Journeying Towards Eternal Life

By. Sr. Melanie Grace D. Illana, mscs

Christian belief of eternal life bears a beautiful picture of life after death in heaven. Thus, it is also the centre of discussions of the Christian hope when loved ones or others come to their ends on earth. When Karol Wojtyla, Pope John Paul II passed away, the word was in mourn for his lost. President George Bush, Jr., had commented that “we Catholics, have lost the Good Shepherd”. Yes, the late, Pope John Paul II had accomplished his mission as a Good Shepherd who led his flock to the right path.

On the Saturday night when the Pope was on his way on his way to his way to his final fulfilment, I was reciting the rosary together with the thousands of his flock. I was in tears on the moment of his death where he commended his life and his spirit to the Heavenly Father. Those tears were of grief since we have lost a Good Shepherd and of joy, too, since he had already accomplished his mission on earth and now he went back to the arms of God with the saints. On that same moment, the image of my late professor, Fr. Gianne Bugin, OCD, came to my mind. He was one of our good professors in the Code of Canon Law at Teresianum, Roma, who passed away a day before the Holy Week. Both faces continued to appear in my mind with their pretty smiles. My memories of them made me cry and smile, too. I had been thinking if they are now seeing each other with the other souls. Their time had come and they are now living the life eternal which has no time like ours on earth. Theirs is an endless time.

They are present with us in spirit and are alive and smiling. I believe that they are still united with us prayers. I am reflecting on their lives and their deaths and their participation in the Resurrection of Christ. One of my favourite authors, Jürgen Moltman (Nella Fine – Nell’Inizio, 2004), says, “We, Christians, are hoping for eternal life, where the Kingdom of God is present.” However, Moltman insists that the Kingdom of is already here on earth where are living with, where the cross of Christ has been planted, and where we experience the redemption from evil.

I believe that our earthly life will be transformed according to our faith, love and reconciliation that we are now living with the others since salvation does not only speak of the individual, rather a salvation with the renewed community and with the recreation of the earth. The Book of Apocalypse 21:5 speaks of the “new heaven and new earth”. This is already a promise of salvation that is realized here on earth. We are all part of this new creation of all things since we are together with the whole creation.

The late Pope John Paul II and my professor, Fr. Gianne Bugin and the others, had lived with us, their communities and shared their paschal experiences with the Risen Lord through the outpouring love of the Holy Spirit. They have devoted their time and space to us and even offered their lives for us with their loving communion with the Father. They have never been separated from us and will never be separated since they will remain with us in spirit and in prayers.

According to Moltman, in our resurrection, we will be transformed and be transfigured, however, we remain of who we are and what we are since we will bring with us our whole self together with our whole life story. Christian hope views Christ’s death and resurrection as our journey from each moment of our life towards the future. It opens one’s vision of life and love in the fullness which brings us to eternal life. I am convinced that in the future, we may also participate in the transformation and resurrection of Christ.

Medard Kehl, another good author in E Cosa Viene Dopo la Morte?, 2001, affirms that “God gives us the resurrection of a pneumatic body, completely transformed through the action of the Holy Spirit”. Here on earth , we are already partaking Christ’ pneumatic body in the Eucharist itself when Christ’ proclaims, “This is my Body…” The late Pope John Paul II and my professor Fr. Bugin and those who had gone together with them had also lived the Eucharist in communion with the whole Church. The have offered their bodies to God without reserved. Their bodies had experienced sufferings and joys and glorification. They have journeyed the paschal life of Christ.

I appreciated their apostolic lives and their living witnesses of love, peace, and hope that bore fruits. My reflection on this journey does not end since Christian hope is realized each moment of our lives and as Moltman says, each moment that has passed has already been consecrated to death that we bring with us to eternal life. Our journey to eternal life starts from where we are now until the day of our resurrection with Christ.

Karol Wojtyla had left us his last book entitled, “Rise, Let us be on Our Way”. It speaks of his fresh memoir when he was still a Bishop of Krakow. It was a drama of struggles, sufferings, hopes, and prayers in his life with the Church. The Pope had played a good role in his mission to his flock and that his invitation to us in prayers and in vigilance continues to embrace the whole humanity in journeying towards eternal life. This beautiful journey calls us to respond, too, and by participating in that journey with love and courage.