Heaven, however, is not a place. Neither is hell. These are states of being, that is, a condition of being with God or not.
Death breaks that wholeness.
But although the body will return to the earth, from which God in the beginning created all of life, the soul will enter that state of being beyond all earthly and human dimensions. In a natural movement, the soul still inclines toward the goal of its existence since it was created, and that is precisely toward union with its Creator. But reaching that destiny will be reserved for those who love the Lord. The Rev. Joseph J. Allen is pastor of St. Anthony's Orthodox Church, Bergenfield.