Wondering Wednesdays Vol. 5: Heaven

Many people have different reasons or events for their conversion or reversion to Christianity. My reversion back to the Catholic Church was due to my Uncle Dave's death. He was such a holy and devout man that there is no doubt that he is in heaven. If he did go to purgatory it was for a short pit stop.

The thought of someone I was very close to being in the eternal glory of heaven just blew my mind. I mean Uncle Dave was in the same company as the angels, the saints, his mother who had passed away 40 years before, and um, JESUS! I mean the fact that he was face-to-face with our Savior and the Blessed Virgin made me SO incredibly happy for him.

He was in eternal happiness. No more tears, sadness, anger, or worry. At this point of my life, tears, sadness, anger and worry were running rampant. I didn't want all that negative energy so I knew that if I wanted to someday be eternally happy I would need to change my sinful way of living.

So I did.

Heaven is often on my mind. I read a wonderful book a couple years ago called "A Travel Guide to Heaven" by Anthony DeStefano. He used the Bible and other Church teachings to speculate on what heaven would be like. His images are stuck in my head often when I think about heaven. I also get excited when I read all the lovely images of the Kingdom of God in Holy Scripture.

I wonder what heaven will be like if I am lucky enough for the Lord to say to me at the time of my death, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Come and share your master's happiness!"

The first thing I wonder about is how I will react when I see Jesus face-to-face. Sure I'll drop to my knees in praise. I think I will shake uncontrollably with nervousness. I would be shaking like a leaf if I met someone famous and holy like the Pope...just imagine my nervousness when I meet the Son of God- the Alpha and the Omega- the creator of the universe!!! I will probably bawl my little eyes out in awe and wonder at meeting my Savior. Will He come to embrace me? I think I'd faint...

I wonder if the whole "life flashing before your eyes" thing is true. My husband and I were talking about this the other day. Would we relive our life through our own eyes or be looking down on it all? I know one thing for sure- there are some points in my life that I would love to fast forward through. I know I will bury my head in shame during certain points.

I wonder which relative I will see first, or will they all come to greet me at once? Will it be my grandmother, whom I am named after? Will it be my Uncle Dave or Uncle Mick, whose deaths caused me to embrace Christ? Or will it be some ancestor?

I wonder what it will be like to walk around Heaven and see Adam and Eve, Moses and John the Baptist. "Oh look, there's George Washington!" Maybe St. Cecilia (my patron saint) will mosey on over to hang out with me. Oh. how. COOL!

I wonder what it will be like to meet our guardian angels. They have been with us from the moment of our conception and have protected us from more harm and evil than we will probably ever know! Will we hear the beautiful angel choirs? I've heard some tear-jerking choirs in my time... can you imagine how beautiful the singing will be in heaven?

You know that amazing, fulfilling, peaceful feeling you get after an amazing Mass or Eucharistic adoration? We all know that Mass in heaven on earth... but in heaven those feelings will not be "feelings." They will be a way of living every single second of our heavenly existence.

When we receive our glorified bodies, what will life in heaven be like then? Often heaven is described as a banquet, a feast. Just imagine the joy, the laughter, the music, the smiles... the food! I realize we won't really need to eat in heaven, but I can't imagine there not being food there. The yummiest, most scrumptious meal we've ever had on earth won't compare to God's cooking!

With our glorified bodies will we be able to fly? To see colors we've never seen before? Will we all be able to sing? Will we all be able to create amazing pieces of art? Will I be 5'5" instead of 5'0"? :-)

I remember once when I was in elementary school a friend of mine said that in heaven, all we would be doing is bowing down in worship. I remember being really bummed out and thinking, "Who would want to go to heaven if that's all you do?" I've come to realize that we will be worshipping God in every moment while in heaven- by loving, by being happy, by actually being with Him, and by living our life the way it was always meant to be lived.