Several saints have had visions of heaven.
The first thing they all say is that heaven is indescribable—that no human language can successfully convey even a shadow of what they saw in their vision. Any attempt would fall short of the amazing reality.
However, they do attempt to describe for us certain elements of heaven which we can contemplate. Here are some excerpts from the saints in their own words:
St. Faustina Kowalska:
“Today I was in heaven, in spirit, and I saw its unconceivable beauties and the happiness that awaits us after death. I saw how all creatures give ceaseless praise and glory to God. I saw how great is happiness in God, which spreads to all creatures…they enter into the depths of God, contemplating the inner life of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit…Now I understand St. Paul, who said, ‘Eye has not seen, nor has ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love him.’”
Fra Angelico’s Coronation of the Virgin
St. John Bosco:
“As I stood there basking in the splendor of those gardens, I suddenly heard music most sweet—so delightful and enchanting a melody that I could never adequately describe it…[T]he singers not only took the deepest pleasure in singing but also received vast joy in listening to the others…and this was their song: ‘Salvation, honor and glory to Almighty God and Father…the Creator who was, who is and who will come to judge the living and the dead forever and ever.’”
St. Dominic Savio to Don Bosco:
“The happiness of heaven no mortal beings can ever know until they die and are reunited with their maker. We enjoy God—nothing else!”
St. Teresa of Ávila:
“[There] is a light that does not wane, a candidness full of sweetness, a splendor infused that deliciously enchants the eyes without tire…[O]ur forms of light seem rather artificial and that one only natural: light without sunset, that nothing can disturb because it is eternal…”
St. Anselm of Canterbury:
“No one will have any other desire in heaven than what God wills; and the desire of one will be the desire of all; and the desire of all and of each one will also be the desire of God.”
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