The other day, my hiking pal
and I had just completed a short hike. It was nice to be able to go on a hike
at all; the weather’s been so mild this year, we were actually able to up into
the mountains a bit. Anyway, I guess because he was so thrilled with being able
to be out in the wilderness (as was I, actually!), he said, “I really want to be
in Heaven with you!”
I interjected, “Well, then, you’d
better become Catholic.”
It’s a bit of a sore point
between us, so he ignored my comment and went on, “Maybe God would let us hike
in all kinds of beautiful places together, and maybe He would even let us hike
on other planets, all around the universe!”
I find it interesting to hear
what other people think Heaven will be like. To me, it seems that most people
have a vision of Heaven that is little more than an abundance of whatever they
think makes them happy here on earth, and an absence of anything
unpleasant.
On Face Book, you see those who
consider themselves Christians often saying things or posting “memes” that say
things along the lines of “If you have a mom or dad in Heaven, like and share
this post!” Or even, “If you know some angels in Heaven [meaning someone you
know who has died, and is now, therefore, an “angel”), share this post!” Then
there’s the occasional post about someone who has died: “So-and-So went to be
with Jesus last night.” And people talk about their deceased pets meeting them
at the Pearly Gates. These things irritate me because…well, because they are
not reflections of Catholic theology, for one thing!
I think Heaven is about being
one with God. And if you are one with God, then whatever needs are being
fulfilled here on earth by things like hiking, or pets, or relationships with
others, are completed filled by God’s presence; then there would be no need of
the things we think we enjoy and “love” in our earthly bodies. I’m not sure
what Catholic theology has to say about that, really, but I do know that Heaven
is not just an extension of earth!
Probably one of my all-time
favorite quotes on this subject is found in the preface of The Ladder of Divine Ascent, by St. John Climacus. It is actually a
quote from St. Augustine, and it says:
Imagine a man in whom the tumult of the flesh goes
silent, in whom the images of earth, of water, of air and of the skies cease to
resound. His soul turns quiet and, self-reflecting no longer, it transcends
itself. Dreams and visions end. So too does all speech and every gesture,
everything in fact which comes to be only to pass away. All these things cry
out: 'We did not make ourselves. It is the Eternal One Who made us.' And after
they have said this, think of them falling silent, turning to listen to the One
Who created them. And imagine Him speaking. Himself, and not through the medium
of all those things. Speaking Himself. So that we could hear His word, not in
the language of the flesh, not through the speech of an Angel, not by way of a
rattling cloud or a mysterious parable. But Himself. The One Whom we love in
everything. Imagine we could hear Him without them. Reaching out with speeding
thought we come to Him, to the Eternal Wisdom which outlasts everything. And
imagine if sight of Him were kept available, while all lesser sights were taken
away. Think of this encounter, seizing, absorbing, drawing the witness into the
depths of joy. Eternal life would be of a kind with this moment of
understanding.' (Confessions ix, 10, 25)
I
think that is simply beautiful, something to yearn for! And it has colored my thoughts on Heaven since
I first read it (probably 10 years ago).
Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.
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