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Heaven Consists Cheifly in Seeing God Face to Face

Homily
Sunday, May 6, 2007, 5th Sunday of Easter, Year C

St. Joseph Parish, Detroit

            Today’s reading from the book of Revelation comes after chapters full of wonder and tremendous things. There are great battles, monsters and Satan, lakes of fire, peace and war, and then the final judgment, where all men are split between those whose name are in the book, and those who are not; those not are cast into the lake of fire. We are drawing to the end, in this chapter,[1] and we begin the great celebration for those who have conquered, for those who have persevered, for those who loved the cross and served the Lord even unto death.

            Jesus now fulfills his promise, which we will hear in a couple weeks at the solemnity of the Ascension, “I will be with you always, until the end of the world.”[2] For here the saints sing, in the new Jerusalem, “Behold the dwelling of God is with men,”[3] and it is forever more. He is not with us only in the world in the Eucharist, and by grace, but forever in heaven we will be with him, and we will see him face to face. And our hearts will rejoice, for this is the reason for which we were made. It is to obtain the enjoyment of God’s eternal love and beauty for which we wage continual war against sin: it’s all for divine love. Indeed, heaven consists chiefly in seeing God face to face.

            And the city will come down from heaven, and that city is the saints, and God is with them. And the city is a bride, for Christ is her groom, and will hold her and love her, care for her and defend her, forever until the end of time, and he is with her. And all of this was foretold in the prophet Isaiah, and behold, we will see it with our eyes. No tear shall cloud our eyes, for God will be with us forever. Death has no place there, for in the new Jerusalem there is no sin, for God is there, in heaven. We are not made for this world, and it will definitively and permanently pass away, and all things will be new, for God will dwell among man. And God will look upon Mary, and the angels, and the saints, and we joyfully hope he will also look upon you and me. Seeing the new Jerusalem, the new cosmos, the homeland of those victorious over sin, God will see that it is very good.

            May the worthy reception of holy Communion today be for us an occasion to do just that: enter into communion with God, and experience a foretaste, a hint, a snapshot of the good that God has in store for those who love him. Amen.