“Please Father Oulton. What will heaven be like?” This question was frequently asked when I was a school chaplain for a few years.
Initially I would try to come up with the right answer, which invariably was the wrong answer, because I didn’t know the answer.
You can say things like, “It will be far better than we ever expected and of course, Gran and Gramps will be there;” After that it gets tricky.
I learned too late to retort with “Now Johnny, that’s an interesting question; Why do you ask?” And then the real story would come tumbling out.
Some folk of more mature years have not been shy in positing the same question and I think a healthy interest in the after life is a good thing - after all, everyone is going to find out one day.
Sometimes I have replied with things like “You know that marvellous cup of coffee you had in that funny little café that made everything else seem bland…”
Or
“You know how the Master made that 120 gallons of really good red wine at the wedding reception… and how you found that special bottle to share with that very special someone…”
Or
“You know how you looked into their eyes and all of sudden everything was perfect and nothing else mattered. Everything was just as it should be and you didn’t want the moment to end… ever… and then you kissed, and somehow everything just got even better?”
You can see how my answers have slipped and shimmied all over the years as I have tried to find a parable that speaks the unspeakable.
My latest answer is this.
“Heaven is when you arrive at that special incredible place and you know that you are home even though you have never been there before”.