Heaven is Where You Are

The above title could easily describe a romantic song or poem. The object of one’s affections brings a heavenly aura anywhere that person happens to be. The same could be said of Jesus as he walked among us some 2,000 years ago. Being the Lord of Heaven and Earth, Jesus undoubtedly exuded a magnetic appeal that came about merely by his presence. In addition, the words Jesus spoke were delivered with the kind of power and authority that could only come from the long-awaited Messiah.

The Kingdom Has Come Near

After spending forty days in the desert, Jesus went to Galilee to proclaim the good news. The first words recorded in his public ministry are preserved in the Gospel according to Mark:

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” (Mark 1:14-15)

The Kingdom of God, surely the greatest kingdom imaginable, “has come near.” Other translations say, “the kingdom of God is at hand.” Heaven, presumably the place where everybody wants to go, somehow is already present! How could this be?

The Presence of God

God incarnate, in the humanity of Jesus of Nazareth, brought the Kingdom with him. The second person of The Blessed Trinity graced temporal time by his birth and proceeded through life on Earth until his passion, death, resurrection. and ascension. Pentecost, the “birthday of the Church,” marked the coming of the Holy Spirit to continue the presence of Heaven on Earth until the end of the age.

Another take on “Heaven is where you are” would be to acknowledge the presence of God within us wherever we happen to be. Through sunny days and rainy days, sickness and health, good times and bad, we can experience the peace of Heaven through prayer. This is more than poetry. Jesus is “in the boat” of our daily storms and calls us to trust his divine providence through the anxieties we face in this life.

Seek First the Kingdom

The example given in the “Lilies of the Field” discourse gives us a sure way to experience the Kingdom here on Earth while we journey toward Heaven:

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. (Matthew 6:25-34)

Seeking first the Kingdom of God first in this life ensures the “peace that surpasses all understanding” no matter the obstacles that might come our way. Following Christ in this life allows us to experience the Kingdom of Heaven in a world where good and evil coexist. We can take solace in the fact that Jesus spent his time here under similar circumstances.

From the real presence of Christ in the Eucharistic gathering to the heart of every believer, Heaven is ever-near. Spiritual writers refer to the “sacrament of the present moment” as a means of conveying where Christ can be found. When we enter into the conscious contact with God that is prayer, Heaven is truly near.