From pastor’s desk on the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time, year B
Where is heaven? - Everywhere and nowhere. Rather we should ask: What is heaven? Heaven is not a place but a state of being or a spiritual condition. However, it seems that most people have a false conception of heaven as a place of infinite pleasures known from our life on earth. If that were true, heaven would eventually be boring and with no purpose. We would be exhausted as if staying too long on a vacation. Certainly, heaven is associated with peace and joy, but it is a different kind of joy - it is the never-ending joy that is a fruit of fulfillment of God’s will.
The Revelation does not speak of heaven as a place but rather as a kingdom of God. This means that the heavenly kingdom will be organized and ordered towards higher purpose, which is the glory of God. Hence, heaven will consist of the fulfillment of all desires that will be realized in God on God’s terms. Ultimately, it is life in God that makes heaven possible. For Christian believers’ true happiness is found only in Christ Jesus.
Is heaven possible on earth? Yes and no. Let’s start with ‘no.’ The earth can be just a foretaste of paradise. Since the earth with all its majesty is God’s creation, it reflects God‘s beauty and harmony. However, we know that all things as we see them on earth eventually will come to an end. All the plants and bodies will decay; all the buildings and the mountains will collapse; and even the earth itself will vanish. It is not really heaven if we mean it to be something that will last forever. In addition, our human life is affected by the original sin and actual sins we commit throughout our life. Consequently, for many people, life on earth looks more like hell or purgatory than heaven. Even if you do have a good and happy life, you still are not free from worry, difficulties, and suffering. Therefore, we know heaven cannot be found on earth.
Now what about the ‘yes’? According to our faith, heaven is where Jesus Christ is. That is why when one of the Pharisees came to Jesus to ask him about the kingdom of God and correctly answered Jesus’s question, our Lord told him “You are not far from the kingdom of God. “The pharisee was not far from “the kingdom,” for he was very close to comprehension that it was Jesus Christ who embodied the kingdom and it was Jesus who is the Way to heaven. The so-called good thief understood this while being crucified next to Jesus. This villain asked the Lord, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And our Lord Jesus answered him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
As we approach the celebration of All Saints Day we recognize those who experienced in a special way the foretaste of heaven on earth and already enjoy the bliss of heaven. On this special day we profess that there are people in heaven, that is, there are people who enjoy the vision of God because they believed in the word of Christ and put it into practice during their life on earth. Since they wholeheartedly embraced the faith in Jesus Christ, they were able to become saints. And that is exactly heaven. Heaven is when you can live with Christ and in Christ despite the circumstances; it is when you can always fix your gaze on Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected and do everything for the greater glory of God through Jesus.
The Church professes that the saints are in perfect communion with God. We too would like to be in that communion with God so that we can feel peace, joy, and provide meaning to our lives on earth. But if we still experience anxiety and pain; if we still don’t see the meaning to our life, let us begin with the simple fulfillment of the Commandments and let us cling to Jesus while always praying “Jesus, I trust in You.” We need to follow the great example of Catholic saints and ask them to help us on the way to salvation.
Happy All Saints and All Souls Day! God bless you all!
Fr. Janusz Mocarski, Pastor