Heaven: A Stumbling Block?
WHAT DO WE REALLY BELIEVE ABOUT ETERNAL LIFE?
As unbelievable as it might sound, we Catholics have a couple problems with the idea of Heaven — and by “problems” I mean the kind that are so big they can make us indifferent to the idea of eternal life in Heaven and, consequently, poorly motivated to get there. We’re ashamed to admit it, but most of us probably have a rather low opinion of the thing we imagine as Heaven. How could it be otherwise? All we know of ineffable bliss is what we’ve seen here on Earth, and we have seen some amazing sights, indeed. But we have no capacity for imagining much beyond that — much less imagining how it wouldn’t become tiresome, given the eternal nature of it all.
As rough as earthly life can be, at least it’s dynamic, with its ups and downs, highs and lows. Heaven, on the other hand, is usually presented as a permanent state of joy, which is great, except we are suspicious of the seemingly static, for we have no way to comprehend that. And what we can’t fathom, we can’t fully appreciate. And then we’re promised a resurrected body, but we can’t imagine what that’d be for, either. Many of the physical pleasures we prize are hard to imagine taking place in Heaven. Sure, we also have plenty of G-rated bodily pleasures, but you get the idea.
So, what’s the big issue here? Well, it’s bigger than we acknowledge because that which we cannot imagine, we cannot fully orient ourselves toward. Consequently, we usually don’t. I think it boils down to two big problems in our thinking and motivation: the promise and purpose of Heaven, and the point of having a resurrected body.
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