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St. Luke records in the Acts of the Apostles that at Jesus' Ascension into Heaven, two angels stood by the disciples and said to them, "Men of Galilee, who do you stand here looking up at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken from you will return just as you saw him go up into the heavens" (Acts 1:11).
One day, when we least expect it, Jesus will appear in the heavens in great splendor and majesty, and all the armies of Heaven with him. The trumpets will sound, the dead will rise, and the whole human race will be assembled before the judgment seat of Christ; the books will be opened and the judgment will begin. Every man's deeds, even the most secret, will be made known. Everyone will see and appreciate the holiness of the just, whether they hardly ever sinned or were great sinners and overcame their sins. Everyone will see and appreciate the justice of God in banishing the unrepentant from his sight, into Hell forever.
The just, who served God with body and soul, in good times and bad, in good health and sickness, in joy and in sorrow, in pleasure and pain, will now receive a wonderful, glorious reward. They have tried hard to do something beautiful for God; now God will do something beautiful for them. It is true that they already see God, and this is called the Beatific Vision because it is a vision, a knowledge, which makes us "beatific" or completely happy. But as souls in Heaven they were not yet all that God made them to be. In full glory man was not made to be a disembodied spirit; man is a creature composed of body and soul. To be complete, body and soul must be brought together again. It is the whole man who will enjoy Heaven or suffer in Hell. There will no longer be any need for Purgatory.
One of the reasons for the Judgment at the end of the world, called the General Judgment, is to make clear to everyone the wisdom, knowledge, graciousness, mercy, patience, loving kindness, and justice of the Lord of History in his dealings with all men. All shall be satisfied that it was well done. Then the just, who so often suffered at the hands of the unjust, will be honored, and the unjust who refused to ask God's forgiveness will be covered with shame and disgrace.
Above all, Jesus Christ the Savior, who suffered such humiliations, will be fully vindicated, exalted, glorified, and honored. His splendor will be so great that he will light up the whole City of God. Perhaps the City of God, the new Jerusalem, the Heavenly City, will be the whole universe, once it is renewed and set free from anything unfitting or harmful. Then it will all be Heaven for those who have loved God and live in his light. And the just will have tremendous powers of mind and body to enjoy it all.
This is the goal toward which we are all striving. Remember how St. Paul compared the life of a Christian to an athlete's? Let us work toward our goal so that we can say with him:
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on a merited crown awaits me; on that day the Lord, just Judge that he is, will award it to me - and not only to me, but to all who have looked for his appearing with eager longing" (2 Tim 4:7-8).
Used with the permission of The Ignatius Press 800-799-5534
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