seek the things that are above” (Col. 3:1), we're told.

Our Lord has given us ample warnings. “But take heed to yourselves,” we’re told in St. Luke, “lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness in the cares of this life. … But watch at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of man” (Luke 21:34-36).

We also have the consoling words of Our Lord, “I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:3).

Heaven is our definitive homeland. There we will enjoy the company of Jesus and Mary. Here, we are but pilgrims. “And when the moment comes when we are to give an account to God, we will not be afraid”—because we see that death is just a change of house. Life is changed, not taken away. “Death will come when God wants—being that liberation, that point of entry into the fullness of life” (Preface I, Mass for the Dead).

“Life changes,” says Blessed Álvaro del Portillo. “It doesn't come to an end. We have a firm hope that we will live in a new way, very united to the Blessed Virgin, as we adore the Most Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is the reward that awaits us” (Homily, Romana, August 15, 1989).

Scripture reminds us and warns us about the excessive concerns for comfort and the things of this world that inevitably lead to a neglect of God and neighbor. We are told about a man who fell into that very trap. Instead of winning heaven through the use of his wealth, he lost it forever.

We are told, “There was a rich man who used to dress in purple and fine linen and feast magnificently every day. Meanwhile, at his door, there was a poor man called Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to fill himself with the scraps that fell from the rich man's table” (Luke 16:19-21).

Thus, Our Lord contrasts two extreme conditions in this parable: vast wealth in one case, tremendous need in the other. Our Lord says nothing about the rich man's possessions themselves. He puts His entire emphasis on how they have been used, mentioning only expensive clothes and sumptuous daily banquets. Lazarus was not even given the leftovers.

The rich man did nothing wrong as he amassed his fortune. He wasn't responsible for the wretched poverty of Lazarus, at least not in any direct way. He didn't take advantage of the situation to exploit Lazarus. Nevertheless, he had a definite lifestyle. It might be summed up in the words: “he feasted magnificently.”

He lived for himself as if God did not exist. He had completely forgotten the fact that we are not owners of what we have, but only administrators.

The rich man had a good time for himself. He was not against God, nor did he oppress his impoverished neighbor. He was simply blind to the existence of the needy person on his doorstep. He lived for himself and spared himself no expense.

What was his sin? He didn’t see Lazarus. He could have cared for Lazarus if he had not been so selfish. He didn't use his wealth in any way that was in conformity with God's desires. He didn't know how to share.

When we consider this parable, we can see the importance of teaching our children all of these virtues: to look around them, to have a social consciousness, to look at the things they have and that they enjoy—the presents, maybe, that they got for their birthday last year or Christmas—and see that nothing belongs to them, and that the way they handle material things, including money, may determine how they will or will not win heaven for themselves.

St. Augustine comments, “Lazarus was received into heaven because of his humility, not because of his poverty. Wealth itself was not what kept the rich man from eternal bliss. His punishment was for selfishness and disloyalty” (St. Augustine, Sermon 24, 3).

Christ never said it was wrong to be rich. What He did say was that it was wrong to use our riches badly.

Selfishness can be manifested in an insatiable desire to possess more and more material things. It can make people blind to the needs of their neighbors. Selfish people can come to treat others as if they were objects without value.

We have to try and remember that we all have needy people living alongside us—people like Lazarus. We can't forget to administer what we have with generosity. In addition to the sharing of material goods, we should also be sowers of understanding, of sympathy, and of friendship.

The first Christians were inspired by their longing for the day of the Lord, inspired to persevere in the face of every form of adversity. Over and over again, St. Paul invokes this future time of blessing. We can also imitate the early Christians in that holy practice, especially when we encounter some difficulties around us.

He reminded the Christians at Thessalonica: “We are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren, as is fitting, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.

“Therefore, we boast of you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and your faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions which you are enduring. This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be made worthy of the kingdom of God; for which you are suffering“ (2 Thess. 1:3-5).

From time to time Our Lord might permit us to suffer for our beliefs. He might allow us to experience sickness and pain. He wants us to put our trust in Him.

Then we'll be more detached from our sense of personal importance, from the state of our health, from our possessions. We'll be better prepared for the future—for that Kingdom of God to which God has called us.

It is of vital importance that we who are living in the midst of the world maintain a lively remembrance that as St. Paul VI says, “the Kingdom of God, which had its beginnings here on earth in the Church of Christ, is not of this world whose form is passing, and that its authentic development cannot be measured by the progress of civilization, of science, or of technology” (St. Paul VI, Credo of the People of God, Point 27).

We can ask Our Lady, Queen of heaven, that she might lead us to be vigilant here on earth, along our pathway, so that we can truly reach our true homeland.

Mary, Queen of heaven, pray for us.

I thank you, my God, for the good resolutions, affections, and inspirations that you have communicated to me during this meditation. I ask your help to put them into practice. My Immaculate Mother, Saint Joseph, my father and lord, my guardian angel, intercede for me.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

SMF