There was a church that had problems with outsiders parking in its parking lots, so they put up a sign:
"CHURCH CAR PARK - FOR MEMBERS ONLY,"
" Trespassers will be baptized!"
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Here is the outline from my talk last weekend on Heaven (Hell & Purgatory notes to follow in the coming weeks). I ask 4 of the most popular questions, and use (a fraction of) Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and the writings of the saints to begin to answer them. Please post any comments or questions! Pass this on to someone you know !
Heaven
1. Does Heaven exist?
Scripture
Gen 1:1 "In the beginning, God created heaven and earth" (Heaven is as real as earth)
Exodus 16: manna – "bread from heaven"
Mt 3: 16-17: – "And suddenly there was a voice from heaven…this is my beloved son"
Jn 1:33 – "I saw the spirit come down on him like a dove from heaven and rest on him"
Jesus refers to Heaven about 170 times in the Gospels
(Heaven, Kingdom of Heaven, Kingdom of God, Life, and Eternal Life)
-"how blessed are the poor in spirit: the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs" (Mt 5:3)
-"there will be more rejoicing in Heaven over one sinner repenting than over ninety-nine upright people who have no need of repentance" (Lk 15:7)
Throughout the NT:
St. Paul: "God…gave us a place with him in heaven, in Christ Jesus" (Eph 2:6)
Acts: "This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come back in the same way as you have seen him go to heaven" (1:11)
Revelation: "Then, in my vision, I saw a door open in heaven" (4:1)
" Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth" (21:1)
Early Church
St Cyprian (3rd cent.) "to delight in the joy of immortality in the kingdom of heaven with the righteous and God’s friends
Magisterium of the Church
Pope Benedict XII (1336): "According to the general disposition of God, the souls of all the saints…have been, are, and will be in heaven, in the heavenly kingdom and celestial paradise with Christ" (Benedictus Deus)
2. What is Heaven like?
Scripture
Jesus: kingdom of heaven is like:
- " a buried treasure"
- "a great pearl" (Mt 13:44-46)
- "a wedding feast" (Mt 22:1; Mt 25:1); "wedding feast of the Lamb" (Rev 19:7)
- "the upright will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their father" (Mt 13:43)
- whatever we sacrifice for Christ in this life, we will receive " a hundred times as much…now in this present time and, in the world to come, eternal life" (Mk 10:30-31)
Paul : "what no eye has seen and no ear has heard, what the mind of man cannot visualize; all that God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Cor 2:9)
St. John: "see him as he really is" (1 Jn 3:2)
Revelation: 21: 1-4
Saints / doctors of the Church
St Catherine of Siena:"The indescribable sweetness of this perfect union cannot be told by tongue, which is but a finite thing"
St John of the Cross: " Were (the soul) to have but a foreglimpse of the height and beauty of God, she would not only desire death in order to see him now forever, as she here desires, but she would very gladly undergo a thousand singularly bitter deaths to see Him only for a moment"
Magisterium of the Church
- "perfect life with the most Holy Trinity – this consummation of life and love with the Trinity, with the Virgin Mary, the angels and all the blessed" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1024)
- "Heaven is the ultimate end and fulfillment of the deepest human longings, the state of supreme, definitive happiness" (CCC, # 1024)
3. How long does Heaven last?
Scripture
Jesus speaks of heaven many times as "everlasting life…eternal life…living forever"
Paul (1 Cor 9:25) + St Peter (1 Pet 5:4): "imperishable crown"
Church: "the enjoyment (of those in heaven) has continued and will continue without any interruption and without end until the last Judgement and from then on forever" (Pope Benedict XII, 1336)
4. Who goes to Heaven?
Scripture
- Jn 3:16- "everyone who believes in (God’s only Son) may not perish but may have eternal life"
Jesus
- Jn 6:54, 58 – "whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life…and will live forever"
- Mk 16:16- "whoever believes and is baptized will be saved"
- Mt 25: 35-36-whoever feeds the hungry, clothes the naked, etc.
