When Two Saints Saw Heaven… Everything Changed

What happens when saints are given a glimpse of Heaven? In this powerful reflection, we explore the heavenly visions of St. Faustina Kowalska and St. Thomas Aquinas—two of the Church’s most revered Saints. Their encounters with God’s glory left them speechless… and transformed their lives forever.

Transcript

Welcome back today we're looking at St Faustina's vision of heaven if you recall that we've already looked at St Faustina's vision of hell and if you've missed that video I'll put it in the description here but today we look at what she saw of heaven but first who was St Faustina was a Polish nun who lived from 1905 to 1938 and was a member of the congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy her days were spent in quiet service performing simple duties in the kitchen tending the garden and welcoming visitors at the convent door beneath this humble life was an extraordinary spiritual journey over the years she experienced powerful encounters with Jesus visions and conversations that revealed his message of divine mercy a message that would spread across the world she wrote in her diary on November 27th 1936 that she saw heaven today I was in heaven in spirit and I saw its inconceivable beauties and the happiness that awaits us after death the words that catch my attention are inconceivable beauties you know as we study the mystics of this church and their visions of heaven one thing to note is this there's never been a saint in the history of the church a mystic of the church who saw a vision of heaven and then reflected back on that experience and said "You know what that was exactly what I expected that was exactly what those theologians were talking about i that that fits perfectly the image of heaven that I had in my mind not once does a mystic of the church react this way to their mystical experiences of heaven so what does that teach us once again and we come back to this point once again the best image that we have of heaven in our mind falls short of the reality even if you might be the greatest theologian of the church now consider one of the greatest theologians of the church or arguably the greatest theologian of the church St Thomas Aquinas his life was altered by a private revelation of heaven did you know that the greatest mind the greatest intellect his life was altered by a private revelation now whose private revelation so impacted him well it was his own in the year 1273 on December 6th celebrating the feast of St Nicholas in mass he had what would might be described as a mystical vision he never to my knowledge went into great detail about it except that we see how it left his life changed because after his vision or his experience of heaven he stopped writing he stopped writing his famous work uh Suma Theologica he left it unfinished and to the dismay of brother Reginald which was his secretary he encouraged St Thomas to keep on writing but how did St Thomas respond he said "The end of my labors is come all that I have written appears to be so much as straw after the things that have been revealed to me." Now we could argue that St Thomas had some of the most profound insights into the life of God he's a doctor of the church the Suma Theologica is considered one of the this great masterpiece within the church and he left it unfinished because of what he saw in his private personal revelation because it's just seemed like nothing compared to his insights now that doesn't mean that his insights are worth nothing in fact contrary the church encourages us in his work they're they're masterpieces but he considered it straw imagine that and he stopped writing now interesting to note here regarding his death 3 years later uh he was summoned to the council of Leon was the 14th ecumenical council by Pope Gregory I 10th and so he's on his way he gets sick and now he's 60 miles southeast of Rome on his way to France for this council and he gets really sick and he dies on that same day in Cologne Germany St Albert burst into tears in the presence of his community and exclaimed "Brother Thomas Aquinas my son in Christ the light of the church is dead god has revealed it to me." In the later year of St Thomas's life before he died it is said that he heard once again God the Father speak to him and it is said that he heard these words Thomas you have written well of me so a further encouragement to know the teachings of St thomas Aquinas now let's again turn our attention to the vision of St fina regarding her vision of heaven she said "I saw how all creatures give ceaseless praise and glory to God." Now isn't that wonderful creatures giving ceaseless praise to God here's a question for you consider the creatures that are in your life do they give praise to God set aside the ceaseless part but just the people that you're that are in your life do they give praise and glory to God with their words their deeds their actions their service their expressions their smile did you know a smile is an act of mercy towards another person they deserve to be smiled at that's just a side note but anyways the creatures in your life do they give praise and glory to God what about the creature that walks in your shoes you know sometimes the creature that walks in mine grumbles a little bit the point is when we are surrounded by people of like mind who give glory and praise to God doesn't that bring joy to life isn't it wonderful when we have a few close friends who are of like mind in us and we can share in the glory of God in conversation in service towards other people there's something really beautiful about sharing that experience with other people but the reality is sometimes in life we're alone in this we are trying to give ceaseless praise to God but the creatures that surround us are kind of disagreeable they have no faith in fact maybe they think the faith is archaic superstition not based in science and foolishness to the