Heaven On Earth Booklets
These booklets are about my Roman Catholic theology associated with the Catholic
Church's
teachings about the glorious fate of the earth.
(1.) Restored Creation
(2.) Restoration of Paradise On Earth
(3.) Jesus' Asension To Heaven On Earth
(4.) Where Is Heaven
(5.) Catholics With A New Age Spirituality
(6.) Renewing the Face of the Earth
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(1.)
A Restored Creation
By Thomas Ivan Dahlheimer
Why did God the Father send His Son (Jesus Christ) to earth? In answer to this question the
CATECHISM
OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH (CCC) says, in 2336, that: "Jesus came to restore creation to the
purity of its
origins."
When Adam and Eve lived in the garden of Eden, they were experiencing creation in its original purity.
But, then, they disobeyed God by eating from "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil", and hence, as
stated in 400 of the CCC, "harmony with creation is broken: visible creation has become alien and
hostile to man. Because of man, creation is now subject to its bondage to decay."
Will creation be set free from its bondage to decay? The answer to this question is found in
Romans 8:19: "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."
Will Jesus accomplish His mission of restoring creation to the purity of its origins"? In answer to
this question the CCC says in 1047: "The visible universe, then, is itself destined to be transformed,
so that the world itself, restored to its original state, facing no further obstacles, should be at
the service of the just, sharing their glorification with the risen Jesus Christ."
In a statement about the Lord's Prayer, the CCC presents more information about Jesus' mission to
restore creation to its original state. In the Lord's Prayer Jesus said: "Thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven". In reference to these words, the CCC says, in 2825 that: "For he did not say
"thy will be done in me or in us, but on earth, the whole earth, so that error may be banished
from
it, truth take root in it, all vice be destroyed on it, virtue flourish on it, and the earth no
longer differ from heaven."
In II Peter 3:13 it says that "we look for a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwells justice".
In reference to this scripture the CCC says in 1047 that "the universe will be renewed" and that
"Sacred Scripture calls this mysterious renewal, "new heavens and a new earth". So
it is this
earth, the earth that we are now living on, that will become known as the "new earth", and this
will occur after error has been banished from it, truth has taken root in it, all vice has been
destroyed on it, and virtue flourishes on it.
In the CCC it says in 670-671 that this "renewal of the world is irrevocably under way" and that it
will be "fulfilled with power and great glory by the King's return to earth". And according to
Catholic doctrine, Jesus Christ's kingdom will have to be made completely ready for Him, before
He will appear to rule and reign on earth. Therefore, a one world Catholic monarchial system will
have to be established and perfected before Jesus Christ will come to take over His kingdom.
Cardinal Jean Danielou wrote the following statement in his book, "The Salvation of the Nations".
"Theology will be complete the day evangelization comes to an end, the day all nations know Christ,
the day the entire world has heard the Gospel, the day Christ can come to take possession of a
domain that will have been made completely ready for Him, and when all nations will each in turn
have borne testimony to Him." Hence, "the King's return to earth" is an end-times process that is
completely
fulfilled when Jesus Himself appears and physically sits down on His throne to begin ruling and
reigning
over all the earth.
Therefore, when our Lord Jesus Christ returns to earth "all vice will have
been destroyed on it", and "truth will have taken root in it", and it will therefore be completely
renewed,
our promised "new heaven and new earth" will, at that time, be realized. And when the "new heaven
and new earth" have been realized, Jesus will have, therefore, accomplished His mission of restoring
creation to the purity of its origins. And, on earth, man will once again be living in a heavenly
paradise.
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(2.)
Restoration Of Paradice On Earth
By Thomas Ivan Dahlheimer
In their pastoral letter on Catholic Social Teaching and the U.S. Economy, The U.S. Catholic Bishops
said: "The whole Bible is spanned by the narrative of the first creation (Gn 1:3) and the vision of a
restored creation at the end of history." (Rev. 21:1)
The First Creation: (Including the creation of the garden of Eden...or, paradise on earth.)
Genesis 1:3 "God said, "Let there be light, and there was light." In respect to Genesis 1:3,
a footnote in a Catholic bible says, "Here development is pictured. God begins to arrange and
adorn His creation, the heavens and the earth." Genesis 2:1 tells us about the finished creation:
"Thus the heavens and the earth were finished and all their array." Genesis 2: 8-9 tells us about
the creation of the garden of Eden: "The Lord God planted a garden in Eden, to the east, and he put
there the man he had formed. The Lord God made to grow out of the ground all kinds of trees
pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden...."
