Ascension Homily: Where exactly is heaven? (hint, it ain't up there)

We have a problem, or maybe a  better word is challenge, in our Christian faith.  One that can keep us from experiencing the fullness of life as a human person.

Here it is:  God, Father Son and Holy Spirit is utterly transcendent.  We cannot adequately describe God. Our language fails us.

God exists outside of time and space.  

We exist within time and space.  Our language only works with time and space.

We do use symbolic language to talk of God.  Yet, too often we can get locked into thinking the symbolic language is literal language, and this is how we get trapped.

Ascension is classic.

We speak of Jesus rising into heaven.  The first reading of Acts captures this and it talks about the disciples standing there looking up.

So we tend to think of Heaven as up there, literally.

When humans started looking into the stars with telescopes, one of the questions they tried to answer is where is heaven.

But if we think Heaven is an  “up there” location then we have not understood Jesus’ mission well. We have forgotten the symbolic, and fallen into the literal trap.

Think about Jesus’ own preaching and proclamation:  “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” “It is near”

Consider when often made this proclamation he was either healing someone or forgiving someone; he was trying to break open their perception of reality.  He wanted them open their eyes, their minds and their hearts.

Heaven is not to be "Somewhere" else, but in all places. Heaven and earth are to be one.

Consider Genesis and how God created paradise and walked in Paradise with humanity. Heaven was on earth.

Then humans decided to do it on their own.  They sought their identity in the things of the earth, they served their own needs and ego, and broke apart the reality of heaven on earth.  And we continue this original sin to this very day.

Jesus’ mission, our salvation, is not to get us merely into heaven, not get us UP THERE; but to unite heaven here on earth.

See, heaven is not up there, nor in any one place.

Heaven exists where God’s mercy, compassion, love; where the reality of God exists.

Jesus did not so much ascend, but transcended.  He flowed into every situation, every event, every moment where healing, forgiveness, compassion, generosity exists and grows.

This is the deeper meaning of our sacraments.

Jesus and heaven exists clearly in this eucharist, in baptism, in first communions.  

People coming together, giving of themselves for something greater.  

Heaven is when a woman and man commit themselves to each other in the sacrament of matrimony.  

Heaven breaks through when a person reconciles; when a person opens themselves to the Spirit, when a person accepts God healing touch.

The sacraments open us to the reality that Heaven also breaks through anytime two people forgive each other after hurting one another.

Heaven and Jesus break into our reality whenever we chose to give of ourselves for the good another; we swallow our ego, we show our generosity; we endure a short time of uncomfortableness for a greater good.

This captures the ideal of parenthood, and of motherhood which we acknowledge today.

Our freedom, our lives are about living with and for others!

Our mission, really is not merely to get into heaven, but to work with Jesus and break through our little reality of space and time, and bring heaven here.  

We pray it in the "Our Father" after all, and hopefully we pray what we believe.

Think about now where heaven is and where Heaven can be!

Are we simply standing looking up?  Or are we on the move, making it happen here and now?


Addendum-- and those saints in heaven, our beloved faithful departed...where are they? They are one with God.