- Lk 10: 25-28 (the lawyer) / Mt 19: 16-22 (the rich young man)- whoever keeps the Commandments
Paul- "it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith; not by anything of your own, but by a gift from God" (Eph 2:8)
St. James- "if good deeds do not go with (faith), (faith) is quite dead" (2:17)
John: "whoever does the will of God remains for ever" (Jn 2:17)
Revelation: "the people who have been through the great trial" (7:14)
Magisterium
-"those who die in God’s grace and friendship and are perfectly purified live for ever with Christ" (CCC, #1023)
-baptized by water (#1228), by desire (#1260), or by blood (#1258)
-in union with the bride of Christ, the Church (Eph 5:25-27): Heaven is the wedding feast of Christ and his bride, the Church (Rev 19:7-8, 21:9-14, previewed in Isa 61:10-11)
13 comments:
Greg,
Great discussion this past Sunday. And I look forward to reading the forthcoming postings on hell and purgatory.
As I was thinking about heaven -- I realized how little I actually think about heaven, which brought to mind a potential distinction between living for the promise heaven and living to avoid the damnation of hell. Conceptually there seems to be a big difference between the two approaches -- an example might be how a person does good works, but chooses not to have faith & sort of gambles on God's mercy. The opposite example would deal with living by faith alone (although the person is still living for the promise of heaven), he or she is not living in the world -- denying the importance of doing good works seems to be an insult to God's gift of life. Why would He grant us life if not to serve and love Him through serving and helping His children, our brothers & sisters?
Some of these comments are just flowing from my fingertips & given the late hour -- please feel free to let me know if I've gone completely off the beaten path.
Sometimes I wonder if I can ever be worthy of being in Heaven. I feel like there's so much that I need to do and change about myself. There are so many improvements I need to make personally. I mean, even when it seems like I'm doing good, my mind still wonders to inappropriate things.
Is there room in Heaven for someone like me? Only God knows. For now, I must just try to do His will and live the life He has called me to live.
I don't know that we can be worthy of heaven. We receive salvation through God's grace & we can access His grace in the sacraments (faith) and by doing His will (good works).
In our daily lives, there is such an emphasis on earning things -- earning respect, income, rewards, etc. With God, the opposite seems to be true -- we have to be open to receiving His love and His direction for our lives. And, if there is any one thing I've struggled with time & time again, it is being open to what God wants me to do.
Very well said.
The distinction between living out of fear of eternal punishment and living for the Kingdom of Heaven is a good one. Theologians call the former "attrition" and the latter "contrition".
Attrition is not bad, especially if it leads to contrition. One of the reasons our Lord talked about Hell so much is that He knew it would get our attention! Having a holy fear of Hell might be the first step for many of us to truly change our hearts and ways back to God.
For example, let's say I go to Mass every Sunday just because I don't want to go to Hell. I might be following that Commandment ("Keep holy the Sabbath"), but am I really living the Commandment to "love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength"?
If I begin to go to Mass to worship and praise God with my brothers and sisters for who He is and all that He has given me, then I begin to love Him and my neighbor as I should. Only then do I begin to live for Heaven, and not merely to avoid Hell.
None of us is worthy of Heaven, just like none of us is worthy of Earth. God made each of us out of nothing ("remember you are dust"); we didn't merit life on Earth and we don't merit life in Heaven, on our own.
I was on a retreat recently, and one of the passages my director had me meditate on was Luke 12. In this passage, Jesus is asking people why they are so worried about this life. He says that they should trust in their heavenly Father, and to "seek His kingdom" (v.31).
I spent an hour that day and many moments since thinking about how little I intentionally seek Heaven. Sure, each day, I go to the chamber of Heaven that is Mass, I pray, I talk about Heaven, and I have the joy of Heaven inside me. But I can't say that I actively and intentionally seek the Kingdom with my thoughts and actions on a regular basis.
How much simpler and better would my life be if I did?! The things I worry about each day, do they really have significance in terms of getting to Heaven? Are these things taking me to my end, my home, which is Heaven?
The whole point of our lives is to get to Heaven. That's why we're here. God created each one of us to truly desire to be with Him for all eternity. "My heart is restless, O Lord, until it rests in you" (St. Augustine).
If I may, these are four nearly pointless questions.
Four months and our first wiseguy. Thanks, braindead!
