Eternal Life with God
Everyone wants to live. You love life too. You believe in eternal life. But you ask : whether it will be a complete break with the current life ?
There is eternal life with God
Listen, how do the scriptures. vividly depicts eternal life with God : “I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, and the sea is no more. And I saw the Holy City, a new Jerusalem, descending from God out of heaven, adorned as a bride adorned with jewels for her husband. And I heard a loud voice speaking from the throne : «Here is God's tabernacle with men : and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and he will be GOD WITH HIM. And he will wipe every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more. Not mourning, no scream, no trouble anymore (henceforth) it will not, because the first things have passed away ». And said the one seated on the throne : "Behold, I am making all things new" " (Ap 21, 1-5a).
Apocalypse (i.e.. Revelation) st. John is the most difficult book in the New Testament. He shows us the life of the Church and at the same time its fullness in heaven.
This new Jerusalem presents the Apocalypse as God's being with people. The saved will be His people, and he will be ,,God with them ". Then there will be no more worries, tears, death, mourning, toil, but a life of fullness and eternal joy.
There is little we can say about living with God in heaven right now. It is a mystery. It cannot be expressed in human language, because :
,,Neither could the eye see, neither ear heard, nor has the heart of man understood, how great things God has prepared for this, who love him " (1 Disease 2, 9).
With God on earth and in heaven
Human reason is constantly striving to fathom the great mystery of heaven. We know, that our being with God begins here on earth. Through baptism, we have been incorporated into Christ and given the life of God. Therefore, St.. John writes in his first letter :
"Beloved, we are God's children now, but has yet to come out, what we will be. We know, that when it shows up, we will be like Him, for we will see him like this, which is" (1 J 3, 2).
St.. And Paul teaches, that communion here on earth with Christ gives you the certainty of sharing with him in glory :
“You have received the spirit of adoption as sons, in which we can cry out "Abba, father ! » […] If we are children, it and heirs : heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ, since we suffer with him for this, to share in glory together " (Rz 8, 15-17).
Eternal life is closely related to this, what was here on earth. We have become God's children through baptism. United with Christ, we already participate in the life of the Holy Trinity here on earth. The development of the Christian life consists in the constant deepening of this participation through the sacraments. We will make this life fully in heaven. Here on earth, our relationship with God may be severed. It will be fixed forever in heaven. Christian hope is reaching its end.
Faith, which on earth allows us to know God imperfectly and vaguely, it will give way to direct and certain cognition (by. 1 Disease 13, 12). It will reveal to us the mystery of God's inner life, and that's all, what God has done for man. Only then will we understand, how God prepared salvation, and how he accomplished it through his Son. Then we will get to know too, Who is Jesus Christ for the world and how He, through the Holy Spirit, works in the Church and in each of us. We will also find out, how much we owe to our brothers in Christ.
From such full knowledge, love acquires new strength and binds the saved with God indiscriminately and forever. This knowledge will also increase the mutual love of all the saved. It will be unobstructed and will never cease.
Eternal happiness in heaven will not be the same for everyone, but adapted to the merits and the degree of cooperation with God here on earth. This is what Scripture tells us. : Who sows sparingly, this one sparsely and collects, but who sows generously, this one will also generously collect " (2 Disease 9, 6).
This one can get to heaven, who at the time of death is united to God by a community of life, that is, he has sanctifying grace.
How will I answer God ?
Eternal life is closely related to human life on earth. How do you care for the life of God within you ? Are you developing your baptismal gifts?. : your faith, hope and love ?
The liturgy often turns our thoughts heavenward. He does this especially on the occasion of the Ascension of the Lord or the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Virgin Mary. We honor the saved in heaven on the feast of All Saints. During the Holy Mass. on these celebrations I think of heaven ?
Consider the words of the song :
“They still dream of your heaven,
Where thy love awaits me.
I want to possess you forever, Happiness, which lasts forever.
I live here, I have a home here, i'm well,
And full of strength, my God,
But I'm still waiting, that you will show me my happiness and my goal.
I still dream of your heaven…
Suddenly a voice, God's voice tells me: What are you doing here ?
Standing like this, doing nothing ?
Because you know, that your fate,
You have to hammer while it's time.
They still dream of your heaven…
Now I know, it's not a dream time here, but with their work,
I have to conquer the threshold of eternity,
Because God is waiting for me,
In my brethren with grace.
They still dream of your heaven,
Where thy love awaits me,
But I already know, how to possess you,
Happiness, which lasts forever ".
(Muse. and words : A. Duval ; crowd. pcs. St. Sierla).
Idea :
1. As the Apocalypse shows us, God's being with people ?
2. How Faith is Completed in Eternal Life, hope and love ?
3. What will it depend on, our happiness in heaven ?
remember:
58. “Not an eye has seen, neither ear heard, nor has the heart of man understood, how great things God has prepared for this, who love him " (1 Disease 2, 9). “We are God's children today… we will be like Him, for we will see him like this, which is" (1 J 3, 2).
■ Task :
1. Think and write, which deepens your connection with God here on earth.
2. What wrong sentences have you heard about heaven, and how would you correct them ?
3. What holidays and why should direct our thoughts to heaven ?