Transcript Creo en la vida eterna

BOSCH, Hieronymus
Last Judgment (fragment of Paradise)
Oil on panel
Private collection
I believe in
everlasting life
23
Compendium of the Catechism
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207. What is life everlasting?
1020
1051
Eternal life is that life which
begins immediately after death.
It will have no end. It will be
preceded for each person by a
particular judgment at the
hands of Christ who is the
Judge of the living and the
dead. This particular judgement
will be confirmed in the final
judgment.
Introduction
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Death is the door which leads
to life. Everlasting life –the last
article of the Creed— is man’s
goal. And we know, as revealed
from God, that “life is changed,
not ended”. Therefore those
who believe in God can obtain
an eternal dwelling place in
heaven. We shall live forever!
“Our aim has to be to go to
heaven. Otherwise nothing is
worthwhile“ (St. Josemaría
Escrivá).
BERMEJO, Bartolomé
Christ Leading the Patriarchs to the Paradise
c. 1480
Tempera on wood
Institute of Hispanic Art, Barcelona
Main ideas
1. Those with clean souls go to heaven
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“I saw that there was a huge
number, impossible for anyone to
count, of people from every nation,
race, tribe and language; they were
standing in front of the throne and in
front of the Lamb, dressed in white
robes and holding palms in their
hands” (Revelation 7:9)
To be dressed in white robes means
to be in God’s grace and free from
any stain or sin. That is why they
are in heaven.
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As the Gospel says, “Blessed are
the pure of heart, for they shall see
God” (Mt 5:8).
BOSCH, Hieronymus
Paradise: Ascent of the Blessed
Oil on panel, 86,5 x 39,5 cm
Palazzo Ducale, Venice
2. Heaven consists in seeing and loving God and being
happy forever with Him
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“What no eye has seen nor ear
heard, nor the heart of man
conceived, what God has
prepared for those who love
Him” (1 Corint. 2:9).
Thus we shall always be with
the Lord” (1 Thess 4:17).
God is the supreme good; He is
infinite beauty. And man, who
yearns to see wonderful things,
will be completely fulfilled –
fulfilled, but never tired of—
contemplating God. We shall
see God as He is. We shall
also love Him immensely and
we shall be eternally loved by
God. Man’s desire to love will
be completely fulfilled.
MIGNARD, Pierre
The Heavenly Glory
1663
Fresco
Val-de-Grâce, Paris
3. The final purification of Purgatory
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Those who die in the state of
grace and in friendship with
God, but imperfectly purified
even though they are sure of
eternal salvation, will have to
undergo purification after death,
so as to obtain the necessary
holiness to enter the joy of
heaven.
The Church calls Purgatory this
final purification of the elect,
which is completely different
from the punishment of the
damned.
CARRACCI, Lodovico
An Angel Frees the Souls of Purgatory (detail)
c. 1610
Oil on canvas, 44 x 51 cm
Pinacoteca, Vatican
4. We can help the souls in purgatory
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God wants the Church on
earth to help the souls in
purgatory, where many
purify themselves,
yearning to be with God
in heaven.
We have to help them in
the following ways:
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Offering the Holy Mass.
 Praying a lot for the
souls in purgatory.
 Offering for them our
good deeds.
SIGNORELLI, Luca
The Angel Arrives in Purgatory
1499-1502
Fresco
Chapel of San Brizio, Duomo, Orvieto
5. Hell exists
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"Depart from me, you cursed, into the
eternal fire prepared for the devil and
his angels". The Gospel text
concludes: “And they will go away into
eternal punishment” (Mt 25:41-46).
Hell exists because God is just, and in
the same way as He rewards those
who freely behave well, He punishes
those who freely choose to behave
badly.
In hell there are no vacations; it never
ends, because hell is eternal. God
Himself said it: "Depart from me, you
cursed, into the eternal fire” (Mt
25:41). The existence of hell and the
eternity of the punishments are truths
of faith that have to be firmly believed.
BOUTS, Dieric the Elder
Hell
1450
Oil on wood, 115 x 69,5 cm
Musée des Beaux-Arts, Lille
6. Those that die in mortal sin go to hell
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It is during the final judgment
that God sends the wicked to
hell.
Who are those who go to
hell? St. Paul mentions the
deeds of the flesh –that is,
fornication, impurity, quarrels,
murder…– and he affirms:
“People who behave in these
ways will not inherit the
kingdom of God” (Gal 5:1921). In short, those who die
with their souls stained by
mortal sin.
MEMLING, Hans
Hell
c. 1485
Oil on wood, 22 x 14 cm
Musée des Beaux-Arts, Strasbourg
7. We should help people go to heaven and avoid hell
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Heaven is the only thing that
makes man’s life meaningful. Not
to go to heaven is the utmost
failure. But, as we have mentioned,
only those who are in the state of
God’s grace can enter heaven.
This fact should move us to do a
lot of apostolate so that all men
should be saved.
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We have to pray, to offer little
mortifications, to give good
example according to our Christian
vocation, to talk to others about
God.
 God rewards our generosity, and
we will meet in heaven those we
have helped here on earth.
CARLONE, Giovanni Battista
Virgin and Child in Glory with Saints
1655
Oil on canvas, 122 x 98 cm
Private collection
8. The “Amen” at the end of the Creed
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The Creed, just like the last
book of the Bible, ends with
the Hebrew word Amen. It is
also the last word of many
prayers.
This word hails from the same
root as to believe in Hebrew.
Therefore, Amen, at the end
of the Creed, confirms the I
believe at the beginning.
To believe is to say “Amen”,
so be it, to God’s words,
promises, commandments. To
believe is to trust God
completely.
GRECO, El
The Opening of the Fifth Seal (The Vision of St John)
1608-14
Oil on canvas, 222,3 x 193 cm
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Resolutions for
Christian life
Resolutions to move forward
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Pray and offer little sacrifices
for the conversion of sinners,
and for the final perseverance
of all Christians.
Remember heaven when we
encounter difficulties in our
Christian life. Remember the
existence of hell when
temptations come, so as to
reject them and not to offend
God.
When you recite the Creed
and say “Amen”, be conscious
of its meaning: I firmly believe
everything I have just said.