Heaven

 

Article by Father Francis Maple OFM Cap - Link HERE

HEAVEN

         Who is there?

First of all: God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — not as an idea, not through symbols or sacraments, but face to face. That is the heart of Heaven: seeing God as He is, and being completely at home in His love.

With Him are: Our Blessed Lady, radiant with the beauty of a soul totally surrendered to God — now also glorified in body and soul. 

The angels, each one blazing with intelligence, joy, and purpose. 

All the saints, known and unknown — apostles, martyrs, quiet faithful souls, children, grandparents, sinners who repented late, priests worn thin by love, people no one ever noticed.

And yes — those we have loved and lost, if they died in God’s friendship. 

Relationships are not erased; they are perfected.  No jealousy. No misunderstandings. No unfinished conversations. Love is finally free to be what it always longed to be.

Its duration?

Heaven is not “a very long time.”  It is eternity — which means outside time.

Nothing good runs out: Joy doesn’t fade.  Love doesn’t cool.  You never think, “Is this all there is?”

Every moment is full, complete -  and yet always fresh. 

What will we do there?

This is where people imagine clouds and harps and worry they’ll be bored stiff in five minutes.  But boredom is a sign of emptiness.  Heaven is fullness.  You will keep learning more about God.

In Heaven we will: See God - and that vision itself is bliss. 

Love perfectly - without fear, pride, or exhaustion. 

Know — not everything, but everything we need, without confusion. 

Praise and worship - not as a duty, but as something that overflows naturally, like singing when you’re happy. 

Rest - not inactivity, but deep peace: nothing to prove, nothing to fix.

Think of the best moments you’ve ever had: Being completely understood.  Loving someone without reserve.  Praying and feeling utterly at peace.  Listening to music that lifts you out of yourself.

Heaven is all of that, without interruption and without loss.

And you - you will still be you.  Your personality will be perfect.  You will be more yourself than you have ever been - healed of every wound, freed from every limitation, with every good desire finally satisfied.

There will be no regrets.  No sin.  No fear of dying again.  No loneliness.  Just life - real life - as God always intended it.

For many of us — especially those who have loved deeply, lost painfully, prayed faithfully, and grown tired in the service of God - Heaven will reveal what we have been slowly learning all along: we are meant for more.

Heaven is not an escape from life.  It is the fulfilment of it.

In Heaven you will walk with God free from carrying crosses, from learning what truly matters, and from discovering that nothing on earth - however beautiful - is ever quite enough.  The heart slowly learns what it was made for.

Heaven is the fulfilment of the promise God has planted deep within us – a promise sealed by the Resurrection of Christ.

In Heaven we believe in the resurrection of the body.  Just as Christ rose, so shall we.  In Heaven we shall have our risen bodies - real, personal, and glorified.  They will no longer be subject to sickness, weakness, ageing, pain, or death.  What was sown in frailty will be raised in glory.  Nothing that truly made us human is lost; it is transformed.  The body, once a place of struggle, becomes a place of praise.

Heaven is home.