A note to anyone
who is reading this: I am not presenting or assuming to unravel the mysteries
of Heaven in this post. This is purely my musings and was written with no
conscious effort to leave behind any lesson to be learned, spiritually or
morally.
I sometimes find
myself wondering what happens to those who have physically left the world. I am
sure I am not the only person with this thought. Preachers of all religions
repeatedly affirm that, to put simply, when we die, the good go to Heaven and
live happily ever after; while evil people go to Hell and suffer for eternity.
Finish, end of story, close the book – that is how they usually end it.
Yet is that really
the final finale? Pastors hardly (if ever) talk in detail what happens in the
afterlife – perhaps rightfully so. After all, we are told not to worry about
tomorrow (Matthew 6:34); and this is already
taking it to the next life. Anyway, what good will come about discussing a
vague and elusive subject on the afterlife? What lessons can we extract from this
intellectually exhausting exercise?
Still, along the
way a curious soul will ask, “Hey, what do you suppose we will do when we are
in Heaven?” Perhaps the reply will be, “Living in peace and praising God with
for eternity.” If the question is taken a step further, “How so?” I wonder what
will the response be?
I believe this
is where the Church – in particular the Catholic Church – would be able to
provide some insight. Occasionally when we pray, we follow it through with a
Hail Mary or an intercession of some well-known Saints. These brothers and
sisters have gone before us and are now dwelling in the presence of our Lord in
Heaven, receiving our prayers and laying them at His feet.
For me, this
brings to mind a vast organisational network working to process various
documents. Each time we ask a saint to intercede for us, it feels in a way as
though we approach our superior for a word/letter of recommendation.
If we are made
in God’s image and likeness, I think it is legit to assume that we, to a
certain degree would function in similar fashion as He. Accordingly, the way we
organise, distribute and handle tasks likely reflects that in Heaven.
When we make a
prayer to a patron saint – say, Saint Joseph for our travels – it could be
that, given the authority and jurisdiction over that area, he will utilise what
means at his disposal to protect us during our journeys. Some – Mother Mary for
example – may also be assigned roles that requires direct communication in
order to deliver the messages from God (see the Transfiguration; google Our
Lady of Fatima).
For the 12
Apostles, the first who had left everything to follow Him, Jesus had said to
them, “In the new world, when the Son of Man shall
sit on His glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve
thrones, judging the tribes of Israel” (Matthew
19:28). Note, they do not merely sit with their rewards in eternal life
(Matthew 19:29) but because they have been
tried and passed through fire, they have received their reward along with a
great honour and responsibility of ruling the nations.
Well, we now (or
at least for myself) have a satisfactory explanation of major saints and the
Apostles and their work in Heaven. What then, of the others? What of the
unnamed saints, those whose deeds are comparable amongst the greatest saints,
or those who have not achieved such feat in their earthly life but are
nevertheless saved through the very same grace of God? What of those who, reversing
the action of the servant in the Luke 19:23,
placed the money in the bank for an interest?
It is not
difficult to imagine saints working with or under one another, just as on earth
the Church has its hierarchy with people having different but complementary
roles. A town cannot function without a mayor, and a mayor cannot function
without subordinates. Even once we receive our heavenly bodies, I doubt one
will be able to macro and micromanage a town by himself/herself, much less an
entire nation – that can said to be on par with God already. Nay, rather it
would make more sense if saints in charge of that town would have other saints
to assist him/her in running its operations.
From the Parable
of the Talents, the Lord related those who have achieved much for the Kingdom, “You shall have authority over ten cities (Luke 19:17).” Deriving from this parable, if 10
pounds = 10 cities, and 5 pounds = 5 cities, should the third servant stored
his single pound in the bank and received back an interest of 5%, he would be
in charge of 5% of a city. This percentage one can view it as a building or an
organisation in the city; nevertheless, it is but an element of a bigger
picture. A central person/body is still required to manage the city as a whole,
as both the building and city are dependent on each other for growth.
Even if we were
to take Matthew’s version of the parable, it is said to the faithful servant, “I will set you over much” (Matthew
25:21, other versions translate it as God will put us in charge of many
things). Why would we need to be set over much after we enter into glory,
unless we will still have duties and responsibilities in the life after? Why
would God put us through this life with all its challenges and
responsibilities, if we do not need these values and experiences later? After all,
out Lord did mention in Luke 16:11, “If then you have not been faithful in unrighteous mammon,
who will entrust you with true riches?” This leads me to hypothesise
that our responsibilities on Earth is to prepare us for similar
responsibilities in Heaven.
Now that I think
about it, this way of deduction makes it appear that our life on earth will not
be so very different from the one God has for us in heaven. The great hope
however, is that we will be united with our brothers and sisters, worshipping
God directly in His presence and in prefect love. Just as how it was in the
beginning before sin entered the world, when Adam dwelled directly within God’s
presence in the Garden of Eden. As man was made steward on earth, so we may be
stewards of God in the next life. Perhaps that was why Scripture recorded
mankind having a lifespan up to nearly a thousand years, alluding to their role
as eternal caretakers in God’s Kingdom.
I would like to
repeat again what I initially said about this post being my personal musings
and may not reflect the Church’s stand. It may well be that with my very
limited comprehension of God, I may have shot way off the mark. For myself
however, it presents a satisfactory answer of the life awaiting me when I reach
my heavenly inheritance in the Kingdom.
RFG always.
