MANILA, Philippines - Has anybody come up to you to describe with conviction and definiteveness what heaven really looks like? You have heard of near death experiences detailing heaven as a place where angels play sweet harp music, where dead relatives and friends reunite with a possible new entrant, and where everything is white and bright. And you also have come across children’s books and pieces of poetry portraying it as nirvana — rainbows exuding vibrant colors, exotic animals roaming around in perfect harmony, peaceful towns, bluish surroundings and people playing and laughing.
Everyone has a verbal and visual image of heaven. Most religions have, too, and they should all be respected. Anthony DeStefano, author of the best-selling book A Travel Guide to Heaven, for example, presents a fascinating concept of the glorious domicile — painting it as a fun, dynamic, tangible abode of unlimited pleasure, unlimited happiness and unlimited joy. He posits that one day after your resurrection, heaven is going to be physical as well as spiritual — where you are not just going to see spirits, but live human beings with warm bodies, faces, eyes, hair and voices. In other words, you will dwell in a highly charged locale where you inhabit your current form, as you continue doing the good things you like to do.
DeStefano also likens heaven to Wizard of Oz, where Dorothy thinks she’s going to find her true home “by following the yellow brick road. But what she learns is that the thing she’s looking for is right there in her own backyard. In the same way, part of heaven is going to exist someday, right here on good planet earth.” The tome posits — “if the life you are living now is real, life in heaven is not going to be less real. If anything, it’s going to be more real. Heaven will remove your compulsions and unhealthy desires.” It will be a multi-colored paradise where you will experience new things — food, fashion and music and the like — never before featured on earth. Wow! Isn’t that great?
Many years from now, your mom will still be your mom, and she’ll be able to say things only a mother can say. And many years from now, your brothers will still be your brothers, and the special union and friendship will continue on and on. Books will continue to be written, buildings and roads constructed, movies produced, and great arts performed. After all, he points out, “Heaven will look exactly like your own neighborhoods closely watched by an energetic Lord, running about saving souls and raising the dead.”
DeStefano asserts that he is neither a new age guru nor a TV psychic/palm reader/theologian nor philosopher. He confides that the completion of this book on an imaginary, whimsical trip to eternity was motivated by his strong belief in the afterlife coupled with his deep passion to examine the tenets of Christianity. This was bolstered by studies revealing that 94 percent of the general public believes in heaven. Newsweek even reported several years ago that 76 percent of Americans believe in it. The figure among Filipinos for sure will hit the roof as well.
Personally, I look at A Travel Guide to Heaven as a roadmap to a final destination. It is very much like selling a visit to Disneyland or Universal Studios — although you may dislike the parallel between a “sacred eternity” and a noisy, crowded, dizzying amusement park — it allows you to savor the beauty of heaven and why you should not miss the gratifying trip to it. And if you have to write a marketing communications pitch to project its advantages and uniqueness, the document will read something like this.
The product is heaven and it will be positioned as “a dynamic place for limitless joy.” Its target public will be all-inclusive — believers, non-believers, converts coming from all socio-economic strata. The communications campaign can focus on the promise of life everlasting with family and friends. A life without suffering, which can be had if you would be consistently good to your fellowmen, forgive family members and anybody who have offended you, to be in community with people who praise and serve the Lord, accept the passing away of a parent, a sibling or a friend with faith, grin and bear a period of unemployment, fight the way through depressing financial problems without losing hope and becoming bitter, and face old age and death with bravery and even cheerfulness.
Indeed, heaven is no place for arguments and grudges. It is a paradise filled with love, forgiveness and reconciliation, warmth and caring, and love and respect that are generously given. It stands for unassailable truth, unquestionable justice and genuine freedom.
Everlasting peace joy and happiness are the promises of 100 Days To Heaven — the new ABS-CBN soap that gives its main character a second chance to correct the many faulty acts that she has done to others in order to save her soul from eternal damnation. If you were given that opportunity, would you take it? And if so, will you be willing to start from the beginning?
100 Days To Heaven is another tale of hope and faith from the makers of May Bukas Pa. It revolves on the life of Anna Manalastas, played by both Xyriel Manabat (as the young Anna) and Coney Reyes (as the adult Anna). Anna is a nasty and astute businesswoman who owns and operates the largest toy company in the Philippines. The joy that she gives to kids is starkly opposite from how she runs her business. In the story, the older Anna meets a sudden death and recognizes that she is about to go to hell.
But before this happens, she strikes a deal with heaven’s gatekeeper for a second chance because she desires to penetrate the pearly gates of heaven. Lo and behold, the opportunity was given to her. She can undo her transgressions, but with a catch. She must do it within 100 days, not as an adult, but as her seven-year-old self. Experienced actress Coney Reyes stars in 100 Days To Heaven, after playing support roles in teleseryes like Ysabella and Rubi. Child superstar, Xyriel Manabat, co-stars with Reyes who is also making a comeback on primetime after Noah.
Skillfully directed by Malu Sevilla, 100 Days To Heaven is an extraordinary TV experience that projects the struggles of everyday living. It reminds the young and the old alike that important values must not be neglected if one wants to experience everlasting happiness. The other cast members include Jodi Santamaria as Sophia, Louise Abuel as Kevin, Joel Torre as Andres, Dominic Ochoa as Bobby, Valerie Concepcion as Miranda, Rafael Rosell as Bart, Smokey Manaloto as Bruce, and Neil Coleta as Jopet. They will surely add color to the exceptional tale of 100 Days To Heaven. Your evenings starting May 9 will truly be touching, vibrant and gracious.
If you are convinced that heaven exists, you must, as Disney’s four-pillared philosophy projects — dream, believe, dare and do. Heaven is waiting.