“We are in movement along the path. When asked where we are heading, we say, ‘Towards heaven!’ ‘So what’s heaven?’ some ask. There we begin to be unsure in our response. We don’t know how best to explain heaven. Often we picture an abstract and distant heaven… And some think: ‘But won’t it be boring there for all eternity?’ No! That is not heaven. We are on the path towards an encounter: the final meeting with Jesus. Heaven is the encounter with Jesus.” (Pope Francis)

Have you ever thought of heaven as a final encounter with Jesus, who leads us to the Father and the Spirit? We have seen pictures of Jesus, but our encounter with him after death will be as different as between a one-dimensional flat picture and a three dimensional reality. Any encounter we had with Jesus in our human existence will not compare to the reality of seeing him face to face in the fullness of his glory. While our human encounters made a difference in our life, the encounter we will have in heaven will be the beginning of our eternity. That is why Paul says “eye has not seen and ear has not heard” what God has in store for those who love him. 

How I long for this encounter of encounters!