What will Heaven be like?

Heaven surpasses human understanding. None of us knows for sure what it will be like. The Church’s teaching provides few details, calling Heaven “a mystery of blessed communion with God,” which “is beyond all understanding and description” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1027).

While it is beyond our understanding, we do have clues. Heaven may be understood through images and analogies, and St. Thomas Aquinas suggests that it is possible to know something of what Heaven will be like through faith, reason and imagination. For instance, the Scriptures refer to Heaven in terms of light, peace, paradise, the kingdom and the wedding feast.

While earthly analogies are helpful, they are just that— analogies, giving us partial insight into a reality beyond our comprehension. We have limited knowledge of Heaven, for as the Bible reminds us, “Eye has not seen, and ear has not heard what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor 2:9).

REALITIES

One thing is for sure: Heaven is real, as Scripture and the Church’s teaching repeatedly affirm. Heaven is the eternal dwelling place of God and the destination for righteous souls. In Heaven, there is perfect happiness, peace and communion with God. Here, souls will experience the beatific vision: seeing God face-to-face, fulfilling their deepest desires for union with Him.

What this will look like is not clear. Heaven may be more a state of being than a physical place, yet it remains real and tangible. Those in Heaven will have glorified bodies, which will transcend physical limitations, akin to Jesus’ post-resurrection body. Unique to each of us, these bodies will retain certain traits that will make them recognizable to others.

In Heaven, human emotions and intellect will be perfected. It seems souls may have infused knowledge (from God) and natural knowledge (acquired on earth), enhancing relationships and enabling those in Heaven to remember their earthly lives. Emotions in Heaven will be expressions of joy and love, free
from earthly constraints.

RELATIONSHIPS

We expect that meeting God will be Heaven’s most profound experience. Souls will relate to Him personally and intimately. While we can only gain a foreshadowing of this now, the joy of closeness and union with God will be the soul’s greatest fulfillment.

Other relationships will be meaningful, too. Those in Heaven will be in the company of others, including relatives, friends and patron saints, forming a community of love and fellowship. Even more so than earthly ones, relationships in Heaven will be deep and fulfilling, underscoring the profound value of each person. The community of Heaven will be diverse, with each soul contributing uniquely to its richness, and the souls in Heaven will remain connected to those on earth as part of the communion of saints, interceding for the “Church Militant.”

FULFILLMENT

Since souls are eternal, existence in Heaven will be everlasting, but without boredom or suffering. Both will be impossible in Heaven, as God’s infinite presence and the company of saved souls offer endless fulfillment. This eternal nature of existence in Heaven will bring a profound sense of peace and security. Time
will be experienced differently, as an “eternal now,” allowing for perpetual joy.

While we cannot know everything about Heaven, our faith, reason and imagination are powerful tools that help us grasp what it may be like. The Christian’s goal is to come into the presence of God, to remain forever in that state of eternal happiness and fulfillment. This understanding may help guide our journey toward Heaven and awaken a longing for what we can now only imperfectly perceive.

Father David Endres is professor of Church history and historical theology at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary & School of Theology.

This article appeared in the January 2025 edition of The Catholic Telegraph Magazine. For your complimentary subscription, click here.