heaven without God

St John Chrysostom talks to us today about heaven in A Year with the Church Fathers. He said that we shouldn't be content to merely go to heaven if we miss out on being with God. Actually, the way he phrases it is that we shouldn't settle for missing hell. And I think he's right in so far as he goes. But I think he misses a very important point, and it's one that the movie "What Dreams May Come" also misses.

Heaven isn't heaven without God. Hell is hell because it's the absence of God. It is eternal separation from Him. That might not sound horrible, but God is what makes our lives worth living. Hope, love, joy, peace, kindness... these are not just things God gives us, they are who He is. When He is removed from our lives, which is what hell means, all of those things go with Him. That's why Dante has the words "Abandon all hope ye who enter here" above the gates of hell.

The movie "What Dreams May Come" does a great job portraying hell. I really felt like I was there in those scenes. But when Robin Williams's character goes to "heaven", he's being shown around by a character played by Cuba Gooding, Jr. And Robin's character asks where God is. Cuba's character says, "We like to think He's around here somewhere." I was like what?? That's not heaven.

Heaven is the beatific vision. It's being in the presence of God all the time. It's depicted in the book of revelation with the idea that there is no sun in heaven, because God is the source of all light there.

St John Chrysostom is right in that "missing hell" and yet not being with God is not desirable. He just seems to miss the point that it's obvious. If we lose God, we lose heaven. If God is absent, we are in hell. There's no way to miss hell if God isn't present.

All of this to say... how are we putting ourselves in little hells right now? How can we move from our little hells into little heavens? What can we do to bring God's presence more fully into our lives? Prayer, of course. But by prayer, I really just mean ask God to be more fully in your life. Ask Him to fill you up and be present to you. Believe me, He'll answer that prayer.

God, thank You for being our source of all good things.