The Spiritual World: Talks for Children by George de Charms

3. The Light of Heaven 

We learned something about the Sun of heaven, and how it always shines for the angels. We said that those who go into that heaven behold the light of that Sun continually. There is no night there. There is no darkness. But in hell there is always night, and the evil spirits are never able to see the glorious shining of the heavenly Sun.

However, this is not because the Lord does not want them to see His light. He loves everyone - the evil as well as the good. He wishes to give His light and His heat to everyone, whether in heaven or in hell. It is in that world, even as it is here, that "He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."

But if we wish to see the light of the sun, we must go where that light is able to shine. If we should shut ourselves up in our houses all day, and only come out at night; if during the day we should keep the shutters closed and keep carefully covered up every opening through which the light might enter - then, although the sun shone all around us, we would not see it. This is just what is done by evil animals who prowl about at night seeking for prey, and during the day they hide in dark caves where the rays of the sun cannot penetrate. It is what is done by owls and bats who fly about after dark, and during the day go to sleep in some obscure corner. And evil people often do the same thing, people who love to steal, to kill and to destroy are afraid of the light. They hide in the daytime lest they should be recognized and punished. Cut when it becomes dark they come forth to commit some evil deed, while other men are asleep. "They hate the light because their deeds are evil."

So it is with evil spirits in the other world. They hate the Sun of heaven because they hate the Lord, Who is in the midst of that Sun. They love to dwell in dark caves and caverns in dense forests where the sunlight cannot penetrate - in houses without windows and with doors shut tight to keep it dark.

The angels all turn towards the east where the Sun is - eager to see in the light of it. But evil spirits all turn their backs to the Sun; they look toward the west, and flee from the light. In fact, if the light of heaven shines upon them it makes them blind, and so they call it darkness, while the darkness in which they live they call light. The light that they have is not a beautiful light like that in heaven. It is an ugly light like that which comes from smoldering fires - red and lowering, a light that inspires fear and dread, as of some impending calamity.

Now, what I want you to notice is this: that the difference between the wonderful light of heaven - many times brighter than the noonday light of the world - and the dreadful light of hell, is not in the Lord, nor in the Sun of heaven, but is in the evil spirits and in the angels.

The mind of everyone of us is like a little house in which we dwell. The Lord has created windows in that house - windows that look toward heaven, and through which the light of heaven can shine. If we love Him, then does He open those windows, that we may look out and behold all the wonderful things He has created for us in the spiritual world. And He causes the light that enters to gild with a golden glory everything we have with us in the house. This seeing of the beautiful things of heaven makes us happy. This shining of the spiritual Sun in our minds and in our hearts gives us joy and gladness. And all this comes to us if we love the Lord and keep His Commandments. Every time we do what the Lord tells us, because we love Him, He opens a new window in our house, that we may receive more light, and that we may better see the wonders of heavenly creation.

We do not see this house so long as we live in this world. We do not realize, when we do something right, that we are helping the Lord to open a new window in that house. Nor do we realize that when we do something wrong we are shutting out the light of the heavenly Sun. We only feel the gladness that comes from the presence of the angels in the one case, and the sorrow that comes from the presence of evil spirits, in the other. We know that when we love others, and try to make them happy; when we do our duty and obey the Lord's will - that those we love, our parents, our teachers, our playmates and companions, are happy, and we feel their happiness as a glow of warmth and sunlight within our hearts. We know also that when we do what is wrong, sin lieth at the door; fear enters our hearts. We feel like hiding - like creeping away where no one can see, lest we be punished. We feel that we have brought unhappiness upon those we love, and that unhappiness gives us grief and pain. What has actually happened is that we have closed the windows of heaven, and drawn the shutters, leaving our house in darkness. If we were in the other world, we would see that this actually happens.

Now if we go on all through life opening the windows of our soul, loving the Lord and our neighbor, doing our duty, serving our Church, our country, and our fellowmen, then we not only open the windows, but we build them so they will stay open. And when we come into the other world we will see the Sun; we will find ourselves in its light - able to enjoy the company of angels In heaven. But if we continue throughout life closing our house against the Lord, turning away from Him, thinking only that which will help us and do injury to others - then will we so lock the shutters against our windows that in the other world they can never be opened. We will find ourselves in the kingdom of darkness, loving darkness rather than light because our deeds are evil. We will never know the joy of heaven. The Sun of heaven will never shine for us. We will never see the wonderful things that appear before the angels. All our life will be unhappy, dark, painful. And this, not because the Lord does not wish to make us happy, but because we have shut Him out.

Now is the time when you must begin to open the windows of heaven in the house of your mind. And because your happiness - forever after death - depends upon it, it is a tremendously important thing. You cannot open these windows yourself. But if you ask the Lord, not only with the lips but by actually trying to love and serve Him from day to day, He will Himself come and open them for you. As He says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hear My voice, and open the door, I will come In to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me. " The door is the door to your house - the house of your mind and heart. If the Lord enters here, He will open the windows that you may see the glorious light of the heavenly Sun.

Lesson: Psalm 97

to next Chapter

• Back • Home • Up • Next •