The Catechism of the Church says that souls in Heaven “are like God forever, for they see Him as He is, face to face” (no. 1023). The Church calls this contemplation of God in his glory the “beatific vision.”

It’s hard for us to imagine the joy we’ll experience when we see God face to face, in all his glory and majesty. Think of the most beautiful sunset you’ve ever seen, your favourite song, or the best movie in the world… They don’t even come close.

“I get it,” you might think, “I can’t wrap my head around the greatness of Heaven. So why are we talking about it?”

Because contemplation in the middle of the world gives us a little taste of life in Heaven. It’s a preview of what life in Heaven is going to be like: we’ll see God and – more importantly – be seen by Him.

So what is contemplation in the middle of the world? Well, what does being seen mean? It’s more than just walking in front of people who have their eyes open. Really being seen involves recognition and attention.

God looks at us like that, and we look at the people we love in a similar way. Picture your best friend, your mom, or your boyfriend or girlfriend. You can tell whether they’re sad, excited, or worried at a glance. You know them and love them, and that gives you the sensitivity you need to discover their soul when you look into their eyes.

Seeing God and knowing that you’re seen by Him means stepping into such a deep, intimate moment that words are unnecessary. “Words are not needed, because the tongue cannot express itself. The intellect grows calm. One does not reason; one looks!” (St. Josemaría, Friends of God, no. 307). You’re looking at someone you know perfectly, who knows you, and with whom you can share your deepest feelings and most personal joys.

Here’s the million-dollar question: how do you get there? It might seem out of reach, especially when you know that you don’t spend your whole day thinking about God. Is contemplation out of reach?

Nope. St. John Paul II teaches that daily activities are a great “means of union with Christ,” opportunities to look at Him and grow in intimacy with Him. This is amazing when you think about it. Anything you do for God takes on a “divine tone;” your whole life is transformed into a “dialogue of love that is carried out through deeds” (St. John Paul II, Discourse on the centenary of St. Josemaria’s birth, 2002).

Contemplation isn’t just for specific moments in the day, times set apart for God (like Mass, communion, and prayer), but it is a gift. We need to ask God for his help. Living united with Him all day every day doesn’t happen automatically.

It helps to start the day by offering it to God. Tell Him that you’re going to do everything for Him because you love Him and want to please Him. And renew that offering from time to time, for instance before starting a new activity: “Father, I’m going to make breakfast for you,” or “Jesus, I find this subject a bit tedious, but I’m going to study it for you.” You can fill your day with short phrases, called aspirations, that help you maintain an active dialogue with God. Eventually, you get to a point where you don’t need those words: a glance is enough to live in intimacy with Him.

That’s contemplation: an active but wordless form of prayer, “intense and serene, deep and simple,” as one author describes it (J. López, Working Well, Working for Love). It involves “savouring” God’s love at every moment, confident in the fact that you’re his beloved son or daughter. “Contemplative life,” the same author says, “is the life proper to the children of God.” God wants us to be close to Him.

St. Josemaria liked to say that “happiness in Heaven is for those who know how to be happy on earth” (The Forge, no. 1005). The challenge of contemplation in the middle of the world is to turn all our activities and tasks, hopes and fears, and joys and sorrows into reasons to look at God and recognise that He sees us too. That way our whole lives become previews of Heaven, and we start enjoying God’s eternal happiness here and now.