“Men believe Me to be a terrifying God Who is going to cast all mankind into hell. What a great surprise it will be when, at the end of time, they see so many souls they believed lost, enjoying eternal bliss among the elect!” (From the message of God the Father to M. Eugenia Ravasio)
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“Hell”
Any consideration of the all‑important “last things” remains incomplete if we do not also take into account the possibility of a life gone astray, for both Sacred Scripture and Church teaching bear clear witness to this.
Certainly, it may be frightening to hear about this, but that is no reason to conceal this dimension of our faith, for there is also such a thing as “salutary fear.” Saint John Chrysostom underscores the importance of this teaching and emphasizes how essential it is to keep it in mind.
“Truly, if we always thought of the punishment of hell, we would not easily fall into it! That is why God has threatened us with the punishment of hell: if the thought of it did not have something salutary, He would not have done so. Because the memory of the punishments of hell produces such great effects, God has given us the threat as a salutary medicine. (…) A soul that fears hell will not easily fall into sin. (…) The fear dwelling in the heart banishes all that is sinful from it.” (J. Chrysostom, Homily on the Second Letter to the Thessalonians, 2:3)
Eternal Life in God – Heaven” (II)
As we considered yesterday, the highest good that awaits us in Heaven is the vision of God, which will make us infinitely happy. Some Church Fathers have attempted to make this incomprehensible reality somehow accessible to us. Therefore, I would like to add one of these voices for our edification. Saint Augustine, a master of the word, writes in The City of God:[1]
How great shall be that felicity, which shall be tainted with no evil, which shall lack no good, and which shall afford leisure for the praises of God, who shall be all in all! For I know not what other employment there can be where no lassitude shall slacken activity, nor any want stimulate to labor. (…) All the members and organs of the incorruptible body, which now we see to be suited to various necessary uses, shall contribute to the praises of God; for in that life necessity shall have no place, but full, certain, secure, everlasting felicity. (…) And, along with the other great and marvellous discoveries which shall then kindle rational minds in praise of the great Artificer, there shall be the enjoyment of a beauty which appeals to the reason. (Book 22, chapter 30)
“IN THE SERVICE OF TRUTH”
“I have never shied away from serving the truth. Never deny what you have recognized as truth!” (Inner word)
This word certainly applies to all people—especially to us Catholics. “Every one to whom much is given, of him will much be required; and of him to whom men commit much they will demand the more.” (Lk 12:48)
Eternal Life in God – Heaven
Yesterday we focused on the spiritual resurrection, or the first resurrection. This topic no longer needs to be explored in greater depth, for it is the daily path of faith, linked to the pursuit of holiness. It accompanies us throughout our entire lives, and I strive to offer help to the faithful and those seeking the truth through talks, meditations, and lectures.
But what also belongs to these reflections on the Lord’s Resurrection is the gaze toward eternity. For those believers who have remained faithful, it will be Heaven—complete union with God in the contemplation of His glory.
It would indeed be very unwise to lose sight of this wonderful goal toward which we are journeying. It is far more glorious than we can imagine, and its beauty should draw us to it. Nor does contemplating the glory of Heaven make us unworldly, “aloof,” or cause us to flee from reality. All of these are false notions. On the contrary, the anticipation of Heaven should strengthen our zeal to fulfill our vocation on earth, to glorify God and serve humanity.
“GOD’S WAY”
The Soul: “O Most Gracious One, if it pleases You so much that people believe in You, then please tell me what I am to believe regarding Your ineffable goodness.” (St. Mechthild of Hackeborn)
With certain hope, you shall believe that after your death I will receive you as a father receives his most beloved son, and that never has a father so faithfully apportioned the inheritance to his only son as I will share with you all My goods and Myself.
The First Resurrection
Now that we have considered our future bodily resurrection in three reflections—a resurrection we can joyfully look forward to as the faithful—it is fitting to turn our attention to our spiritual resurrection, which is the prerequisite for facing death with confidence. This spiritual resurrection is also referred to as the “first resurrection,” meaning the awakening of the soul to true life.
St. Augustine writes about this topic in The City of God and comments on the following words of the Lord:
“Truly, truly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.” (John 5:25)
According to Augustine, “the Lord is not speaking here of the second resurrection—the bodily one that will take place at the end—but of the first, which is taking place now. It is precisely this that He wishes to mark with the words: ‘The hour is coming, and now is.’ But this resurrection is not a resurrection of bodies, but of souls. For souls, too, have their death—namely in godlessness and sin—and it is such dead people the Lord means when He says: “Let the dead bury their dead,” meaning: let those who are spiritually dead bury those who are physically dead. (Augustine, Volume 28, p. 1227)
“GREAT THINGS AWAIT”
“I tell you in truth, it pleases Me greatly when people trustingly expect great things from Me.” (Word of the Lord to Mechthild of Hackeborn)
“TO CONFORM TO GOD’S PLANS”
“If you conform to God’s plans, He will make a saint of you.” (St. Paul of the Cross)
So it really isn’t that hard, dear Father, if St. Paul of the Cross tells us so. He must have known. “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.” (Matt. 6:33) So it is written in Holy Scripture through the mouth of Your Son. So, dear Father, You have a plan for our lives. Then we don’t really need to make our own plans; we just need to follow You. What a burden that saves us from— all those plans and considerations that we often discard, or that don’t quite come to fruition, or even turn into illusions. Perhaps they do come to fruition, but they don’t deliver what they promise because they aren’t Your plans for us.
The resurrection of the body (III)
We have already heard about the bodily resurrection from the dead in our previous reflections and have come to appreciate what a wonderful path God has planned for us. This led us to discuss the incorruptibility of the resurrected body. Once the Lord has reunited the believer’s soul and body, they will be able to live forever in the presence of God.
Our future body possesses four wonderful characteristics, as the Roman Catechism of Pius V teaches. It states:
“In addition to this, the bodies of the risen Saints will be distinguished by certain transcendent endowments, which will ennoble them far beyond their former condition. Among these endowments four are specially mentioned by the Fathers, which they infer from the doctrine of St. Paul, and which are called gifts.
The first endowment or gift is impassibility, which shall place them beyond the reach of suffering anything disagreeable or of being affected by pain or inconvenience of any sort. Neither the piercing severity of cold, nor the glowing intensity of heat, nor the impetuosity of waters can hurt them. It is sown, says the Apostle, in corruption, it shall rise in incorruption. (1 Cor. 15:42). This quality the Schoolmen call impassibility, not incorruption, in order to distinguish it as a property peculiar to a glorified body. The bodies of the damned, though incorruptible, will not be impassible; they will be capable of experiencing heat and cold and of suffering various afflictions.