WHY OUR LADY
HEAVEN
At Quito, Ecuador, in 1594, Our Lady of Good Success (Our Lady) said the following about Heaven: "Oh, if only human beings and religious knew what Heaven is and what it is to possess God, how differently they would live, sparing no sacrifice in order to enter more fully into possession of it! But some let themselves be dazzled by the false glamour of honors and human greatness while others are blinded by self-love, not realizing that they are falling into lukewarmness, that immense evil which in religious houses destroys their fervor, humility, self-renunciation and the ceaseless practice of religious virtues and fraternal charity and that child-like simplicity which makes souls so dear to my Divine Son and to me, their Mother.”
At Laus, France in 1664, Our Lady mentioned Heaven as follows: ...”They will question you one by one and try to catch you with your own words. But don’t be afraid. Tell the Vicar General that he can very well make God come down from Heaven by the power he received when he became a priest, but he has no commands to give the Mother of God.
At La Salette, France in 1846, Our Lady mentioned Heaven in one of the Secrets that she gave to Melanie: “The sins of those dedicated to God cry out towards Heaven and call for vengeance, and now vengeance is at their door, for there is no one left to beg mercy and forgiveness for the people. There are no more generous souls; there is no one left worthy of offering a stainless sacrifice to the Eternal for the sake of the world. God will strike in an unprecedented way.” ...“Woe to the inhabitants of the earth! God will exhaust His wrath upon them and no one will be able to escape so many afflictions together.”
At Champion (Green Bay), Wisconsin in 1859, Our Lady of Good Help (Our Lady) referred to Heaven as follows: “I am the Queen of Heaven who prays for the conversion of sinners and I wish you to do the same. You received Holy Communion this morning and that is well. But you must do more. Make a general confession and offer Communion for the conversion of sinners. If they do not convert and do penance, my Son will be obliged to punish them.”
At Gietrzwald, Poland in 1877, Our Lady referred to Heaven as follows: “The devil instigates lying, and one who swears falsely in not worthy to go to Heaven. Satan celebrates, prowling like a hungry dog to the ends of the world to devour people through this vice.”
At Fatima, Portugal in 1917, Our Lady said this about Heaven: “Fear not. I will not harm you. I am from Heaven.” ...Do you want to offer yourselves to God to endure all the sufferings that He may choose to send you, as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended and as a supplication for the conversion of sinners?”
At Beauraing, Belgium in 1932, Our Lady of the Golden Heart said: “I am the Mother of God, the Queen of Heaven.” “Pray always.” “Pray very much.”
At Cuapa, Nicaragua in 1980, Our Lady said: “I am the Mother of Jesus. I come to you from Heaven to ask you to pray the Rosary every day with your family. I wish you to make this message known. It is important that children, as soon as they reach the age of reason, pray the Rosary daily with their parents. Say the Rosary every day at the same time with biblical meditations, as soon as all the household chores are finished.
At Kibeho, Rwanda, Africa in 1981, The Mother of the Word (Our Lady) said: “I am the Mother of the Word.” “Of all the things in Heaven, what makes you happy.” ... “It is true. I have come to assure you of this. I have heard your prayers. I would like it if your companions had more faith, because some of them do not believe enough. I want people to trust and love me as a Mother, because I want to lead them to my Son, Jesus. Now watch as I return to Heaven to be with my Son.”
At San Nicolas, Argentina in 1983, Our Lady of the Rosary said: “I am the door of Heaven and the help of people on earth. I am your Heavenly Mother who descends to my children of the earth to give you safety and protection. I am the anchor grasped by the humble, the destitute, the lost who go to seek God. I ask you for courage and surrender. Come out of the dark. Abandon yourself in the arms of your Heavenly Mother. Glory be forever to the Lord.”
At Itapiranga, Brazil in 1994, The Queen of the Rosary (Our Lady) said: “You have been very humble and small, you did not curse us, not me and not even my Son Jesus Christ. These are your main virtues. You would say only: ‘Why did my son die? Why?’ My Son Jesus Christ and I will answer you once again: Because he wanted to be a saint of the Lord. Only now you feel happy because we are showing your son as he is in Heaven and dressed as a saint, but you will be even more happy when you find yourselves there one day in the Glory of the Lord.”
Our Catholic Catechism tells us the following about Heaven:
1023 Those who die in God's grace and friendship and are perfectly purified live for ever with Christ. They are like God for ever, for they "see him as he is," face to face:598
1024 This perfect life with the Most Holy Trinity - this communion of life and love with the Trinity, 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.
1025 To live in Heaven is "to be with Christ." The elect live "in Christ,"600 But they retain, or rather find, their true identity, their own name.601 For life is to be with Christ; where Christ is, there is life, there is the kingdom.602
1026 By his death and Resurrection, Jesus Christ has "opened" Heaven to us. The life of the blessed consists in the full and perfect possession of the fruits of the redemption accomplished by Christ. He makes partners in his heavenly glorification those who have believed in him and remained faithful to his will. Heaven is the blessed community of all who are perfectly incorporated into Christ.