For Adam and Eve, the garden of Eden was paradise on earth. There was neither corruption nor
death in the garden of Eden. Hence, for as long as they lived in the garden of Eden, they had
bodies that remained in a youthful state of existence.
The Fall Of Creation:
When Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden of Eden, their lives radically changed for the worse.
They were expelled from the garden of Eden, because they disobeyed the Lord their God, by eating
forbidden fruit from a tree in the garden. And when they were expelled from the garden of Eden, God
said to Eve: (Gn. 3:16) "I will make great your distress in childbearing; in pain shall you bring
forth children; For your husband shall be your longing, though he have dominion over you." And to
Adam, God said: (Gn. 3:17-19) "Because you have listened to your wife, and have eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you not to eat: Cursed be the ground because of you; in toil shall you eat of
it all the days of your life; Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to you, and you shall eat the
plants of the field. In the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground,
Since out of it you were taken; for dust you are and unto dust you shall return."
The Restored Creation:
Rev. 21:1 "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth....And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming
down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice
from the throne saying, Behold the dwelling of God with men, and he will dwell with them. And they
will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. And God will wipe away every
tear from their eyes. And death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor
pain any more, for the former things have passed away."
In 2 Pet. 3:13, Saint Peter was inspired by
God to say: "we look for new heavens and a new earth, according to his promises, wherein dwells
justice." In the new CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH it says in 2823: "...In Christ we have also
obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all
things according to his council and will. We ask insistently for this loving plan to be fully
realized on earth as it is already in heaven." And this same catechism says in 2825" "Consider how
[Jesus Christ] teaches us to be humble, by making us see that our virtue does not depend on our work
alone but on the grace from on high. He commands each of the faithful who prays to do so universally,
for the whole world. For he did not say "thy will be done in me or in us", but "on earth, the
whole earth, so that error may be banished from it, truth take root in it, all vice be destroyed on it,
virtue flourish on it, and earth no longer differ from heaven."
When the earth is no longer differ
from heaven, we will be living in the promised "new heaven and new earth"; we will have been restored
to paradise on earth.
The First Creation:
During the era of the first creation, wherein there was neither corruption nor death, humankind lived
in bodies that remained in a perpetual youthful state of existence.
Creation, In Its Fallen State Of Existence:
After humankind sinned...or, after creation fell into the slavery of corruption, the death principle
took hold, and humankind lost the God given gift of bodily immortality. In respect to this "lost gift
of bodily immortality" it says in Genesis 3:19 "....for dust you are and unto dust you shall
return."
Creation, Restored To Its Original State Of Existence:
When the present "cursed" creation (Gn. 3: 18), is "delivered from its slavery to corruption"
(Rom. 8:19-23), God's people on earth will enter into the garden of Eden (a realm of holiness),
wherein their bodies will be both restored to a youthful state of existence, as well as "clothed
with their dwelling from heaven" (2 Cor. 5:2-4). In respect to the conditions of life within this
"restored creation", wherein the garden of Eden has been re-entered; the word of God says in Rev.
21:1 "...and death shall be no more."
Creation Will Be Delivered From Its Slavery To Corruption:
Romans 8:19-23 tells us that both our physical human bodies, as well as heaven and earth, will be
delivered from their slavery to corruption at the time of the "revelation of the sons of God": "For
the eager longing of creation awaits the revelation of the sons of God. For creation was made subject
to vanity---not by its own will but by reason of him who made it subject---in hope, because creation
itself also will be delivered from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the sons
of Gods. For we know that all creation groans and travails in pain until now. And not only it, but we
ourselves also who have the first-fruits of the Spirit---we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting
for the adoption as sons, the redemption of our body." At the time of the "revelation of the sons of
God" creation will be restored to its original incorruptible condition and our human bodies will be
restored to a youthful state of existence.
In the CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH it says in 669-671 "The Kingdom of Christ [is] already present
in mystery," "on earth, the seed and the beginning of the Kingdom. Already the final age of the world
is with us, and the renewal of the world is irrevocably under way, for the Church on earth is endowed
already with a sanctity that is real but imperfect. Christ's kingdom already manifests its presence
through the miraculous signs that attend its proclamation by the Church. Though already present in
his Church, Christ's reign is nevertheless yet to be fulfilled "with power and great glory"
by the king's return to earth. This reign is still under attack by the evil powers, even though they
have
been defeated definitively by Christ's Passover. Until everything is subject to him,
"until there
be realized new heavens and a new earth in which justice dwells."
