I was there, knelt in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. I was there next to the chaperones and some of the youth of our parish, who were among thousands of other Catholics gathered that day. We had beautifully sung psalms and hymns together as part of morning prayer, which had been led by Bishop Zarama. It was the first session of the daylong diocesan Eucharistic Congress held at the Raleigh Convention Center this past October 21st.
As background for the silent personal reflection and adoration, the well-known musical group, the Vigil Project, played soft instrumental music. In my reflections, I wondered whether that communal experience was a window of what heaven would be like? We were many people from different backgrounds, ages, and cultures. We were all in adoration before the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. In the Book of Revelations, Saint John tells us about a multitude of people from different backgrounds and places, worshiping before God’s throne in heaven.
I also recalled something from Saint Augustine. In his autobiography, Confessions, he talks about a “very pleasant conversation” he had with his mother, Saint Monica. He writes, “We were asking one another in the presence of the Truth - for you are the Truth - what it would be like to share the eternal life enjoyed by the saints, which "eye has not seen, nor ear heard, which has not even entered into the heart of man." Saint Augustine does not elaborate on the specifics of the conversation. He simply concludes with this, “We desired with all our hearts to drink from the streams of your heavenly fountain, the fountain of life”.
Imagining, reflecting on heaven and the blessedness of the Saints, and the sharp contrast between the two groups: the Saints in heaven and the group gathered in the Convention Center (or for that matter any other group of people) was very clear to me. The Saints were holy, while we were not quite holy. They live in spiritual perfection, while we are still struggling with our human handicaps.
I thought more about Saint Augustine and his desire to join the Saints in heaven. This is a nice wish; we are to long for heaven. The Saints are in heaven not because of the own merits but because of God’s grace and their cooperation with it. We are to ask for God’s grace to deserve join the Saints in heaven.
My thoughts and wishes were not just limited for me. I was also thinking about the people next to me, about all in that huge hall, and about basically everyone else in the world. My question was: how we would all one day join the Saints in heaven and participate in the heavenly liturgy for eternity? I was consoled by the thought that the Saints in heaven are already praying for us so that we may join them. They intercede on our behalf when we ask them.
Something that was clear to me was this: I needed to improve my spiritual life. Meaning, I needed to live a holier life, to aspire to join the Saints in heaven. I also needed to live a holier life to be able to help others to do the same, especially those next to me, those entrusted to my care. It was crystal clear that to help them I needed to be holy first. It was also clear that one of the first things I could do to help them is to pray for them.
This reflection is also valid for any of us. We all live with people around us, some of whom are under our physical and spiritual care. The example of Saints challenges us to improve our spiritual lives. They teach us the way to desire heaven and help others get there.
Let us humbly ask the Lord to grant us his grace to be holy in this life and one day join the Saints in heaven.