Elija Mission

 

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)

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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.

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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)

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Let us now turn to the salvific teaching on the resurrection, which is so essential that St. Paul makes it clear: “But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” (1 Cor 15:13 ff)

Since our Catholic faith gives us the light of truth, it is salvific in the deepest sense of the word. Nothing leads a person more deeply toward his destiny than when, in God’s grace, he recognizes the truth and accepts the salvation that God offers him in His infinite mercy through Christ Jesus. If he lives in the truth, then the heavenly Father will shape him into what He intended when He created him. This will be fulfilled in eternity. Yet we must not conceal the truth that a person, through his own fault, can fail to reach his goal and must live forever separated from the vision of God, enduring the corresponding torments. This teaching is also salutary, for it is meant to awaken us and bring our responsibility for our lives into clear focus, so that we may choose life in the truth.

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Through the meditations on the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, we were introduced during the Easter Octave to the liturgically wonderful Easter season, which the Risen Lord spent with His disciples on earth to further prepare them for their future mission. One can still sense the disciples’ amazement at the events, which only gradually sank in as reality.

In deciding how to continue my daily reflections, I have chosen the readings of the Old Rite as my primary guide. Since I have frequently interpreted the readings of the New Rite, links to these earlier reflections will continue to be available at the end of my remarks.

First, however, it is important to delve deeper into a significant topic.

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What is true peace? It is the peace that comes from God, the peace that springs from His heart. Jesus put it this way: Read More

We have heard it many times in the accounts. It has happened: The Lord has risen from the dead! He is truly risen! Alleluia! This cry resounds throughout the Christian faith and gives it hope—hope even in dark times, when it seems to be fading—for the Resurrection of Christ is the visible sign of victory over hell and death! “O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?” (1 Cor 15:55) May this cry never fall silent. May it lift up all despondent hearts and pierce through the darkness. The Lord is risen! Today’s Gospel reading in the Old Rite (John 20:1–9) takes us back once more to the disciples on the early morning of Easter. They still have a journey to make to understand what happened on Easter morning. It is still unclear to them, and they are shaken and grieving over the death of their Lord. What will happen after His death? The Lord now lay in the tomb … Read More

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” (Mt 28:18-20) Read More