1027 This mystery of blessed communion with God and all who are in Christ is beyond all understanding and description. Scripture speaks of it in images: life, light, peace, wedding feast, wine of the kingdom, the Father's house, the heavenly Jerusalem, paradise: "no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him."603
1028 Because of his transcendence, God cannot be seen as he is, unless he himself opens up his mystery to man's immediate contemplation and gives him the capacity for it. The Church calls this contemplation of God in his heavenly glory "the beatific vision":
1029 In the glory of Heaven the blessed continue joyfully to fulfill God's will in relation to other men and to all creation. Already they reign with Christ; with him "they shall reign for ever and ever."605
The Bible does not say anything specifically about the creation of Heaven. What it does tell us in Genesis 1:1 is that it was God who brought time into existence. The Bible also speaks of God as being eternal (Psalm 90:20) and describes Him as spirit (non-material – John 4:24). Jesus also talked about the glory that He shared with the Father before the world was. (John 17:5) Therefore, we can rightfully assume that God’s dwelling place, the place we call Heaven, was eternal and not created!
From all that we hear and can imagine about Heaven, it will be far more glorious than anything we can ever imagine! When God gave the Apostle John a glimpse of Jesus in His heavenly glory, John was so overwhelmed that he “fell at his feet as though dead.” (Revelation 1:17)
All six of the Medjugorje visionaries have seen Heaven. Only Vicka and Jakov were actually taken there; the others saw Heaven in a vision. They all have said that there are no words to describe the beauty of Heaven and if we knew what awaits us in Heaven, there are no difficulties or trials that we experience that won’t be worth eternal life in Heaven.
Vicka tells us that: “Heaven is something beyond description. It is filled with some sort of beautiful light …people… flowers…angels…All is filled with some indescribable joy. Your heart stands still when you look at it.” Vicka also said: “Heaven is a vast space, and it has a brilliant light which does not leave it. It is a life which we do not know here on earth. We saw people dressed in gray, pink, and yellow robes. They were walking, praying, and singing. Small angels were flying above them. The Blessed Mother showed us how happy these people are”.
Mirjana didn’t physically go to Heaven, but saw Heaven during an apparition. The following is her description of what she saw: “I saw Heaven as if it were a movie. The first thing I noticed was the faces of the people there; they were radiating a type of inner light which showed how immensely happy they were.” Mirjana also said: “The trees, the meadows, the sky are totally different from anything we know on the earth. And the light is much more brilliant. Heaven is beautiful beyond any possible comparison with anything I know of on the earth.” When Mirjana was asked why Our Lady showed her Heaven. she answered: “She told me many people on earth today do not believe Heaven exists. She said God has chosen us six visionaries to be instruments of His love and mercy. I have personally seen Heaven. It exists! I’ve seen it! Those who stay faithful to God to the end will see Heaven as a reward for their faithfulness.”
Ivanka shared the following: “Heaven is a place that is very, very beautiful. Most beautiful… Everyone I saw was filled with a happiness I can’t explain – and I can’t forget.”
Marija states: “I had a vision of Heaven… I wasn’t actually there like the other visionaries…I have never seen such a picture before; no one can even begin to imagine how it looks…the people were around the flowers. They were all the same age. No one in Heaven is older than the age of Christ. People in Heaven were full of joy and all of them are giving thanks for the gifts given to them of God. Every day they realize how much love God has for them…There was a multitude of people.”
Ivan, when asked about Heaven, stated: “Heaven is worth any cost! Jesus showed us that, with His death on the Cross. His death was not the end. He rose from the dead, glorified to put an end to death forever for God’s children. People in Heaven are happy. They live in the fullness of God.”
Jakov was the other visionary, along with Vicka, that was physically taken up to Heaven. All Jakov states is: “I have been there. It is difficult for me to talk about it. If I thought about it too much – I would die of loneliness.”
Here are just a few of the many messages delivered by Our Lady referencing Heaven:
May 25, 2017: “Dear children, The Most High has permitted me to call you anew to conversion. Little children, open your hearts to the grace to which you are called. Be witnesses of peace and love in this peaceless world. Your life here on earth is passing. Pray that through prayer you may yearn for Heaven and the things of Heaven and your hearts will see everything differently.”
January 25, 2018: Dear children, ... Above everything, little children, seek God and the things of God and leave earthly ones to the earth, because Satan is attracting you to the dust and sin. You are called to holiness and created for Heaven; therefore, seek Heaven and the things of Heaven.”
May 23, 2018: “My children, your prayers, your words, thoughts and actions either open or close the doors to the Kingdom of Heaven for you.”
July 2, 2018: “Dear children, I am the mother of all of you and, therefore, do not be afraid because I hear your prayers. I know that you seek me and that is why I am praying to my Son for you, my Son who is united with the Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit-the Paraclete-my Son who leads souls to the Kingdom from where He came, the Kingdom of peace and light.”
Heaven is glorious because it is the dwelling place of God. And Heaven is glorious because it is absolutely perfect. In this present world we are surrounded by sin and decay and death—but it won’t be true in Heaven. This world also is racked by violence and wars and natural disasters —but again, it won’t be true in Heaven. The Bible says, “Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore” (Micah 4:3).
In summary, Heaven is the state of everlasting life in which we see God face to face, are made like unto Him in glory, and enjoy eternal happiness. The happiness in heaven consists in seeing the beauty of God, in knowing Him as He is, and in having every desire fully satisfied.
Do you have a plan, a Pathway to Heaven, that you follow daily?