Btw, what's you idea of a significant question?
Greg,
Where does judgement before God come in all of this? To me it seems that once we die and go up to Heaven we have to be judged before God. Yea, we need to have faith, we need to do God's work on earth, and we need to work for His Grace. If a majority of our life we sinned and had no faith in God, but the last few years of our life we began to come to the Church and made penance, do the cons still outweigh the pros? Another question, does that question make sense?
Thanks for asking about judgement. The other night, I talked about the particular judgement that we all will face when we die. Each of us will go before God, who is the "just Judge", and see Him as He really is. At that moment, which is called the Beatific Vision, we behold the face of Love, Beauty, Goodness, Mercy, Life, Justice (and all of His divinity) in its fullness.
To know what this judgement will be like, we can look at a Scripture passage like Matthew 25. In this passage, Jesus is talking about the Final judgement, which will take place at the end of the world, and at which time Christ will judge all persons. "He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead", we say in the Nicene Creed.
Christ says in Matt 25 that those who feed the hungry, clothe the naked, etc. will go to Heaven. What we do to the "least of my brethren, you do it to me". Those who don't serve Christ in the poor will go to Hell. To them, He will say "I know you not". This is one Scriptural example of how particular judgements and the Final Judgement will occur.
I think it's in John's Gospel where Christ says that "the Father has entrusted all judgement to me". If we believe in and live for Christ, He will recommend us to the Father. If we reject Christ, He will reject us ("I know you not"). It's only through Christ that we can get to the Father's kingdom.
One important point that will come with next week's notes on Hell: God neither wills nor sends anyone to Hell. The person who dies in mortal sin sends himself to Hell: he sees the face of God, and realizes that he freely chose to reject Him during his life.
Now, about those who return to Christ after many years of sin, we can look at the thief on the cross next to Jesus. He asks Jesus to "remember me when you come into your kingdom". Christ says, "today you will be with me in paradise".
The Lord wills each of us to live our whole lives for and with Him, but does offer the fullness of His Mercy to those who show perfect contrition later in life, maybe even on their death bed.
It's all about Christ, folks. He is God's Mercy. In the flesh. It is only because of Him that we have a chance to get to Heaven. Before He became man, the gates of Heaven were closed due to Original Sin. Adam and Eve's sin broke our relationship with God, and closed Heaven's doors.
It was only through Christ's sacrifice on the Cross and His Resurrection that the gates of Heaven were opened, giving all of us a chance of getting there. He is our Savior, our Redeemer, and our Way to the Father's Kingdom.
"I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life", says the Lord.
"Your daily encounter with CHRIST
takes place right where you work,
where your aspirations and your affection are. There we must seek sanctify , in the midst of the most material things of the earth,
serving GOD and all humankind.
Heaven and earth seem to merge, my
daughters and sons , on the horizon.But where they really meet is in your heart , when you strive
for holiness in your everyday lives."
ST. JOSEMARIA ESCRIVA , from the
homely " PASSIONATELY LOVING THE
WORLD",october 8,1967.
the HOLY FATHER JOHN PAUL II canonized SAINT JOSEMARIA ESCRIVA
on october 6 ,2002
his liturgical feast is celebrated
on june 26 www.escrivaworks.org
Among the people of GOD there is a wonderful variety of callings
(vocations)
Through baptism , ALL THE MEMBER OF THE CHURCH HAVE AN EQUAL DIGNITY(catechism of the catholic church
872)
Each person , regardless of gifts or vocation is precious to the lord
Each person is unique in his or her
particular way of sharing in the
life and ministry of jesus(ccc 871)
Vocation is not only GOING to ROME
for theological studies, or in INDIA,
or IGNATIUS retreat...
The church distinguishes three general types of vocations- three
ways the faithful share in the office of JESUS.
1 SOMES VOCATIONS ARE SET APART BY
THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY ORDERS TO SERVE GOD'S PEOPLE AS BISHOPS,
PRIEST, AND DEACONS- THE HIERARCHY
OF THE CHURCH.
