My grandmother loved today’s first reading from 1 Thessalonians. She was absolutely fascinated by the image of meeting Jesus in the air—the picture of the Parousia (when Jesus comes again at the end of time) in today’s reading.
Paul tells the new church at Thessalonika: “Indeed, we tell you this on the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself, with a word of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, will come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.”
Picture It
My grandmother loved to imagine the picture. She was about as wide as she was tall and had arthritis that crippled her from middle age. She would ask, “Do you think the Lord could actually lift me in the air and let me fly to him?” I had no idea of the answer to that, but, as a child, I sat on her front porch and pictured it with her.
Early Christian Questions
The early Christians thought that Jesus was going to come again SOON—very SOON. Before they died. Jesus conquering death meant that his followers would not need to die. He would come to end the world as it was known and whisk them to the New Jerusalem. Maybe today. Maybe next week.
But, then, believers began to die of natural causes, and people began to wonder: “Is Jesus really going to return?” “Am I lost, even though I believe, if I die before Jesus comes again?” There was no theology of the Resurrection, just the witness of people who had seen Jesus after the Resurrection. St. Paul is writing this just 20 or so years after Jesus’ Resurrection…to people who had probably never even been to Jerusalem. There were the great stories of Paul and the other apostles. There were the miracles of the evangelists. There was the Presence of the Holy Spirit.
But there was no solid formulation for what the Parousia or Eternal Life would look like. There was no doctrine of Particular Judgment at the moment of death. So the people were distressed: “Will my wife who died of fever last month rise with me?”
What We Believe Today
Today we may lack the excitement of the early Christians (or my grandmother) at the thought of meeting Jesus in the air. But we have 2000 years of theology to help us understand. Yet how clear are our visions of Eternal Life?
I turned to the catechism this week. There are two whole sections on the Resurrection of the Body and Life Everlasting, from paragraph 988 through 1060. It makes an interesting read. To affirm your knowledge or pique your interest, some of our core Catholic beliefs are listed here (with reference to the catechism paragraphs that explain them.)
Belief in the resurrection of the dead is core to Christianity—and has been from the beginning. We believe that just as Jesus rose from the dead, we will, too. (CCC 988-991)
How and When Do the Dead Rise?
How do the dead rise? When we die, our souls are separated from our bodies. “Rising from the dead” means that our souls will be re-united with our bodies—our “glorified bodies.” How does that happen exactly? The catechism doesn’t say. (CCC 1000)
When do the dead rise? “On the last day.” That is the day that St. Paul speaks of in today’s first reading, when Jesus comes again at the end of time. (CCC 1001)
Already Participating in the Resurrection?
While the catechism doesn’t conjecture more than St. Paul does about how that rising will look, it says something very interesting in light of recent reports that only one-third of Catholics in the US say they believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. It says, “United with Christ by Baptism, believers already truly participate in the heavenly life of the risen Christ, but this life remains ‘hidden with Christ in God.’…Nourished with his body in the Eucharist, we already belong to the Body of Christ.” (CCC 1003)
I believe the Eucharist is the risen Body of Christ, present at every mass. But I haven’t thought before that by being a part of the Church, by receiving sacraments, I am already living Christ’s resurrected life. I am already, in a sense, living as if I were in heaven. That is something to ponder and submit to prayer.
Obedience to Die with Christ?
To rise with Christ, we must die with Christ. Unless the Parousia comes in my lifetime, I will be separated from my body and die. Our church teaches, “For those who die in Christ’s grace it is a participation in the death of the Lord, so that they can also share his Resurrection.” (CCC 1006)
The catechism goes on to say, “In death, God calls man to himself. Therefore, the Christian can experience a desire for death like St. Paul’s: “My desire is to depart and be with Christ.” He can transform his own death into an act of obedience and love toward the Father, after the example of Christ. (CCC 1011)
This, too, is very interesting to me. At present two of my communicants are nearing death. Another passed a couple of weeks ago. In some of the prayers and reading that I do to better walk with them through the dark valley, I have seen references to seeing death as an act of obedience to God. That seemed strange to me—not a helpful thought.
But then I think of what I’ve heard our pastor say after he gives Last Rites, “When you and God are ready.” Ready for what? The catechism says, “Those who die in God’s grace and friendship and are perfectly purified live forever with Christ. They are like God for ever, for they “see him as he is,” face to face.” (CCC 1023)
There is a point when the body gives out, and the soul breaks free. But we do have to be obedient to the vision of being with God, living from our already somewhat resurrected life of conforming ourselves to the Christ we know in Scripture, prayer, sacrament, and church. We let go, “obedient” to trusting that it really is God who calls us, longs for us, and will give us happiness.
There is more, much more in the catechism on this topic, but this is enough for today. This is much to think about!
Prayer:
Lord, I believe in Eternal Life. I believe I will rise from the dead. I believe in heaven, and I want to spend eternity there. But I live in a time and culture when thoughts of heaven are more panacea for the pain of grief than real understanding of the ways of God. The more I walk with others through anticipation of death, the less I trust my knowledge. General faith in what I’ve been taught is no longer enough for me, Lord. So today I pray that you will lead me and all who walk in the valley of shadows to more fully understand what it means to rise from the dead….and to die in You.
