Catholic Heaven: Our Definitive Home

• Heaven is the state of perfect happiness for the soul
• Those who die in God's grace, friendship, and are purified live forever with Christ
• Heaven is an eternal state of being in God's presence
• The ultimate aim for Catholics is to reunite their souls with God and Christ

Heaven as Our Definitive Home

• Heaven is the endless moment of love, seeing God face to face
• It is a place of love, giving oneself to God and others
• Fulfillment is found in pleasing and serving God and others in heaven
• Heaven described through Biblical images:
  • Father's house
  • Unending Bliss
  • Everlasting life
  • Wine of the Kingdom
  • Wedding feast
  • Paradise
  • Eternal Peace
  • Perpetual Light
  • Celestial Banquet
  • Heavenly Jerusalem
• Those who die in God’s grace, friendship and are perfectly purified live forever with Christ

The Parable of the Mustard Seed and the Pearl

• The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed
• Though the smallest seed, it grows into a tree where birds can perch
• A small amount of faith can have a big impact
• Jesus showed people how to enter the kingdom of God
• Although the kingdom started small with Jesus and the disciples, it would grow across the world

Heaven as The Father's House

• Beatific Vision is the contemplation of God in His heavenly glory
• Contemplate God as He is in intellectual vision composed of knowledge (visio, love; amore, caritas, and joy; gaudio, fruition)
• Paul compared present knowledge of God under faith to the direct vision of God in heaven
• Lumen gloriae is the ultimate reward in heaven and consists of contemplating the light of God
• Augustine says true happiness is not found elsewhere, but in the human heart where God dwells

The Repentant Thief

• Jesus said to the repentant thief, "today you are with me in paradise"
• The first thief insulted Jesus, while the repentant thief acknowledged Jesus and his own sin
• After an internal transformation, the thief asked Jesus to remember him in His kingdom (Luke 23:42)
• "Jesus" means "God saves," and by acknowledging Jesus, the thief was able to 'steal heaven' through humility and faith
• Before going to heaven purification and sanctification is needed

Absence of Heaven

• Without heaven, Christ would not have taught about it; in His Father's house there are many dwelling places (John 14:1-4)
• Jesus has reserved a place for humanity in heaven, carrying us beyond death to a new place
• God loves humanity, and we are made for heaven and eternal life

"City of God" by St. Augustine

• "We are all citizens in this world as also citizens in heaven"
• Reflection points to how our earthly life manifests a desire for true happiness
• True happiness is not found elsewhere but in the heart of the man where God dwells

"Confession" by St. Augustine

• "You have made us for Yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in You."

Hell as The Absolute Absence of Love

• Unity with God requires freely choosing to love Him
• One cannot love God if they sin gravely against Him, neighbors, or themselves
• Hatred equates to death; murderers do not have eternal life abiding in them
• Hell is a state of eternal separation from God due to rejecting Him and His love freely
• It is a place of eternal punishment for those in mortal sin
• Separation from God occurs if one fails to meet the needs of the poor and brethren
• Dying in mortal sin without repentance results in eternal separation from God through free choice
• This self-exclusion from communion with God is called "hell."
• St. John of the Cross: "Mercy is the ultimate expression of love."
• "Gehenna" or the unquenchable fire is reserved for those who refuse to believe and be converted until the end of their lives, resulting in loss of both soul and body

Eternal Punishment

• Eternal punishment comes with flaming fire.
• Those who disobey will suffer eternal destruction
• Hell is real
• Hell is not a cruel punishment of God's vengeance
• Hell is defiance to God who is compassionate and forgiving
• Hell is a place or state for unrepentant sinners after death
• An unrepentant sinner refuses God's forgiveness and salvation through Jesus
• Hell is a place of suffering and eternal separation from God
• Punishment is spiritual isolation
• God is just and cannot let evil go unpunished;

Mortal Sin

• Those who die in mortal sin descend into hell and suffer eternal fire
• Chief punishment is eternal separation from God (The Parable of Dives and Lazarus)
• It is a radical possibility of human freedom
• There is the loss of charity and state of grace
• Causes exclusion from Christ's kingdom and eternal death of hell

