Sometimes the idea of looking forward to Heaven with a hopeful heart may seem like we need to distance ourselves from this earth, and ignore everything else in our lives.
It can also falsely appear that we shouldn't be concerned about the world around us, as it will all be decimated at the end of time.
This viewpoint can sometimes lead to an erroneous exploitation of the natural world, where we destroy what God has given us, placing our hope in the fact that everything will be made new.
Yet, this is not a truly Christian approach to stewardship.
The hope for Heaven should instead spur us on to take better care of this earth, knowing that every good deed we do here will be perfected in Heaven.
Hope for Heaven
St. John Paul II explained this Christian approach to the earth in a general audience he gave in 1998.
This is how we understand the true meaning of Christian hope. In turning our gaze towards the “new heavens and a new earth” in which righteousness dwells (cf. 2 Pt 3:13), “far from diminishing our concern to develop this earth, the expectancy of a new earth should spur us on, for it is here that the body of a new human family grows, foreshadowing in some way the age which is to come” (Gaudium et spes, n. 39).
Instead of plundering the earth and divorcing ourselves from public life, we are challenged to protect the earth and do every good deed possible.
Every good deed we accomplish on this earth will be brought to perfection, as St. John Paul II explains:
If it is true that earthly progress must be distinguished from the growth of God’s kingdom (cf. ibid.), it is also true that in God’s kingdom, brought to completion at the end of time, “charity and its works will remain (cf. 1 Cor 13:8; Col 3:14)” (ibid.). This means that everything accomplished in the love of Christ anticipates the final resurrection and the coming of the kingdom of God.
St. John Paul II believed it was our duty to transfigure the world, not destroy it:
Thus Christian spirituality appears in its true light: it is not a spirituality of flight from or rejection of the world, nor can it be reduced to mere temporal activity. Imbued by the Spirit with the life poured out by the Redeemer, it is a spirituality of the transfiguration of the world and of hope in the coming of God’s kingdom.
When we look forward in hope for the coming of God's kingdom, we should be reminded of our own duties and how God has made us stewards of our gifts and talents.
The earth is one of God's greatest gifts to humanity and it is our duty to protect it, preserving it and caring for it.
We are also called to use the gifts God has given us for the greater good of society. Few are called by God to live lives secluded from society.
As much as we like to sit on our couch and let others do all the work, we need to work earnestly, preparing the way for the coming of God's kingdom.
