New heavens, new earth

Whole created order is destined to be restored to its original state as place without pain, loss

Question: Sometimes I think that heaven might not be as interesting as earth. There are so many beautiful things on earth that I will hate to miss. Is my faith weak, or do I have a faulty view of this matter?

-- Name and address withheld

Answer: You probably share with many people the notion that heaven and earth are disconnected and that at the end of time the earth will be no more.

But the authentic Catholic view is that God will save not only our souls, but also our bodies and, indeed, the whole created order within which the human person exists.

The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church of Second Vatican Council states: "The Church . . . will receive her perfection only in the glory of heaven, when will come the time of the renewal of all things. At that time, together with the human race, the universe itself, which is so closely related to man and which attains its destiny through him, will be perfectly re-established in Christ" (No. 48).

The Bible speaks of this renewal of the universe as the coming about of a "new heavens and a new earth" (2 Pt 3:13). This will be the complete realization of the glorious end for which humanity and the whole created order are destined.

In his Letter to the Romans, St. Paul speaks of a profound unity of all things in heaven:

"For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God ... in hope because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay. ... We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now; and not only the creation but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies" (8:19-23).

The whole created order is, then, destined to be transformed so that the world will be restored to the original state it had in the Garden of Eden and will therefore be a place without pain, suffering and loss.

In this light, then heaven will not at all involve the loss of the good things of earth (our families, friends, good works and arts), but these will be found in a new way in heaven.

The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World of Vatican II declares: "When we have spread on earth the fruits of our nature and our enterprise . . . according to the command of the Lord and in his Spirit, we will find them once again, cleansed this time from the stain of sin, illuminated and transfigured, when Christ presents to his Father and eternal and universal kingdom" (No.39).

Christian life is a not a preparation that is detached from earth. Rather it is precisely through the way we shape our lives, build up our relationships, create the human heritage and beautify and conserve the earth -- in this way we prepare for heaven.

Preparing for death

Question: When I was young, we were taught that we ought to spend every day preparing for heaven. Is this taught in religious education anymore?

-- H.G., Columbus, Ohio

Answer: The admonition to spend each day preparing for heaven is an essential part of Christian faith. My impression is that this goal is not emphasized as much as it should be in contemporary religious education.

Preparing each day for heaven does not distract us from our daily duties and obligations, but, on the contrary, impels us to take every important aspect of our lives with utmost seriousness.

In this light, our coming to heaven, will, by God's grace, be the fulfillment of our temporal lives.

Msgr. M. Francis Mannion is a priest and theologian of the Diocese of Salt Lake City. Send your questions to Pastoral Answers, Our Sunday Visitor, 200 Noll Plaza, Huntington, IN 46750 or to mfmannion@osv.com. Letters must be signed, but anonymity may be requested.