About that is meant by the, mentioned above, words: "...until there be realized new heavens and a
new earth in which justice dwells." These words mean that when God's will is finally done on earth
as it is in heaven...or, when error has finally been banished from the earth, and truth has taken
root
in it, and all vice has been destroyed on it, and virtue flourishes on it, and the earth is no longer
differ from heaven; then the promised "new heavens and a new earth in which justice dwells" will be
realized.
About what is meant by the, mentioned above, words: "...the renewal of the world is irrevocably under
way...? " In the book CHRIST AMONG US , a modern presentation of the Catholic faith, (approved
by the archbishop of Newark) the answer to this question can be found on page 424, where it says:
"...God has placed in our hands an unfinished universe, has entrusted to us the privilege of
perfecting his work. Every step we take toward harnessing nature, toward using the power of the
universe, continues creation and carries out God's plan of love. We are
"co-creators" with God -
and the more conscious we are of this the more we can contribute. Particularly whenever we spread
truth or expend pain and love for others, we help to bring about the perfection of all things."
When the perfection of all things becomes manifest on this earth, the earth that we are now living
on, we will be living in the promised "new heavens and new earth".
A footnote in a Catholic bible says, when referring to the "new heaven and new earth" mentioned in
Revelation 21:1, that..."there are two words that are translated "new" in our English versions. One
refers to time: the other to quality. The quality of the earth will be change but not the
substance....".
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(3.)
Jesus's Asension To Heaven On Earth
By Thomas Ivan Dahlheimer
When Jesus ascended into heaven, he only ascend a little ways into the air before he disappeared into
a cloud. In other words, when Jesus ascended into heaven, he did not go to some place in the distant
cosmos, where a lot of people believe Heaven is located. Even though he ascended a little ways into
the
air, to symbolize the majestic glory of His ascension, he never-the-less remained on earth. He
remained
on earth, but he did spiritually "ascend" into a more exalted dimension; and, in doing so, He became
(as it says in the CCC) "hidden from the eyes of men". And, likewise, when the Assumption of Mary
occurred, Mary never left the earth; but she, like Jesus - at the time of His Ascension - became
"hidden from the eyes of men". And when our souls are in our initial resurrected glorified bodies
we will go through the same (as it says in the CCC) "transition". And in doing so, we, like Jesus
and Mary - at the time of the completion of their Ascension/Assumption, will experience the full
glory of our resurrected glorified bodies.
A lot of Catholics in America erroneously believe that the Blessed Virgin, at the time of her
Assumption, literally ascended up to heaven, that is, to some place in the distant cosmos. In
a popular Catholic booklet, a booklet put out by Catholic Answers, the largest Catholic apologetics
and evangelization organization in North America, it says that:
"At the end of Mary's life God took her, body and soul, into heaven - an image of our own
resurrection at the end of the world".
While talking to Catholic priests and laymen about this Catholic Answers statement, they told me that they
believe that the term "the end of the world" means that the earth will be destroyed, and that the
words "God took her, body and soul, into heaven" mean that Mary was taken to Heaven, a place in
the distant cosmos, and that therefore the Catholic Answers statement: "At the end of Mary's life
God took her, body and soul, into heaven - an image of our own resurrection at the end of the world"
informs us that the Church teaches us that after we receive our resurrected bodies, the earth will
be destroyed, and that, at the time of its destruction, we will not have to be concerned about our
safety, because we will be leaving the earth and ascending up to heaven, to a place located somewhere
in the distant cosmos, a place called Heaven.
However, the truth is, when Jesus returns to earth, that is,
when He appears from behind the veil that hides Him from our eyes, Christians will not be going
anywhere, because, when Jesus returns to earth, creation will finally be restored to the purity of
its origins, hence it will be a heavenly paradise here on earth. It is here on this earth, after
it has been "renewed" that Christians will, forever, be with Jesus and Mary in their resurrected
glorified bodies. It is for this purpose that Jesus originally came to earth, and it is also the
reason why He will return to earth.
There are many heretics who believe that the "end of the world" means the destruction of the earth,
not the "renewal" of the earth. And these heretics also believe that when this supposed destruction
of the earth takes place, the spirits of those who have died in Christ will return to their dead bodies,
be resurrected, and, like Mary, ascend body and soul up to heaven, to some place in the distant cosmos,
a place where they erroneously believe Heaven is located.
