Will there be Starbucks in Heaven?

In a few months time, I will be fifty-two. And more and more, my thoughts are turning to the theme of death… and also coronary thrombosis, rheumatoid arthritis, adult diapers, etc. As a child, we were taught in catechism class that heaven is a place of eternal happiness. So I said it must be like my grandmother’s house in Sampaloc, Manila. Visiting “apos” had a steady supply of soft drinks (my Lola Meding had a sari-sari store on the first floor of their two-storey house) and unlimited access to cartoon watching (we had no television yet in our house in what was then the wilderness called Quezon City). This set up was a once-a-week treat because our family visited my grandparents only on Sundays. So you can imagine how much of “heaven” I experienced every Sunday.

Today however, I think heaven must be like a coffee shop where I can enjoy freshly brewed coffee, soft music in the background and a very interesting book with nobody to disturb my ruminations. During my excursions to the coffee shop, I also think of death. As a consequence of this, my mind wanders to that climactic meeting with God at the moment of personal judgment. I sometimes speculate on what questions God would ask me after my life flashes before me in review. Will God ask me how much I gave to the collection plate? Or would God ask me what sexual sins I have committed and have I already repented of them?

During these times, I am reminded of what Holy Father, St. John of the Cross said about the final judgment. He writes, “in the evening of life, we shall be judged by love.” The term “love” however is very ambiguous. There are many modes and shades of love. And not all expressions of love are healthy, good or to be desired. One only has to think of the love that makes a mother cover up for her addict-son. It is probably safe to say that in the long run, this type of love will create more problems for the child. There is a right way of loving and there is a wrong way of loving. Because of this particular nuance, I think God will ask me another question before asking how I have loved. And that is: “What are the important lessons you have learned in life?” God gave us an intellect and we automatically use this gift to go through the different phases of life. We cannot choose what experiences we will encounter as we go through our earthly existence. I think it would be counter-productive for us to reject the myriad experiences (specially the ones that bring us agony and pain) that come our way. The important thing is draw lessons from the events of our life. A person growing in maturity will learn from his mistakes and from the daily struggles of life. This will hopefully make him a better and more caring human being. One who is not able to learn the lessons that life is trying to teach him will become bitter in old age… and not to mention, a pain in the neck to other people.

The second question that I think God will ask me is: “After learning the lessons of life, how has this transformed you to become more loving?” The two questions mentioned above are therefore integral to a holistic assessment of our stay here on earth. One without the other will be incomplete when God passes judgment on whether we have lived our life well.

There is a saying that if you are not beautiful or handsome by thirty, you never will be. If you are not strong by forty, you never will be. And if you are not rich by fifty, you never will be. If you are already approaching fifty (or are even older), then the first half of your life is effectively over. I think it is best to focus less on looking good and being strong. You are closer to death than you might want to think. It is probably time to consider the “life” after this life.

Next time you are enjoying your freshly brewed coffee with soft music at the background, I offer you these two questions for your reflections: (1) what are the important lessons I have learned in this life? and; (2) after learning these lessons, how has this transformed me to becoming a more loving person?

I won’t even mind if you take chamomile tea…