Consignment to Eternal Fire

• The damned are consigned to eternal fires as a consequence of exercising their free will to reject God
• Gospel of Mark: It is better to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out (Mark 9:43)
• Eternal damnation is not God's initiative, as He desires the salvation of His creation
• The creature closes themself off to God’s love
• The Roman Canon pleads to be saved from final damnation and counted among those God has chosen

Parable of the Wedding Feast

• Compared to a celestial banquet where attendance is by invitation
• The wedding garment refers to the worthiness of the guest
• Two types of guests that face ire were those who rejected the invitation and those who showed up not in proper attire
• Hell is the place outside of heaven and not a place made for us by God
• Many are invited but few are chosen
• Holy fear of God is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit
• Those who fear the Lord will be happy at the end, even on the day death (Sirach 1:13)
• Revelation notes exclusion from the book of life is consignment to the "pool of fire" (Revelation 20:14)

Purgatory

• Purgatory- an intermediate state for purification before entering heaven
• It is for souls of faithful departed who are not yet perfect
• It is assured eternal salvation, but they need holiness to enter heaven
• Is entirely different from the punishment of the damned
• Revelations says that "nothing unclean will enter it" (Revelation 21:27)
• God desires entry to heaven but demands perfect cleansing from stains of sin

Understanding Sin

• Mortal Sin -destroyed charity turns man away from God's laws
• Venial Sin -allows charity to subsist, even through offenses and wounds
• Sacrament of Penance - sins are forgiven and guilt is wiped out
• Dying with venial sins or temporal punishment means the soul is cleansed in purgatory before appearing before God

Existence of Cleansing Fire

• The Bible affirms existence through the possibility of purification beyond this world
• Belief hinges on infinite mercy and perfect justice
• Giving souls another chance at perfect holiness

Types of Pain

• Pain of sense (poena sensus):
  • Caused by cleansing fire
  • Eternal punishment for the damned souls (venal sins)
• Pain of Loss (poena damni):
  • Temporary exclusion from the beautific vision of God;
  • More excruciating because of eternal seclusion from the beautific vision (mortal sins)

Church Definition of Purgatory

• Purgatory is purification for those who die in God's friendship but are imperfectly purified
• They are assured salvation, but still need purification
• Necessary to achieve holiness for heaven

Suffrages for Souls in Purgatory

• Concrete expression of faith via prayer
• Souls in purgatory cannot help themselves atone for sins

Intercessory Prayer

• Involves offering the dead that expiate for sins and emit temporal punishment
• Customary for Catholics
• Remembering deceased one on specific times
  • Fourth day - awareness of death
  • Ninth day - 9-day prayer (Pentecost)
  • Fortieth day - 40 days the soul walks the earth
  • First death anniversary
• Magdadasal: renders special prayers, visits tombs
• Pamisa: special intention for the dead in Holy Mass
• November 2: remember departed faithful

Maccabees

• Judas made atonement for the dead they might absolved
• We hould help the souls in purgatory because they cannot help themselves
• Suffrages include intercessory prayers and expiatory sacrifices
• Vicarious means on behalf of or mediated
• Indulgences are remission before God of temporal punishment due to sins already forgiven
• These are gained under prescribed conditions via partial or plenary removal
• Faithful gain for themselves or apply to dead

Punishment

• Two punishments are eternal
• Eternal
  • Remitted through forgiveness of sins (loss of God’s grace and eternal life)
  • Deprivation of eternal life
  • Sacrament of Penance, needed for removal
• Temporal
  • One must make reparations for sins, expiation suffering and purification
  • Needed to atone for the sins’ unhealthy attachments
  • Venial sins entail temporal punishments

Parable of the 10 Virgins

• Illustrates the importance of preparedness
• Emphasizes readiness and vigilance
• Two groups: wise and foolish
  • Wise: take oil in vessels with lamps
  • Foolish: do not have oil, do not enter
• Lord's our is unknown, so always ready and vigilant
• Unlike the foolish virgins