Evidence of this popular heresy can be found in a booklet, titled: Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth.
A booklet put out by Catholic Answers, the largest Catholic apologetics and evangelization organization
in North America. In their booklet Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth there is a "heretical"
statement that says: "At the end of Mary's life God took her, body and soul, into heaven - an
image of
our own resurrection at the end of the world." What makes it a "heretical" statement is that
the writer does not explain that this statement means just the opposite of what it literally says.
And just recently, a Catholic priest, on EWTN, taught this heretical doctrine during a nationwide
broadcast. He said the earth will be destroyed but we will escape by ascending into heaven, to a
heavenly place in the distant cosmos.
When a statement is made about a doctrine of the Church, and the statement literally expresses just
the opposite of what it is suppose to express, then there needs to be an explanation
presented to inform the statement's readers that the statement is to be taken symbolically, and that
it means just the opposite of what it literally says.
If I were to read a statement about a doctrine
of the Church and I knew that it was suppose to be understood in a symbolical way and the writer did
not explain that it is to be taken symbolically, and I also knew that a lot of Catholics take the
statement literally and therefore misunderstand an essential doctrine of the Church, then I would assume
that the writer himself did not know that the statement is to be understood symbolically, and that
he want's his readers to understand the statement to be the literal truth. It is within this
context
that I have, in an above statement, expressed my belief that a statement in the Pillar of Fire,
Pillar of Truth booklet is a "heretical" statement.
The CCC says in 659 that the ascension of Jesus was his final apparition, and that: "Jesus'
final
apparition ends with the irreversible entry of his humanity into divine glory, symbolized by the
cloud and by heaven, where he is seated from that time forward at God's right hand." God is in
heaven, but where is heaven? The CCC says in 2794 that heaven, where God is: "does not mean a
place ("space"), but a way of being; it does not mean that God is distant, but majestic.
Our
Father is not "elsewhere"....." In other words, our Father is here on earth, and therefore
Jesus and Mary, have not literally ascended up to heaven above, but into Heaven here on earth,
where they are in a different dimension than ourselves, and hence, we can not see them. In the
CCC it says in 665 that "Christ's ascension marks the definitive entrance of Jesus' humanity
into God's heavenly domain (God's heavenly domain" is not "elsewhere"), whence he will come
again (Jesus will come into our dimension again); this humanity in the meantime hides him from
the eyes of men."
It says in 2795 of the CCC that: "Our Father is in heaven, his dwelling place; the Father's house is
our homeland. Sin has exiled us from the land of the covenant, but conversion of heart enables us to
return to the Father, to heaven. In Christ, then, heaven and earth are reconciled..." Therefore,
heaven and earth are not separate places, and only sin keeps us from returning to the Father, to heaven
on earth. Or, only our sins keep us from entering into our Father's house here on earth.
In 2796 of the CCC it says: " When the Church prays "our Father who art in heaven,"
she is professing
that we are the People of God, already seated "with him in the heavenly places in Jesus
Christ" and
"hidden with Christ in God" yet at the same time, "here indeed we groan, and
long to put on our
heavenly dwelling." We are therefore already, to some extent, in heaven on earth, but we are still
waiting to be clothed with our heavenly bodies, so that we can experience the fullness of being in
heaven on earth.
The CCC says in 996 that: "The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her
Son's resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians." This statement
informs us that after we receive our resurrected bodies, we will, like Jesus and Mary - after they
received their resurrected bodies, have to wait a while until we fully "ascend" to our Father, in
heaven; or, in other words, we will have to wait a while before we experience the fully glory of
our resurrected bodies. Therefore, in order to experience the full glory of our resurrected bodies
we will have to, in imitation of Jesus' Ascension and Mary' Assumption, "ascend" to our
Father, in
heaven. And, because our "Father, in heaven" is not "elsewhere", we know that He is on this earth,
the earth that we are now living on. Therefore, like Jesus and Mary, we will not be leaving the
earth when we "ascend" to our Father, in heaven.
