What Is Heaven Like? What the Catholic Church Teaches
Quick answer
The Catholic Church teaches that heaven is perfect life with the Most Holy Trinity, in communion with the Virgin Mary, the angels and all the blessed. It is the state of supreme and definitive happiness. In heaven we will see God face to face, and at the end of time our bodies will be raised.
Key takeaways
- Heaven is the ultimate end and fulfillment of our deepest longings (CCC 1024).
- The blessed see God face to face, which is called the beatific vision (CCC 1028).
- Heaven is communion with God and with all who are in Christ (CCC 1026-1027).
- At the end of time, our bodies will be raised and glorified (CCC 1038, 999).
Every human heart longs for something more than this world can offer. Christians believe that this longing has an answer, and that it has a name: heaven.
What Is Heaven?
The Catechism says that “this perfect life with the Most Holy Trinity,” this communion with the Virgin Mary, the angels and all the blessed, is called heaven. “Heaven is the ultimate end and fulfillment of the deepest human longings, the state of supreme, definitive happiness” (CCC 1024).
Beyond All Imagining
Scripture says it plainly:
Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love him. (1 Corinthians 2:9, Douay-Rheims)
So the Bible uses many images: a wedding feast, a Father’s house, a new Jerusalem, a place where God will wipe away every tear (Revelation 21:4). The Catechism notes that this mystery is beyond all understanding and description (CCC 1027).
Seeing God Face to Face
The heart of heaven is God Himself. St. Paul says that now we see in a dark manner, “but then face to face” (1 Corinthians 13:12, Douay-Rheims). The Church calls this the beatific vision (CCC 1028).
Together with Those We Love
Heaven is not lonely. It is a communion. The blessed live “in Christ,” and they do not lose their identity. Each keeps, or rather finds, a true self and a true name (CCC 1025).
The saints are not idle, either. They continue to care for us and intercede for us (CCC 956).
The Resurrection of the Body
Christian hope includes our bodies. At the end of time, Christ will raise the dead, and God will renew all creation (CCC 1042-1050). We were made as body and soul, and we will be fully ourselves.
How Do We Get There?
Heaven is God’s gift. Christ opened it for us by His death and Resurrection (CCC 1026). We respond with faith, by the sacraments and by loving God and our neighbor. Those who die in friendship with God but who still need purifying are made ready in Purgatory (CCC 1030).
A Prayer for Heaven (Original Prayer)
Lord, You have made us for Yourself. Keep my eyes fixed on my true home. Bring those I love safely there. May we one day see You face to face and praise You forever with all Your saints. Amen.
Continue Reading
Read about the Church’s teaching on hell and on death, or reflect on the Ascension of Our Lord.
Frequently asked questions
Will we recognize our loved ones in heaven?
The Church teaches that heaven is a communion of all who are in Christ, and that the blessed keep their true identity and their own name (CCC 1025-1026). It is very reasonable to hope for a joyful reunion.
Do you go to heaven immediately after death?
Those who die in God's grace and are perfectly purified go at once to heaven. Those who still need purification undergo it in Purgatory before entering heaven (CCC 1023, 1030).
What will we do in heaven?
Scripture and the Church speak of seeing, loving and praising God. The saints also continue to care for us and pray for us (CCC 956, 1029).
Sources
- Catechism of the Catholic Church 999, 1023-1029, 1030, 1038, 1042-1050
- 1 Corinthians 2:9; 13:12; 1 John 3:2; Revelation 21:1-4
