Many years ago I was taught that the essence of heaven is the Beatific Vision. That is, one will look upon the glorious and radiant face of God, and find in that look the fulfillment of all desires, and a joy (beatus) beyond all telling.Posted on 10/31/2013 11:51:47 AM PDT by markomalley
Many years ago I was taught that the essence of heaven is the Beatific Vision. That is, one will look upon the glorious and radiant face of God, and find in that look the fulfillment of all desires, and a joy (beatus) beyond all telling.
And surely this description remains both true and worth repeating. However, I have noticed that some get stuck on the the word “vision” and to some extent on the word “face,” and tend to reduce the experience to a kind of “static” (unchanging) vision.
For our experience of the “face” of another is that it does not change. And we are further taught that God does not change.
And thus, in being asked to consider heaven as a beatific vision (or beholding) of God’s face, some struggle to imagine what one might do after about twenty minutes, let alone for all eternity. Therefore, people often shift their thinking about heaven to playing golf, being reunited with loved ones, walking streets of gold, and having mansions.
I have quoted Pope Benedict regarding this problem before, but his statement of the problem is worth repeating:
Perhaps many people reject the faith today simply because they do not find the prospect of eternal life attractive….To continue living for ever —endlessly—appears more like a curse than a gift….to live always, without end—this, all things considered, can only be monotonous and ultimately unbearable…. The term “eternal life” is intended to give a name to this known “unknown”. Inevitably it is an inadequate term that creates confusion. “Eternal”, in fact, suggests to us the idea of something interminable, and this frightens us; “life” makes us think of the life that we know…[which] very often it brings more toil than satisfaction, so that while on the one hand we desire it, on the other hand we do not want it. (Spe Salvi, 10, 12).
So, a lot of our terminology, though biblical and correct, is lost to modern ears and the modern imagination. It needs greater explanation, even among believers who are often very vague about the contours and promises of heaven.
I have articulated before that somehow we must communicate that the “eternal” in “eternal life” is not a reference only to the length of life, but to the fulness of life. To be in heaven is not merely to live forever, but to be fully and gloriously alive in a manner which we can barely even imagine now. It is to have all our gifts, and every aspect of who we are, gloriously perfected, with a God-like glory.
St. Ireneus says that the Glory of God is man fully alive. The Lord told St. Catherine of Siena that if she were ever to see a soul glorified in heaven, “You would fall down and worship because you would think you were looking at me.”
This is our glory and this is our dignity, to one day have a God like perfection and glory, and to become fully alive in an unimaginable and powerful way.
And as for our “vision” of God. We ought not think of it as some sort of static vision, as if we were looking at a picture or face that never changes.
Rather, because God is infinite our grasp of his glory with be inexhaustible. Thus, all eternity will never be enough for us to comprehend him. From moment to moment, one new and greater glory after another will be reveled. He will be our one desire, and our hearts will never tire of God and God alone.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux speaks to this in one of his sermons. He meditates on what will happen to us when we finally see Him whom our soul has longed for:
Nor, I think, will a soul cease to seek him even when it has found him. … when the soul happily finds Him, its desire is not quenched but kindled…Rather it is oil poured upon the flames….Joy will be fulfilled, but there will be no end to desire, and therefore no end to the search. (Sermon 84.1 on the Song of Songs)
Yes! Heaven will not be a static vision at all. It will be truly a beatific (happy) vision, but it will be anything but “static.” There will be Joy, after joy, glory upon glory, for all eternity. And each fulfilled desire will kindle a deeper desire as our hearts grow deeper and wider with love.
Do most Christians know of this understanding? Probably not. Frankly most of us are too vague about heaven and seldom meditate upon it.
Sadly, to be vague about the reward, tends to kill any effort to strive for it. And thus we face today, not only a lack of reverential fear of Hell (which we have well discussed here), but also a lack of zeal to seek God and Heaven.
It is a “perfect storm” which which explains a lot of spiritual tepidity today and the lack of evangelical zeal that has plagued the Church for at least the last 100 years.
We need to be a lot clearer about death, judgment, Heaven and Hell and also realize that our descriptions especially about heaven, often fail to communicate its vision let alone inspire others to seek it, whatever the cost.
Msgr Pope ping
As usually, well and succinctly said.
True and like many of Msgr. Pope’s most excellent columns, trads and non-trads don’t find much to argue about.
I see it this way: Time is a current in an Ocean called Eternity.
Who was in the furnace with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? Who wrestled with Jacob in Genesis? I believe both were “God made flesh”. And who would that be? Jesus.
If he is in the ocean, he can place himself in the current at any point he so chooses.
Regarding eternal life, I believe people will actually freely choose to forego it. Regarding what I believe this actually means, I defer to here: http://jeremyandchristine.com/articles/eternal.php
Before WWII, protestant preachers, especially in black churches, made their reputations based on their vivid descriptions of Hell that awaited sinners. Some were so gifted that “you could smell the brimstone, and feel the flames licking the floorboards beneath your feet.”
And, to their credit, many of their followers followed a more righteous path because of it. Heaven, from their point of view, was far more nebulous, and acted more as a counterpoint to the demonic realm.
There is a logic in this, for while in Christianity there is a certain and easy to understand route to heaven; there is a vast minefield of sin and perfidy that can lead the faithful astray. To avoid this is the other portion of faith.
This link is to a Korean woman’s vision of hell. She is an evangelical, but her version is similar to Catholic accounts I have read about previously.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWXkBBIaiVc
Sister Josefa Menendez wrote (or dictated) a book on conversations she had with Christ, and it also included time she spent in hell. This suffering that she endured was for the conversion of sinners. I believe the book was called “The Herald of Divine Love”.
St. Don Bosco, in his book of dreams and prophecies, also included a vision of hell.
The Church has little or nothing to say about Hell or Heaven any more. We are left with exhortations to be good people because God wants us to be good people. It is not enough for most.
Never thought the “Vision” idea of the afterlife was correct much less interesting. Think much more probable is the “Work” idea of the afterlife.
Catholic ping!
It is good to remind ourselves of this and put things in a different perspective, daily. Because daily living and the problems of the day -and every day has it’s problems, big and small - take our focus off the end game, and we know who will win, in the end, and we know that when He makes us promises, He WILL keep them. He cannot NOT keep them.
That alone can be enough to help s make it through the day. We do have someone watching our backs every day, whether we recognize it or not, whether it crosses our mind, or not. When we feel great, or when we feel everything is lost. Man’s mood and feelings fluctuate. God’s promises to us do not. Satan likes to attack at our low points.
It may have to take what has been talking about for years, this interest in “near death experiences” or NDE’s that a number of folks have had experience to bring to perspective what eternity is all about.
Thank-you for your posting!
This link is to a Korean woman’s vision of hell. She is an evangelical, but her version is similar to Catholic accounts I have read about previously.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWXkBBIaiVc
Sister Josefa Menendez wrote (or dictated) a book on conversations she had with Christ, and it also included time she spent in hell. This suffering that she endured was for the conversion of sinners. I believe the book was called “The Herald of Divine Love”.
St. Don Bosco, in his book of dreams and prophecies, also included a vision of hell.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.