Transcendental truth
The four new things are the last and decisive elements that go to meet the man at the end of life: death, judgment, hell or paradise, not forgetting the purgatory.
"At the evening of life, we will be judged on love".
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1021-1022.
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Death can not be avoided
In human affairs what is certain is the dead, but it is uncertain when it arrives. Death knows no intelligence or power, does not respect the rank or the race, does not distinguish youth, or take into account the age: for the elderly is at the door, for young people lurking. St. Gregory writes: Oh present life, you have deceived. While you pass nothing happens, while you exist shadow, while you're exhalted smoke. For fools are sweet, for the wise understand perfectly. Nobody welcomes death with serenity and bliss in life but for those who are prepared for dead with good works.
Equity in Judgment
Think it will be your responsibility on the last day, when the conscience attributes bad thoughts, when the elements accuse you of your actions. First, the accusers will the sins, on the other, justice under the horrific chaos of hell, when the fair trial comes. "And if the righteous is saved with fatigue, where eventually the ungodly and the sinner will be?" (1 Peter 4:18). What will become of the foolish and idle reasonings, of light words, of frivolous, vain works and fruitless?. It never erase from your mind the sentence: "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire" (Mt 25,41).
Terrible judgment.
At the sight of the glory and happiness tha will enjoy the chosen, the damned will feel to grow their grief and confusion. In your body will appear signals of the sins and punishments they have deserved. Then those words will sound terrible, "Go, you cursed, into everlasting fire," the soul and the body will go to dwell with demons or hopeless in that place every man shall bear their iniquities. The Stingy will burn with passion for the treasures of the earth, the Cruel with his cruelty, the unclean with your uncleanness and its miserable concupiscence, the unjust with his injustice, the envious with envy, who hates his neighbor with hatred. Those who have loved with messy love - that causes all evils, because along with the pride, which is the beginning of all vices will be devoured by fire intolerable. (Decalogue, chap. XLII).
Punishment of Hell.
The wicked will be separated from the community of the just and consigned to the power of demons. "And these will go away into eternal punishment".(Mt 25, 46), and there will be forever between weeping and wailing, away from the joys of Paradise: they will not receive relief. The condemned will live forever without hope of forgiveness or mercy. Hell is terrible but what is even more angry face of the Judge: this is beyond all terror and the eternaldistance and vision of the blessed Trinity. Being deprived of heavenly and excluded from the preparation of God for those who love him, causes so much distress that although there were no any external torment, this penalty would be sufficient by itself.
The Purgatory
AThe third eschatological reality is Purgatory. Its existence is confirmed in the Bible, at 2 (Mac 12.43) and (1 Cor.12-15). It is a temporal time dimension of the souls that will last only until the Last Judgement, before the resurrection of the flesh. In Purgatory, the souls of the righteous repay their debts to the divine Justice purifying and experiencing painful punishment. It is good to underline that the purification in Purgatory does not refer to guilt, but to the sentence.. If the divine forgiveness is granted to the repentant soul it clears the fault does not dissolve the sentence, and through the atonement man repairs the mess caused by his sins. Here the soul is subjected to punishment in the form of an obligatory purification.
The Ecumenical Council of Florence (1438-1445) defined truth of faith as not only the existence of Purgatory, but also as the possibility that the souls in Purgatory can be released prematurely, thanks to the prayers of the faithful living. This possibility also has a biblical foundation: the atoning sacrifice offered by Judas Maccabaeus absolution of the dead who had sin of idolatry (2 Macc 12,46) and the mystical communion with Christ, either for good or evil, in all men. St. John Chrysostom reiterates and confirms the pious practice. (Homily on the First Epistle to the Corinthians 41.5).
Paradise
The Paradise is the eternal love where the thirst for happiness finds its perfect fullness. The joy of Paradise may be already partially experienced on this earth when in intimacy with Jesus and in God's grace, with actions and intentions (1 Jn 15:11). The Catholic doctrine and the Bible teach that in Paradise there is a distinction of glory, according to the degree of holiness which each has achieved in life. Another is the splendor of San Francisco or a martyr who shed his blood for the love of God, one who has been saved by merciful.
Heavenly Joy
Run, my soul, not with physical steps, but with affection and desire, because you expect, not only the angels and saints, but also the Lord and Master of angels and saints. Father God expects you to appoint you heir to all goods and to make you partaker of His goodness and delight. How is the joy of victory, all that you have suffered on earth will become eternal joy.
Then with your exultant lips you will praise the Lord your God for all these things saying, Your mercy, Lord, I want to sing forever. Nothing is more joyful than this song, which will rise in praise of the glory of Christ, whose blood has redeemed us. What tongue can tell, or what mind can understand how is the joy of supernatural city, the joy of participating with the choirs of angels, to be part of the most holy heavenly spirits, of the Creator's glory and never to depart from the extremely happy company of the blessed; exult always with them and their joy. There the love of the righteous will be joyful and perfect. Only babbling is possible to echo the sublime realities of God, and the heart that is set only once in heavenly things immediately understand that it is nothing what once seemed sublime. When you get to that place then you will begin with a heart full of joy, to say with St. Peter: "Lord, how good it is here" (Mt 17,4). Here are the father, the mother, the sister, the brother, the eye will see an incomparable beauty, the taste will experience the sweetest taste. The smell will perceive a soft perfume, the touch will embrace the most delicious realities, the ear will be recreated in remarkable harmony. Who could tell how much joy, the wonderful glory ineffable praise that will experience, having mastered manfully the body with the shield of chastity and continence, having overcome the world, fleeing temptation.
The soul immersed in heavenly joy
Father God gave this instruction about heaven to Saint Maria Magdalena de Pazzi: "See, my daughter, the difference between a man drinking a glass of water and other bathing in the sea.It is said that the first who enter to the water first enters it, because it enters the mouth and passes through the stomach to cool, but the second is said to enter in the sea, because the amount of water that make up is so great that entire armies can go and get lost, without leaving them the slightest trace. This is so for the soul. The consolations that she receives in this world enterin her, as water in small vessels., so that she cannot get it except in a very limited extent. He said to one of such souls overflowing of sweetness, deploring the smallness of his glass he could not provide as much would have wanted. enough, Lord, enough.
In heaven we enter to the joy of the Lord, diving into a bottomless ocean of ineffable sweetness and consolation, that is, God himself, who is all in all. Within you, without you, over you and around y
ou, before you and behind you: all will be joy, joy, sweetness and consolation, because everywhere you will find God. "Erit Deus omnia in omnibus. "(P. I, c. XYII).
A special invitation
If you want to come to this joy and acquire the virtues, listen to Jesus' invitation: "All you will ask faithfully in prayer, you will get it"
(Mt 18:20). In fact, without prayer, no spiritual journey is possible, nor can we follow the footsteps of Jesus our Savior.
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