New Heaven and New Earth

Heaven is not a place. It is a state of life. It is attained here and now, or rather heaven begins right here, right now with your consent. So heaven is not a place to reach when you die; but it is a state of life which begins now, and enjoyed fully at the revealing of your new life. That’s why St Catherine of Siena says, “It is heaven all the way to heaven, and it is hell all the way to hell.” Heaven is nothing but the discovery or recovery of God’s union; whereas the hell is the loss of such a union. Mind you, the Church does not talk about hell, it talks only about heaven. (Perhaps we need to stop talking of heaven and hell as “places,” and certainly discontinue the wrong idea of a punishing God who sends souls to hell so that He can be a villain-like hero who has defeated his enemies, and rejoices in the downfall of the cruel and wicked ones—to be burnt in eternal fire.) Moreover, heaven is more about the present than about the future. Or more properly, heaven is “already” but “not yet” completely experienced.

The second letter of St Peter talks of the new heaven and the new earth as God’s unfailing promise (2 Peter 3:12-18). Heaven and earth will be renewed. Not in the future. But now, right here on earth. Wherever there is justice and mercy, there is heaven. Wherever there is love and sacrifice, there is heaven. Whenever we try to bring God’s message of peace and love, then we have heaven.

No one is in heaven unless he or she wants to be, and all are in heaven as soon as the live in union. So our life is all about practising heaven for heaven. We practise heaven by choosing union freely now. Heaven thus is the state of union both here and later. That is why we pray in the Our Father: Your Kingdom come on earth as in heaven. As above, so below. As now, so later.

This earth hides heaven. The present time hides heaven. But also, the earth reveals heaven, and this time reveals heaven. The particular is the way to the general. The concrete is the way to the universal. This reality given to us is that which both hides and reveals the eternal happiness of heaven. We need eyes of faith, and arms of love to create heaven on this earth. Let us not wait for heaven, and let us not miss heaven which is happening right here, right now.