In
this section a Catholic belief, which may be taught differently
by other Christian churches, will be presented. This teaching will
change each month.
To see previously
presented beliefs, click below on the link of interest:
Purgatory
The Catholic belief of
Mary
The Eucharist
Holy Week
Hell
Heaven
Grace, God’s presence within you, is like a
seed—a vital, growing seed that is destined one day to break
forth full grown.
God has given himself to you, but in a hidden way. For the time
being, you seek him even as you possess him. But the time will come
when your seeking will be over. You will then see and possess God
completely. This has been revealed.
In his first letter, Saint John says: “Beloved, we are God’s
children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do
know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall
see him as he is” (3:2).
And in his first letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul says: “At
present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face.
At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully
known” (13:12.
This is heaven: direct face-to-face vision of God as he is –
Father, Son, and Spirit; total and perfect union with God, an ecstasy
of fulfillment beyond human imagining; the “now” of
eternity in which everything is ever new, fresh, and present to
you; the warm flood of joy in the company of Jesus, his Mother,
and all those you have ever known and loved; a total absence of
pain, regret, bad memories; the perfect enjoyment of all your powers
of mind and (after the resurrection on Judgment Day) of body.
This is heaven. That is to say, this is a pale, human indication
of what God has promised to those who love him, of what Christ has
gained for us by his death and resurrection.
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