“Eye Hath Not Seen, Nor Ear Heard...”

“Brethren, I reckon that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come that will be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18).

We think too little of heaven and even when we do think of it, we often have certain faulty notions about it. If we could correctly understand this promised reward, however, and keep the thought of heaven before our minds, we would certainly remain steadfast in overcoming sin and persevering in grace. Indeed, this truth of our eternal reward has been revealed to prompt us to give thanks to God and to remain fervent in His love.

Consider how Christ revealed Himself to Peter, James and John upon Mount Tabor.

These three Apostles alone were privileged to witness His transfiguration that they might thereby be strengthened for later witnessing His desolation in the Garden of Olives. So glorious was this vision that they desired to ever remain there in contemplation:

Our idea of heaven is often deficient on account of our poor understanding and the limitations of earthly comparisons. If, however, our belief in heaven were to become a keen realization in our minds, we would not only avoid all sin, but would eagerly bear the greatest difficulties for the love of God.

We are able to make only a faulty comparison with those things which we know from our senses.

This limitation in describing the eternal rewards is explained by St. Paul: “We see now through a mirror in an obscure manner, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know even as I have been known” (1 Cor. 13:12).

On the other hand, having himself experienced a foretaste of heavenly bliss, St. Paul exclaims,

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, what things God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Cor. 2:9).

St. Augustine explains that the joy of heaven may be realized by one to whom it is given, but this happiness may not be described since there is no suitable comparison with the joys of earth. St. Gregory the Great laments, “The present life, in comparison to everlasting bliss, is more like death than life.” Truly, even the greatest natural joy which we may experience in this life is only a faint reflection of those joys awaiting us in heaven. The joys of this earth are intended to lead us to a knowledge and love of God, whereas in heaven we shall possess God Himself. So intimate will be this possession of God, that St. Peter explains that we shall become partakers of the divine nature. Our union with God will be perfect, such that St. John writes: “we shall be like to Him, for we shall see Him just as He is” (1 John 3:2). Here upon earth we have only a reflection of God — all of the noble things here below are described as the images in a mirror, or a shadow of the divinity; but in heaven we shall behold not a mere reflection, but rather God Himself.

Consider the joy which we share in the love and companionship of family and friends, the joys of virtuous living, or the magnificent beauties of nature. Yet, still, all these joys are merely so many reflections of God’s infinite perfections. In heaven we shall possess not the mere reflections of God, but God Himself.

This profound realization forced St. Augustine to exclaim,

“If, O my God, thou dost give us such beautiful things here in prison, what wilt Thou do in Thy palace!”

And St. Charles Borromeo declares:

“If the contemplation of creation is so sweet, how much more so must be the contemplation of the Creator!”

Besides the great imperfection of our earthly comparisons, there is another reason why we cannot understand the joys of heaven: these joys are spiritual, since this eternal bliss consists in the knowledge and love of God.

We were created for heaven, and we will not find complete or perfect happiness in any pleasure apart from the eternal possession of God.

Our greatest joy in heaven will not be our own personal happiness, but rather the purely unselfish joy of praising God and thereby adding to His external glory.

The joy of heaven, therefore, is to know and to behold the Divine Trinity.

This divine contemplation will not be perceived by our bodily eyes, but rather by the spiritual faculties of our soul. The soul will be illuminated with the spiritual gift of the lumen gloriae — the “light of glory.” And this spiritual gift will enable us to contemplate God in His very essence. We will not consider God merely by reflecting upon His external creation, but rather we shall truly know Him as He is in Himself. And this knowledge and secure possession of God will enable us to rest serenely in the love of God.

We see, then, that in heaven faith and hope shall no longer be necessary. These will pass away, yet charity will ever remain as St. Paul explains, “Charity never fails, whereas prophesies will disappear, and tongues will cease, and knowledge will be destroyed. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part; but when that which is perfect has come, that which is imperfect will be done away with” (1 Cor. 13:8-10).

Faith will be transformed into a perfect knowledge of God, and hope into the perfect union of our will with the love of God. St. Paul concludes, “So there abide faith, hope and charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity” (1 Cor. 13:13).

Therefore, all those in heaven will be united in one body as Christ prayed: “...that all may be one, even as Thou, Father, in Me and I in Thee....” (John 17:21).

Now if this true charity is to be the bond in heaven, it only stands to reason that we must strive here below to love our neighbor — indeed, even our enemies — with this same virtue of true charity. Our efforts at charity are not for a mere temporal profit in this life, but for an eternal reward.

Let us remind ourselves that this reward of heaven lasts forever.

What price, therefore, may be placed upon our soul, or what limit may we set upon any hardships which God expects of us in meriting our salvation? Salvation must be won at any price and without counting the cost. How joyful will we be in having attained this crown, this joy which no one shall take away, where neither thief breaks in to steal, nor moth consumes!

The reward is perfectly secure, for the saved are free from all evil — not only from suffering, but also from temptation. Here below we are subject to the physical evils of suffering, illness, and death. Moreover, we are susceptible to the moral evil of falling into sin, the greatest of all evils. But in heaven there will be neither physical nor moral evils. Physical evils will cease, as we read in the Apocalypse: “They shall neither hunger nor thirst any more, neither shall the sun strike them nor any heat” (Apoc. 7:16).

Further on we read: “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. And death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning nor crying, nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away” (Apoc. 21:4).

The bliss of heaven is perfectly secure since there is no possibility of sin. Thus, the happiness of heaven is perfect, and we can have in this world no adequate comparison to this eternal joy. Here on earth, wealth is subject to loss and friendships may grow cold. Joys which give us the most agreeable pleasure become tedious with time. Even a pleasant trip to a distant and scenic country, although eagerly anticipated and enjoyed at the time, would naturally become weary if it were prolonged indefinitely. Truly, our happiness cannot be placed in the joys of this earth, for here we have no lasting abode; we are travelers in this world as we journey to our eternal home. Heaven alone can satisfy our longings, for in heaven we will possess God Himself; we will forever behold the Divine essence of the Trinity.

We can never become weary in this divine contemplation; we can never exhaust the knowledge and love of God’s infinity.

St. Paul exclaims:

 “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How incomprehensible are His judgments and how unsearchable His ways! ...For from Him and through Him and unto Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen” (Rom. 11:33, 36).

~ Excerpted from a sermon by Rev. Fr. Brendan Hughes, CMRI