And Life Everlasting.
Amen.
“No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived,
what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor. 2, 9).
After this life there is one of two eternities that awaits each individual: an
eternity of happiness in heaven as reward for remaining faithful to God, or
an eternity of misery in hell for having rejected him.
The joy of heaven, once obtained, can never be lost. It consists of the
Beatific Vision, that is, in seeing, possessing and loving God as He is for
all eternity: “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to
face” (1 Cor. 13:12). All the sufferings and ills of this life shall pass away,
replaced by eternal happiness in the company of the angelic hosts and
Saints: “for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and
he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away
every tear from their eyes” (Rev. 7:17).
Not all, however, will be equally happy. The happiness and glory of each
will be dependent on their merits: “each will receive wages according to the
labor of each” (1 Cor. 3:8); “There is one glory of the sun, and another
glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; indeed, star differs from
star in glory” (1 Cor. 15:41). Nevertheless, despite this inequality all will
be fully content and happy, rejoicing in each other’s glory, and blessing
God’s mercy and justice.
Three particular categories of Saints shall receive a distinct glory:
(i)
The Martyrs: those who laid down their lives for Christ will be
marked with a special glory on account of their sufferings: “But
rejoice in so far as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also
rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed” (1 Pet. 4:13).
(ii)
The Virgins: those who “made themselves eunuchs for the sake of
the kingdom of heaven” (St. Matt. 19:12) will be clothed in white
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