Jesus said to the crowds: “Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me.
And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.”
Gospel Trivia:
As it is All Soul's Day, this article will present explanations to better understand the notions of "heaven", "hell" and "purgatory." These explanations are based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) and the Catechism for Filipino Catholics (CFC).
As Christians, we firmly believe that life does not end in death; that there is a reality after death. Unfortunately, no one has returned from the world after death to tell us all about it. We have a rough idea of what awaits us through the Resurrection of Jesus. I say a "rough idea" because Jesus' disciples did not have a video camera at that time, but the gospels provide us clues as to what happened to Jesus after his death.
What happened in the Resurrection?
The Resurrection of Jesus is not just a resuscitation (as in the case of Lazarus, who eventually died), but that of transformation (Jesus lives forever). Resurrection refers not only to a physically risen Jesus, but to a spiritually Risen Jesus.
Our Risen Lord was no longer bound by time and space. He could walk through walls. In the account of the “doubting Thomas” in John 20:19-29, the evangelist recounts that “the doors were locked” (stated twice, in fact); and yet Jesus suddenly appeared to them.
In the story of the two men on the way to Emmaus in Luke 24:1-53, we learn other aspects about our Risen Lord. We know that the tomb was empty and his body rose and changed (24:12). His body changed because when Jesus appeared to the two men on the road to Emmaus, he was not readily recognizable (24:32), and yet he could be seen and touched, and he ate bread and fish.
I’m afraid that is as much as we can know about Jesus Resurrected presence. But one thing we do know: Jesus was not just resuscitated; he was transformed to a glorious presence.
The closest analogy I can think of is that of a caterpillar that is transformed to a butterfly. It dies as a caterpillar and transforms to something totally new.
Heaven
Since we are creatures bound by time and place, we often think of heaven as a "place." We imagine heaven as something out there, filled with clouds and perhaps angels singing and playing the harp.
I believe this is such a limited view of what heaven could be. Scripture encourages us to extend our imagination and think of heaven as:
- instead of a place, a condition of being with the Lord (CFC 2068), or as the beatific vision, i.e. the vision that makes happy (CFC 2069);
- an eternal life, not in the simplistic sense of survival and living forever, but a new quality of life that we cannot even imagine; Scripture can only describe such a life in images that connotes and connects with what is dearest and most joyful to us, such as: a kingdom where God reigns, wedding feast, a new heaven and new earth, a perpetual light. (CFC 2063, 2065)
This mystery of a condition of being with God is beyond all understanding (CCC 1027). "No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Cor 2:9).
Because we communicate in human language, we are necessarily limited by the words and images we used. We should therefore be conscious that the words that we use to describe "heaven" are, at most, feeble attempts to describe what it could really be.
For example, when we say that heaven is where we see God face to face, we do not mean that we would be inches away from God's face. It suggests that if God is the powerful loving and merciful Father revealed to us by Scripture, then being intimately close to him must be such a special and overwhelming experience which would last for a long, long time.
I recall when I first saw Pope John Paul II in St. Peter's Square. We were a good 50 meters away from him, but just seeing this man who is so close to God and whose holiness is almost palpable, filled me with awe, inspiration, a sense of humility, and realization of goodness in this world -- all rolled into one ball of such wonderful feeling. Can you then imagine what it would be like when we "see God"?
Hell
If heaven is a condition of being with God, then hell would be where God is totally absent. If God is absolute and unconditional love, then hell is the absolute absence of love.
God does not send someone to hell, for how can a loving God send his most loved creature to eternal fire? God loves freely, and our Father loves so freely that he allows us to reject that love. If someone chooses to live a self-serving, self-centered life that results in ultimate irrevocable self-exclusion from God and from all other creatures, then that person himself/herself chooses to go to hell.
The fundamental choice that this person has taken in his/her life is a total rejection of God and of a life filled with love. Thus, upon death, God allows that person to be where that person prefers to be -- in hell.
I mentioned above "eternal fire". Again, this is a product of our limited language and imagery. No one knows that hell is filled with fire, but fire is a symbol of being consumed; so hell is a condition of one being totally consumed by one's self.
Finally, note that while the Church proclaims saints, that is, those that she is certain is definitely in heaven, our Church does not proclaim anyone to be definitely in hell. We do not judge, and we always leave room for the mercy of God.
Purgatory
Scripture provides only scant hints of purgatory, e.g. in 1 Corinthians 3:15: "He himself will be saved, but only ... through fire." However, much of human tradition -- whether Christian or not -- have always included a "connection" with one's dearly departed in a condition that is neither heaven nor hell. Ancient liturgical practices have also always included offering prayers for the dead.
Finally, the Council of Trent (mid-16th century), proclaimed the doctrine of purgatory and defined it as the "state of final purification." (CFC 2072)
We do not know exactly what, where, or how purgatory is (just as we do not know exactly what, where, or how heaven or hell is), but there is a condition that is neither heaven nor hell, and where one undergoes a purification prior to the condition of heaven.
This doctrine was intended to achieve two things:
- to MODERATE the teaching of final judgment, i.e. to calm excessive anxiety among those who lived very generous and loving lives (CFC 2072). In other words, "Do not be anxious if you make a mistake or two in your generally good life; you will not lose heaven, but you will have to undergo purification."
- but also to STRENGTHEN the teaching on final judgment, i.e. to gain heaven does not simply require a passing mark ("pwede na"), but a radical and total obedience to Jesus's command to love one another "AS I have loved you." In other words, "Do not think you can just coast through life, avoiding major transgressions, and be qualified to experience heaven; if so, then there is still a final purification that you have to go through."
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