modern mind and so you you're alone in your praise and glory to God as you live your life well let this vision of heaven encourage you because you're not made for this world you're made for heaven and know that heaven is filled with creatures souls and angels who give ceaseless praise to God we draw great strength from this in this life we know how much more in heaven which brings me to another thought about some of the great pains in life to endure something and to be alone in it even our joy for example even our joy there's a little bit of I guess sadness sometimes in joy when we have no one to share it with i think of uh Janelle who's not here today she's uh on mommy duty but I I want to share with you my first date with her we went to a coffee shop and I at the time I I wasn't a coffee drinker and so I just indulged her and I thought "Okay I'll I'll get a coffee because I want to be with her." So I got a coffee at the specialty coffee shop i don't even know what kind of coffee it was and she got her favorite one and she was passionate about her coffee at that time particularly that one and we're sitting across from the table from each other and we're talking and I took my first sip of coffee and I probably had only had two or three cups in my entire life up to that point and I I didn't like it and she must have seen my expression and she's like "Oh you don't like your coffee?" I'm like "No it's okay i'm just haven't been really a coffee drinker." And she's like "Well here take mine." And I'm like "No no no this is your favorite drink enjoy it she's like "No things taste better when they're shared." And isn't that love love is better when it's shared we might go one step further and say it's not love if it's not shared love is a communion of persons and what joy it is in this life when we can share loving experiences with other people now it might be the case that we find ourselves isolated and away from people and we don't maybe have close friends and close family but by faith we share this with God and that there can be some joy in that for sure but in heaven there is the fulfillment of that so friends if you find yourself alone alone in faith alone in this world with no one to share the beauty of this life understand that God is with you and the fulfillment of that longing to share joy with others can never fully be satisfied in this life but it is promised to you in the next the communion of saints St and Fina continues "I saw how great is happiness in God which spreads to all creatures making them happy and then all the glory and praise which springs from this happiness returns to its source and they enter into the depths of God contemplating the inner life of God the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit whom they will never comprehend or fathom." Again I think this emphasizes this communion of love this communion of joy that exists in heaven st fina says "This source of happiness is unchanging in its essence but it is always new gushing forth happiness for all creatures now I understand St Paul who said "Eye has not seen nor ear heard nor has it entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love him." Some key words here happiness is unchanging but always new it's a little bit hard to understand that because in in this natural life we get bored of things really quickly and so we have to have things always changing around us in order to excite this happiness take for example um I have something for you this this truck right here this is my son Pascal's favorite toy it it's his favorite not because he doesn't have any other toys because but because it was just given to him from a friend of ours nice and generous of them they just gave it and he loves it and he'll love it for the next couple days and if then then what happens like with every typical child they they start looking at other things that they want and they get bored and so in this life have you ever experienced that great happiness and all of a sudden buyer's remorse oh the clothes that you thought were going to look so beautiful on you don't look so beautiful anymore maybe it's not the clothes fault we live in a fallen world we're getting older you know um these things lose their luster but in heaven happiness is unchanging yet always new a beautiful insight into God's love but as we journey in this life we have to remember that heaven is not a guarantee we have to open our hearts to God's mercy jesus said to St Faustina "The flames of mercy are burning me clamoring to be spent i want to keep pouring them out upon souls souls just don't want to believe in my goodness and perhaps that's a little bit of our response to these meditations on heaven could it be that heaven is so good that it's beyond what we could imagine the fulfillment of all desire i love that description of heaven the fulfillment of every desire you know sometimes you read something and you think that is worth remembering i had an experience like that a long time ago reading St fina's diary and I'd like to share it with you jesus said to St fina "My mercy is greater than your sin and that of the entire world who could measure the extent of my goodness for you I descended to earth for you I allowed myself to be nailed to the cross for you I let my sacred heart be pierced with a lance thus opening wide the source of my mercy for you come then with trust to draw graces from this fountain i never reject a contrite heart so friends let us not argue with Jesus about our wretchedness but confidently approach the fountain of his mercy let's end with a

prayer oh my Jesus oh highest good I repent of having so lightly esteemed your grace that I have barted it away for mere nothing when will it be oh Lord that I shall see you face to face and shall embrace you without the fear of ever having to lose you aid me with your grace this I hope for through your merits more and more increase in me your love and the desire to please you amen