This made me ponder on what heaven really means. As has often been said, “meaning is in people”. Hence, ‘heaven’ can have different meanings as people have different viewpoints. Truth, they say, is the whole of reality, and only God knows the whole of reality. Whatever we, human beings, know is just a ‘point of view’.
In the Catechism For Filipinos, we read: “Filipinos usually speak of heaven as if it were a ‘place’, but only because, since we live in time and space, we imagine everything as a place. Actually, heaven means the state of ‘being with the Lord’ (cf. 1Thes. 4:17 living in Him in whom the blessed find the perfection of their identity and the perfect consummation of their earthly lives. We often call this state of seeing God “face to face” (cf. 1 Cor. 13:12) the “beatific vision” because it causes unspeakable joy and happiness in communion with all the saints.”
From the foregoing, I now consider heaven as ‘where God is’. To my mind, this presence of God is manifested in His Holy Will. Being the Supreme Being in this world, He certainly wants everything to be done according to His Will.
Christ Himself taught us to pray: “Thy Will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” He further stated during His agony in the garden of Gethsemane: “Not My Will but Your Will be done.” Therefore, of paramount importance to God is His Holy Will.
On the whole, for me then, the essence of heaven is “BEING WITH GOD”. I can think of no other better way to be with God than to earnestly strive to DO HIS HOLY WILL. I believe that when I, in all sincerity, place myself in God’s hands, depend on His indispensable grace and do all I can to carry out whatever He wants me to do under the concrete circumstances of my life, God is pleased with me and gives me joy. This to me is HEAVEN – simply DOING THE WILL OF GOD.
by: Buddy Cagurangan
September 4, 2011
September 4, 2011