2 OTHER VOCATIONS SHARE IN JESUS'
THREEFOLD MINISTRY IN THE MIDST OF
THE WORLD OF LAY PEOPLE : THE LAITY
3 SOME FROM AMONG THE HIERARCHY AND
THE LAITY CONSECRATE THEIR LIVES TO
GOD AND DEDICATE THEMSELVES TO SERVE THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH
THROUGH VOWED PROFESSION OF THE
"EVANGELICAL COUNSELS" OF POVERTY ,
CHASTE CELIBACY , AND OBEDIENCE.
THEY ARE CALLED "RELIGIOUS"
THE LAITY
The second VATICAN council has em-
phasized that the church is the
WHOLE people of GOD( not only the hierarchy ).
The church is mainly comprised of baptized believers who follow the
call of CHRIST to live his gospel in the midst of the secular world,
with occupations often not directly related to the church.
the people who respond to this call
either in th married or single state of life , are THE LAITY.
going to the church is great but you can seek holiness in all aspects of your ordinary life ,
" lay believers are in the front line of church life ; for them the Church is the animating principle of human society...of being the
Church , that is to say, the community of the faithful on earth under the leadership of the pope
the common head, and of the bishops in communion with him.THEY
ARE THE CHURCH.
PIUS XII ,address , february 20,1946 ; cited in Catechism of the Catholic Church 899
The LAITY , by their very vocation
seek the kingdom of GOD by enga-
-ging in temporal affairs, and by
ordering them according to the plan of GOD...They are called there by GOD so that by exercising their proper function and being led by the spirit of the gospel
they can work for the sanctification of the world within, in the manner of leaven.
from " DOGMATIC CONSTITUTION OF THE
CHURCH", LUMEN GENTIUM, COUNCIL VATICAN II
This document proceeds to explain how lay people carry on the priestly , prophetic and kingly ministry of JESUS CHRIST in a way that is different than clergy or religious , but equally important
in GOD's plan for the salvation of
the world.
While lay people certainly must use
their talents and gifts within the
Church , THEY ARE ALSO COMMISSIONED
BY CHRIST HIMSELF TO REPRESENT HIM AND BRING THE GOOD NEWS OF SALVATION IN THE DAILY AFFAIRS AND ORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES OF HUMAN
SOCIETY
"THROUGH THEIR BAPTISM AND CONFIR-
-MATION , ALL ARE COMMISSIONED TO THAT APOSTOLATE BY THE LORD HIMSELF"
FROM "DOGMATIC CONSTITUTION OF THE CHURCH", LUMEN GENTIUM ,COUNCIL
VATICAN II
WHILE THE CLERGY'S MINISTRY IS
SPECIFICALLY TO THE CHURCH, BUIL-
-DING UP THE BODY OF CHRIST , THE
LAY PERSON 'S MINISTRY IS SPECIFICALLY TO THE WORLD-TO EXTEND
THE BODY OF CHRIST AND BRING THE
INFLUENCE OF THE CHURCH AND THE GOSPELTO BEAR UPON WORLD'S AFFAIRS.
There is no reason for any lay catholic to think of him or herself
as " JUST A LAY PERSON "
The document " DECREE ON THE APOSTOLATE OF THE LAITY" (APOSTOLI-
-CAM ACTUOSITATEM ) states repeate-
-dly that lay people are called and equipped to be active in service and leadership in the Church , WORKING IN WILLING COOPE-
-RATION WITH THE CHURCH 'S ORDAINED
PASTORS.
ANY NOTION OF COMPETITION- CLERGY
VERSUS LAITY IS EXCLUDED SINCE WE ARE ALL BRITHERS AND SISTERS WORKING TOGETHER AS GOD'S FAMILY FOR THE CAUSE OF CHRIST AND HIS KINGDOM.
In the fifth chapter of " LUMEN GENTIUM " entitled " THE CALL OF THE WHOLE CHURCH OF HOLINESS " re-
-gardless of whether one is priest
married person ,religious ,single
man or woman , OR THE POPE - ALL
are equally called by GOD to holiness or christian perfection.
Christians must pursue holiness and
perfection in CHRIST according to
their state of life and particular
calling from GOD.
A married woman with small children
for example, will seek holiness in a different way than would a clois-
-tered contemplative nun.
