Searching for Heaven
While many of us imagine heaven - and some argue if there is one - there are many references in Holy Scripture to give us some idea what it is like. Listen here to a recent conversation with theologian and professor Mary Catherine Hilkert, OP, on NPR's All Things Considered. She imagines heaven like a wedding feast or a banquet, a place there every tear will be wiped dry.
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Casual Conversation
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Almost before I finished reading the news line, "Tuesday evening, the world lost a visionary soul, and heaven gained a bright star" my heart sank. Then my thoughts flashed a movie-like scene in my imagination of Bob Hentzen and Brother Roger of Taizé, having coffee together, engaging in a casual conversation, speculating in eager anticipation of Jean Vanier, joining them at the table. After all, Vanier, vivacious at age 85, does frequently journal about "a meeting with God who comes when we neither know the day, nor the hour."
Apparently Bob Hentzen did not know the day nor the hour; reports mention his sudden death. One of the founders of the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging, Bob was a man so full of life, easily putting stories into song, and bringing joy to all he met on the road. According to their website, "For more than 30 years, Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) has brought hope to families living in poverty in the 21 countries where we work. Founded in 1981 by lay Catholics acting on the Gospel call to serve the poor, we have grown into a movement of more than 250,000 sponsors who are supporting more than 300,000 children, youth and aging friends worldwide."
It was one of the most memorable and significant periods in my life, the ten years I worked for CFCA as a Lay Preacher, spreading the Word of the Gospel and the word of CFCA's worldwide community of compassion and service. Bob and his family welcomed me in Guatemala as a heartfelt reflection of their mission - "to walk with the poor and marginalized in the world" - as did Jesus. There I fell in love with the indigenous Guatemalan people and learned from them the beauty of poverty: humility, simplicity, and reverence.
I imagine Bob Hentzen making his final journey to the next life, walking of course. Arriving immediately at the heavenly banquet -- Guatemalan style -- he probably is sitting down at the table for a cup of coffee, sharing with others of like mind and heart. I imagine there with him Brother Roger and Jean Vanier and my friend Marty Benson, O.Carm.; and maybe Mary Magdalene, Mother Teresa, and my first Spiritual Director, Pat Shleatzley, CSJ. I imagine that happy day when I can join them. As I imagine, I smell the aroma of fresh roasted Guatemalan coffee brewing.
--by Jan
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The Wonder of Today
Years ago, as part of the training for a personal evangelism program, I was asked the following question, "If you were to die tonight, have you reached the point in your spiritual life that you could be certain you would go to heaven instead of hell?"
My response at the time: "I've reached the point in my spiritual life where that is no longer a particularly important question for me." I was in my twenties then. Now that I am in my sixties - after the death of both parents, and increasingly aware of the shadows of my own mortality - would my answer be the same?
Yes and no. Further from youth's illusion of immortality, I might not be so flippant, so confident of the superiority of my position. But yes, my answer would still be largely the same. My faith, my life with God in Jesus Christ, is still not primarily about winning a free pass to heaven and avoiding the fires of hell. Make no mistake: I do believe in an afterlife. I believe that the love of God in Jesus Christ, which could not be stopped by his death on the cross, will not be stopped by my death either. The older I get, the more friends and family who die, the more comforting this trust becomes.
But I have reached the point in my spiritual life where praising God for this day is far more important than speculating about the future. My faith is more about being open to awe and welcoming wonder today than waiting for the wonders of heaven. To share a word of love now, to bring a bit of heaven to earth, to be at peace with myself and with others, to touch the edge of holy mystery.
As Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount (as paraphrased by Eugene Peterson*), "Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow."
Still, in response to Jan's image of sipping Guatemalan coffee for eternity, I must admit that, in my idea of heaven, there will be a German bakery just around the corner!
--by Bill
*The Message, Matt: 6:34.
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