Loving the Bride, vol. 36
Something old...
Sacramental life is anticipation of heaven
In the context of Revelation, we know that the "heaven" or "happiness" in which we will find ourselves is neither an abstraction nor a physical place in the clouds, but a living, personal relationship with the Holy Trinity. It is our meeting with the Father which takes place in the risen Christ through the communion of the Holy Spirit.
It is always necessary to maintain a certain restraint in describing these "ultimate realities" since their depiction is always unsatisfactory. Today, personalist language is better suited to describing the state of happiness and peace we will enjoy in our definitive communion with God.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church sums up the Church's teaching on this truth: "By his death and Resurrection, Jesus Christ has "opened' heaven to us. The life of the blessed consists in the full and perfect possession of the fruits of the redemption accomplished by Christ. He makes partners in his heavenly glorification those who have believed in him and remained faithful to his will. Heaven is the blessed community of all who are perfectly incorporated into Christ" (n. 1026).
This final state, however, can be anticipated in some way today in sacramental life, whose centre is the Eucharist, and in the gift of self through fraternal charity. If we are able to enjoy properly the good things that the Lord showers upon us every day, we will already have begun to experience that joy and peace which one day will be completely ours. We know that on this earth everything is subject to limits, but the thought of the "ultimate" realities helps us to live better the "penultimate" realities. We know that as we pass through this world we are called to seek "the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God" (Col 3:1), in order to be with him in the eschatological fulfilment, when the Spirit will fully reconcile with the Father "all things, whether on earth or in heaven" (Col 1:20).
----John Paul II, Heaven Hell and Purgatory".
Something new...
If your local Bishop is not subject to regularly arrest by authorities, be thankful. Bishop Jia of China, at last count, has been arrested 11 times trying to lead his flock. Let us continue to offer our prayers for the underground Catholic Church in China.
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Hat tip to my buddy Jane who emailed me this link: an amazing article in Crisis by Alice von Hildebrand called "On True Love". I've read it over a few times and it continues to inspire.
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Have you heard about this low-cost Vatican travel service to international Shrine sites. I'll have to keep an eye on this!
Something borrowed....
Guess I haven't been tuned in... but there's a program called "Sunday Night Live" with Fr. Benedict Groeschel on EWTN, and its a call-in show!
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This little missive from Catholic Matriarch in my Domestic Church about going to confession intrigued me...
I definitely see the benefit of frequent confessions. However, I have heard over and over it is a good idea to find one priest to be your primary confessor. This spiritual mentor will have a memory of your past confessions and can better guide you towards holiness. Intellectually, that makes perfect sense. But am still behind the screen and anonymous. I am actually quite relieved that the priest is not keenly aware that the sins I am confessing are remarkably similar to the batch I confessed just six weeks ago.
If you have a regular confessor and it is of benefit to you, you may wish to leave a comment on this post.
-----
Here's a little something silly.
Something blue....
To find a collection of great Marian prayers by Pope John Paul II, go here.
Copyright 2007 Patricia W. Gohn
Sacramental life is anticipation of heaven
In the context of Revelation, we know that the "heaven" or "happiness" in which we will find ourselves is neither an abstraction nor a physical place in the clouds, but a living, personal relationship with the Holy Trinity. It is our meeting with the Father which takes place in the risen Christ through the communion of the Holy Spirit.
It is always necessary to maintain a certain restraint in describing these "ultimate realities" since their depiction is always unsatisfactory. Today, personalist language is better suited to describing the state of happiness and peace we will enjoy in our definitive communion with God.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church sums up the Church's teaching on this truth: "By his death and Resurrection, Jesus Christ has "opened' heaven to us. The life of the blessed consists in the full and perfect possession of the fruits of the redemption accomplished by Christ. He makes partners in his heavenly glorification those who have believed in him and remained faithful to his will. Heaven is the blessed community of all who are perfectly incorporated into Christ" (n. 1026).
This final state, however, can be anticipated in some way today in sacramental life, whose centre is the Eucharist, and in the gift of self through fraternal charity. If we are able to enjoy properly the good things that the Lord showers upon us every day, we will already have begun to experience that joy and peace which one day will be completely ours. We know that on this earth everything is subject to limits, but the thought of the "ultimate" realities helps us to live better the "penultimate" realities. We know that as we pass through this world we are called to seek "the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God" (Col 3:1), in order to be with him in the eschatological fulfilment, when the Spirit will fully reconcile with the Father "all things, whether on earth or in heaven" (Col 1:20).
----John Paul II, Heaven Hell and Purgatory".
Something new...
If your local Bishop is not subject to regularly arrest by authorities, be thankful. Bishop Jia of China, at last count, has been arrested 11 times trying to lead his flock. Let us continue to offer our prayers for the underground Catholic Church in China.
-----
Hat tip to my buddy Jane who emailed me this link: an amazing article in Crisis by Alice von Hildebrand called "On True Love". I've read it over a few times and it continues to inspire.
------
Have you heard about this low-cost Vatican travel service to international Shrine sites. I'll have to keep an eye on this!
Something borrowed....
Guess I haven't been tuned in... but there's a program called "Sunday Night Live" with Fr. Benedict Groeschel on EWTN, and its a call-in show!
-----
This little missive from Catholic Matriarch in my Domestic Church about going to confession intrigued me...
I definitely see the benefit of frequent confessions. However, I have heard over and over it is a good idea to find one priest to be your primary confessor. This spiritual mentor will have a memory of your past confessions and can better guide you towards holiness. Intellectually, that makes perfect sense. But am still behind the screen and anonymous. I am actually quite relieved that the priest is not keenly aware that the sins I am confessing are remarkably similar to the batch I confessed just six weeks ago.
If you have a regular confessor and it is of benefit to you, you may wish to leave a comment on this post.
-----
Here's a little something silly.
Something blue....
To find a collection of great Marian prayers by Pope John Paul II, go here.
Copyright 2007 Patricia W. Gohn
posted by Pat Gohn at
8/24/2007
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