“Heaven and earth will pass away”
Saint Junipero Serra once said, “Of all the things of life, a happy death is our principal concern. For if we attain that, it matters little if we lose all the rest. But if we do not attain that, nothing else is of any value.” Death is one of the few things that unites every human being. There is a natural fear of death, the fear of the unknown. We do not know people who have died and tell about what truly happens afterwards. Yet, the Catholic Church definitively states that there is much after our eternal rest.
What is “eschatology”? First, we must start with the word “eschatology”. It is not a term that is used or heard often in common culture. The word comes from the Greek “eschaton” which means “last”. We learn in grade school that anything ending in “ology” means “the study of” so eschatology means the study of the last things. More specifically, in Christianity it focuses on our human destiny: death, judgment, heaven, hell, the second coming of Jesus, and the resurrection of our bodies. [1]
How can the Catholic Church claim such things as death, judgment, heaven, hell, and purgatory? It is because the one living example who suffered, died, and came back to life, Jesus Christ, is at the head of the Catholic Church. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.” (Jn. 11:25) As Catholics, we believe that there is more after death and more importantly, we have nothing to fear after death. Death is not final, but a transition to eternity.
Why should we learn about eschatology? G.K. Chesterton once said that the oldest things should be taught to the youngest. Young or old, we all have a duty to know and share what the Catholic Church teaches about eschatology: death, judgment, heaven, hell, purgatory; also known as the last things.
VIDEO – The Dream of Gerontius
A fitting conclusion for this introduction on eschatology is a quote from the great poem “Dreams of Gerontius” by Cardinal John Henry Newman. The poem is about a man named Gerontius who is on his deathbed and takes the reader through his death, judgment, demons, glimpses of heaven, and finally his placement in purgatory. The angel accompanying him closes the poem with the beautiful words, “Farewell, but not forever! Brother dear, Be brave and patient on thy bed of sorrow; Swiftly shall pass thy night of trial here, And I will come and wake thee on the morrow.” [2] We should not fear death and judgment for Christ is always with us even at the moment of our death. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4) While many do not want to discuss the last things, we should actively pray and recollect our final things for we need to think of the last things first.
[1] CCC Glossary, pg. 877
[2] Dreams of Gerontius, 7th Phase