YET BOTH ARE EQUALLY CALLED TO HOLINESS AND EQUALLY ABLE TO ATTAIN
IT , THROUGH IN DIFFERENT WAYS.
BEING A NUN DOESN 'T GIVE ANY PRIVILEGE OR CALL TO HOLINESS THAN
YOU IN YOUR OWN WAY TO REACH GOD IN YOUR ORDINARY LIFE.
A key to holiness forALL christians
is prayer and " living union with
christ"
The laity strive to establish the
reign or kingship of JESUS CHRSIT
first in their own lives ( Cate-
-chism of the Catholic Church 908)
and by implanting thhe values of the kingdom of GOD IN THE WORLD IN WHICH THEY LIVE AND WORK.
There are also specific ways that lay persons may share in the gover-
-nance of the Church according to
canon law, such as by serving on a
parish pastoral council or on a diocesian committee.
CARDINALS CAN ELECT POPE ANY MEMBER
OF THE CHURCH OF ANY LITURGICAL RITE , IF A LAYMAN IS ELECTED HE HAS TO BE ORDAINED DEACON THEN PRIEST THEN BISHOP.
Lay people also fulfill their prophetic mission by evangelisation
" lay people who are capable and trained may also collaborate in catechical formation,in teaching the sacred sciences , and in use of the communication media"
Catechisme of the Catholic Church
906
The laity may also serve the LORD
and the Church in specific liturgical ministries.
Lay persons at times are called to speak a "prophetic word " to the Church by letting theirs pastors and other christians know, in a proper and respectful manner " their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church
FOR ALL THEIR WORKS , PRAYERS, AND
APOSTOLIC UNDERTAKING , FAMILY AND
MARRIED LIFE, DAILY WORK,RELAXATION
OF MIND AND BODY,IF THEY ARE ACCOMPLISHED IN THE SPIRIT, ALL
THESE BECOME SPRITUAL SACRIFICES ACCEPTABLE TO GOD THROUGH JESUS CHRIST.
MAY THE LORD GIVE TO ALL HIS BLESSING
Ted, another great book about our Catholic faith is the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Specific to your question about where all those who lived before Christ went after they died are sections 631-637.
We say in the Creed that "He descended into Hell and on the third day he rose again". One Scriptural basis for this is Ephesians 4:9-10. In this context, Hell refers to 'Abraham's bosom' (see Luke 16:19-31).
Those who lived before Christ in anticipation of the Savior were freed by Christ and taken up to Heaven. "It is precisely these holy souls, who awaited their Savior in Abraham's bosom, whom Christ the Lord delivered when he descended into hell" (Roman Catechism).
As I wrote in an earlier comment, man's Original Sin cut him off from eternal paradise (see Genesis 3:20-24). After the Fall of Adam and Eve, we read throughout the Old Testament how the Jews tried to atone for their sins. They offered animal sacrifices, cereal offerings, etc; everything they could in accordance with the Law.
But, as Hebrews 10:4 points out, "bulls' blood and goats' blood are incapable of taking away sins". There was nothing that man alone could sacrifice to God to bring about the forgiveness of sins (which is necessary to enter God's kingdom). It would take God himself to become man and sacrifice himself on behalf of man for the forgiveness of his sins.
Christ became one of us to save us. He offered his life for us; He is the sacrificial Lamb (fulfilling the Passover): "behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world" (Jn 1:29). On the Cross and in the Eucharist, he gives his body and blood for us: "this is my blood, the blood of the new covenant, poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Mt 26:28-29).
Finally, in Christ, man has an offering that is acceptable to the Father! "By virtue of that one single offering, he has achieved the eternal perfection of all who are sanctified" (Heb 10:14).
That means, essentially, that Christ opened the gates of Heaven for us through His death and resurrection. This is known as the Paschal Sacrifice - Christ's passion, death, resurrection, and ascension. It is seen as one act: the act of redemption.
Christ alone is our savior and our redeemer. He alone opened the gates of Heaven after man closed them due to his sin: "one man's offense (Adam's sin) brought condemnation on all humanity; and one good man's good act (Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross) has brought justification and life to all humanity" (Romans 5:18).
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