Re: Eschatology

• What is the Paschal Candle?


  a large candle blessed and lit on Holy Saturday and placed by the altar until Pentecost
• what happens in easter vigil

  the priest lights a fire -> the light of Christ rising from the tomb, destroying the power of sin and death through his Resurrection

  priest traces the design of Alpha and Omega symbols with his hand, while saying a prayer to God -> God is eternal

  priest inserts five little holders containing a grain of incense -> the five wounds Christ received during his crucifixion

  'may the light of Christ rising in glory/ dispel from darkness of our hearts and minds
• other uses of the paschal candle

  Baptism - when a person is baptised, they are given a candle lit from the Paschal candle -> shows the person has been filled with the light of Christ

  'This child of yours has been enlightened by Christ. He/She is to walk always as a child of the light. May He/She keep the flame alive in his/her heart

  Funeral - the Paschal candle is lit to chow the deceased person has joined Christ in the resurrected life
• what do catholics believe about the end of time

  everyone will be resurrected and judged by Christ and this judgement will confirm whether a person spends the rest of eternity in heaven or hell
• How does 'the last Judgement' reflect Catholic Beliefs

  - Christ is the central figure in the painting, emphasising his importance as the judge of all

  - The wounds from his crucifixion are still visible, showing that Jesus came to glory through obedience and suffering

  - Christ's right hand is raised, reflecting the parable of the Sheep and Goats, in which Jesus promises the good will be on his right and the wicked on his left

  - in the original painting, everyone except Jesus and Mary was naked -> shows that all people are equal before God

  - people are shown moving to hell, with a sense of despair

  - hell is shown as a place of darkness, which reflects the idea that the light of Christ can reach people who have rejected him
• Features of tombstones


  1) inscribed with 'R.I.P' - expressing hope that the person is in heaven, enjoying peace

  2) shaped like a cross - indicated the person believed in Jesus and hop they will be resurrected

  3) have angel carved out - the person will have their own guardian angel to take care of them during life, they will ask for merciful judgement
• what is a monument

  A structure that is built to remember an important person or event.
• features of a monument

  - some buried in highly decorated coffins with the Chi-Rho symbol -> shows person believed in Jesus and a reminder that Jesus died so everyone would be able to experience eternal life in Heaven

  - often decorated with skeletons and oother symbols of decay -> no matter how important or wealthy a person is, they face death and God's judgement like everyone else
• what are remembrance gardens


  an outside area where ashes of people who have been burnt can be kept
• features of remembrance gardens

  - designed to be areas of peace and beauty -> helps mourners reflect on the peace and beauty of heaven where the person now hopefully is

  - quiet and reflective place -> helps people mourn for their loved ones in peace in a place close to them
• What is eschatology?


  the study of what will happen at the end of time
• what does the Bible say about the end of time

  - there will be cosmic disasters - frightening, large-scale events such as the sun darkening or stars falling from heaven (Mark 13:24-25)

  - the Son of Man will come to judge the whole of creation

  - the end of the current world order will lead to the creation of new one

  - the reign of God will be established
• Catholic beliefs about resurrection overtime

  Early years

  - believed Jesus' resurrection meant the end of the world would happen shortly

  - all people would then be resurrected and taken up into the presence of God

  Now

  - believe they have to live in the life of the resurrection while they are still alive on earth

  - this means following Jesus' teachings and resisting the temptation to sin which prepares them for judgement after death
• St Paul's letter on resurrection

  'So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory. It is sown by weakness, it is raise in power. It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body. 1 Corinthians 15:42-44


  Paul compares the relationship between the earthly body and the resurrected body to the relationship between a seed and the plant that grows from it
• four last things - Death

  - death is a transition to a new phase in life

  - it is not something to fear because it is the start of eternal life without limitations of earthly body

  - the soul continues to live on

  - the soul is judged by God and sent to heaven or hell or purgatory

  - the body and soul will be reunited in a perfect form
• the four last things - Judgement


  - God will consider everything a person has done during their lifetime -> moment of truth when people have to accept responsibility for their actions

  - they judge themselves in the light of his love

  - Jesus died so all people could be saved -> Christians believe God's judgement will be merciful
• the four last things - Heaven


  - people will enter heaven if they are judged favourably

  - state of eternal happiness in the presence of God

  - God's love remove all cares and worries

  - God wants all people to enter heaven but also respects people's free will
• the four last things - hell

  - people will enter hell if they are judged unfavourably

  - state of eternal separation from God

  - God doesn't send people to hell; people send themselves there by not accepting God

  - people in hell are aware of what they have thrown away, and exist in a state of frustration
• what is purgatory


  a process of cleansing, which removes the effects of sin, to help a person accept the full presence of God
• what is the purpose of purgatory

  people need to make up for the things they have done wrong, where the effects of sin are removed so the person can feel happy in the presence of God
• Particular judgement


  - happens immediately after death

  - they are judged on all the actions they took during their life

  - results in person going to heaven, hell or purgatory
• final judgement


  - happens at the end of time

  - Christ will come in glory at the end of time and judge the whole of creation

  - The Reign of God will be established and everything made perfect. those who have been judged favourably by God will stay with him forever in this perfect creation
• other christian beliefs about the afterlife

  - Many do not believe in purgatory: after judgement people will either totally accept God and go to heaven or reject God and go to hell

  - Some Christians believe that judgement doesn't happen immediately after death. Instead all people wait for the second coming of Christ, when they will be judged and sent to heaven or hell.
• what is the parable of the Rich man and Lazarus about?

  about a rich man who had everything he wanted in life but he never gave any food or help to the poor.

  a homeless man called Lazarus who lay at the gates to his house

  when both men died, the rich man went to hell and Lazarus went to Heaven.

  In hell, the rich man calls out to Abraham, who is in heaven
• what are 3 teachings shown in the Rich Man and Lazarus?

  1) wealth can make it easier to forget the needs of others ->

  - the rich man 'feasted sumptuosly every day' but didn't share any of his food with Lazarus.

  - He didn't use his wealth to help others, so he went to hell

  2) People in hell are conscious and aware of those in heaven

  - In hell, the rich man is aware that Abraham and Lazarus are in heaven.

  - shows that people in hell are aware of the happiness of the in heaven increasing their suffering

  3) It is not possible to move between heaven and hell

  - Abraham tells the rich man that there is a 'great chasm' between heaven and hell, and it is not possible to cross from one to the other

  - shows that a person can't escape hell by repenting or apologising for the things they did wrong in their life.

  - a person's actions and choices during their lifetime determine the state in which they will spend the afterlife
• what is cosmic reconciliation?

  the idea that, at the end of time, the whole of creation will be reconciled (brought together in harmony) with God
• process of cosmic reconciliation

  1) God the Father created the universe through God the Son. He made all thngs to be perfectly balanced in harmony

  2) Sin broke this harmony, throwing the whole of creation out of balance

  3) Jesus was able to destroy the power of sin and death, which has disrupted God's perfect creation. Jesus' death and resurrection helped to restore harmony to the world

  4) The whole of creation will be fully restored and made perfect at the end of time
• "through him, God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross" Colossians 1:20 what does this quote show


  Jesus' death helped to start the process if cosmic reconciliation
• Who was Julian of Norwich?

  a medieval writer who received a series of visions from Jesus. She asked Jesus why there is sin and hell and He replied:

  'It was necessary that there should be sin; but all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well"

  - reflects Christian teaching that sin is necessary because God has given humans free will and people use that to sin.

  - 'all shall be well' -> sin will be defeated and all things made perfect at the end of time
• what did the Second Vatican Council teach about the end of time?

  - Christ will come in glory as the judge and the saviour

  - No one is predestined to go to heaven or hell

  - God doesn't send people to hell

  - people should constanly be preparing for the end of time -> "Since however we know not the day nor the hour, on Our Lord's advice we must be constantly vigilant"
• what advice does the church teach catholics about the end of time


  - Keep faith in God

  - perform good deeds and actions

  - Do not commit mortal sins such as murder or adultery as it can totally destroy a relationship with God

  - if they do commint a mortal sin, they should confess and be truly sorry for it
• what is the anointing


  one of the seven sacraments and it is given to a person who is seriously ill and may be facing death
• 3 actions that happens during the anointing of the sick

  1) The priest lays their hands on the head of the sick person, calling down the power and strength of the Holy Spirit

  - It fills the person up to give them a sense of peace and the strength to resist the temptation of sin

  - gives them courage to overcome the doubt and despair their illness may have caused

  2) The sick person confesses their sins to the priest, who forgives them

  - the person can face the future with a clear conscience, which helps them to feel more positive

  3) Holy communioin is given to the sick person

  - shows that Christ is present with the person, supporting them through their illness
• what is the commendation of the dying

  a short service centered around the dying person receiving their last Holy Communion (called the Viaticum)
• 3 actions that happens during the commendation of the dying

  1) the dying person may hold a crucifix

  - a reminder that they sharing in Christ's death

  2) The dying person may repeat the promises that were made at their baptism

  - reminded of their faith in God

  - gives them confidence in the hop ethey will experience God's love in heaven after they die

  3) a prayer is said 'go forth, Christian soul, from this world...May you live in peace this day, may your home be with God in Zion'

  - expresses the hope that the person will be able to experience eternal peace and happiness with God in heaven after they die
• what is a funeral


  A ceremony to mourn a person who has died
• what happens at the Reception of the body?

  1) The body is taken to church in its coffin

  - represents the deceased person being taken back to God

  2) The coffin is sprinkled with holy water

  - reminder of babtism and the person was baptised into Christ's death and now joins Christ's resurrection

  3) The coffin is placed beside the lit Paschal candle

  - shows the light of the Risen Christ is shing on the person
• what happens at the Funeral Mass?

  1) Often called requiem which means 'rest'

  - the whole mass is centered around praying that the deceased person is now resting in the presence of God in heaven, with all their sins forgiven

  2) The readings of the mass focus of the effects of Christ's resurrection. Jhn 1:25-26 is often used

  - reflects belief that Christ's death and resurrection made life after death possible, by opening up heaven to those who accept God
• what happens at the committal and burial or cremation

  1) The priest waves smoke from burning incense over the coffin

  - God gave the dead person to the community for a time and now the family is returning to the person to God

  - the rising smoke of the incense represents people's prayers being offered up to God on behalf of the deceased

  2) at burial or cremation, the Lord's Prayer is said, the coffin is sprinkled with holy water and prayers for person's eternal happiness with God

  - reflects belief the deceased person was child of God, who has now hopefully been returned to his loving care
• what does the Catholic church teach about the Sanctity of life


  - all human life is holy and sacred

  - all life should be therefore respected and valued

  - all life belongs to God

  - People have a duty to give the ill and elderly all the care and support they ned