In John 20:17 Jesus says: "I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God." And
when referring to these words spoken by Jesus, the CCC says in 660 that: "This indicates a difference
in manifestation between the glory of the risen Christ and that of the Christ exalted to the
Father's
right hand, a transition marked by the historical and transcendent event of the Ascension." The
Ascension, therefore, and likewise, the Assumption of Mary's body and soul into heaven, does
not mean
a literal going away from the earth to a distant place called Heaven, but a spiritual "ascension"
into an experience of the full glory of our resurrected glorified bodies here on earth, a "transition" that
has made Jesus and Mary temporarily "hidden from our eyes". But, in due time, they will "return"
to earth...or, in other words, appear to us who have survived the "Great Tribulation" at the end of
this age of darkness. An age wherein Satan has ruled the world. Having survived the Great Tribulation, we will,
at that time, enter into the fullness of heaven on earth.
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(4.)
Where Is Heaven?
By Thomas Ivan Dahlheimer
When referring to the first phrase in the Lord's Prayer: "Our Father who art in Heaven" the
Catechism
of the Catholic Church says in 2794 that: "This biblical expression....does not mean that God is
distant, but majestic. Our Father is not "elsewhere". We are here on the earth and
our Father
in Heaven is not elsewhere. Therefore, "Heaven" is not literally up in the clouds, or beyond the
clouds, it is here on this earth, the earth that we are now living on.
In Hebrews 12:1 the word of God says that "we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses",
the terminology "so great a cloud of witnesses" referrers to the saints in Heaven. And when explaining
where the "great cloud of witnesses" dwell, the CCC says in 165 that "we are surrounded by a great
cloud of witnesses". Two of the saints that the CCC names as members of this "great cloud of
witnesses" are Abraham and the Virgin Mary.
While quoting St. Therese of Lisieux, the CCC says: "Do not weep, for I shall be more useful to you
after my death and I shall help you then more effectively than during life." "I want to spend my
heaven in going good on earth." The CCC teaches us that the saints in "Heaven" surround us here
on earth and that they are "doing good on earth." The saints are invisible to us because they are
in a higher realm of holiness than we are. Hence, "Heaven" is not "elsewhere" it is here on this
earth, the earth we are now living on.
In 2796 of the CCC it says: When the Church prays "our Father who art in Heaven," she is professing
that we are the People of God, already seated "with him in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" and "hidden
with Christ in God; yet at the same time, "here indeed we groan, and long to put on our heavenly
dwelling." Hence, we are already in "heavenly places" on earth, and the saints are also in
"heavenly places" here on earth, but they are in a higher realm of holiness than we are. And
that higher realm of holiness on this earth is called "Heaven". Therefore, if we are alive at
the time of the Second Coming, we will be clothed with our "heavenly dwellings" and enter into
the "heavenly places" on earth called "Heaven", and we will do so with out having to die.
"Heaven is not a distant planet that a spaceship could go to, and God is not a hundred million
light years away somewhere in the sky. "In Him we live and move and have our being." (Acts 17:28)
If this is true (and it is) then He must be here where we are, only in a higher invisible realm.
Jesus has ascended into that higher place, and I believe that He shall soon descend back into
a visible realm, to which I and others shall be caught up. The Bible does not say that
Christians shall go to some distant planet. It does not even say that we shall leave this earth...
only that we shall be "caught up" to where He is.
The saints who sleep in Jesus, will return with Jesus when He comes back into the visible realm.
But though they descend into a visible realm, they shall not descend all the way back into this
carnal realm of death and limitation. And we who are alive and remain unto His coming shall not
remain on this realm of death and physical problems where we walk by faith. But we--a small number
of Christians who know that Jesus' final coming is imminent and who are fully preparing for this glorious event--shall
ascend immediatly into that higher realm of the fullness of God and
complete victory over every enemy. There in that place we shall rule and reign with Christ "on the earth".
(Revelation 5:10)."
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(5.)
Catholics With A New Age Spirituality
By Thomas Ivan Dahlheimer
Catholics with a New Age spirituality are trying to influence old order Catholics to change their
theology/spirituality so that they can
incorporate a gender-neutral and eco-friendly aspect of neo-pagan New Age spirituality.
In Mary Jo Anderson's - Eternal Word Television Network - Global Watch article Earth
Charter Woos Catholics with New Age Spirituality she
teaches that Catholics with a New Age Spirituality are participating in pagan earth worship which
suppresses the masculine. And in this
article of hers Anderson also list a number of international eco-friendly Catholic organizations
that support the United Nation's Earth Charter,
and criticizes them for doing so.
I am a Catholic with a New Age Spirituality who is spearheading an international movement to revert
the derogatory name of a Minnesota river
(the Rum River) back to its sacred Dakota Indian name (Wakan),which when translated into English means (Great) Spirit.
And because of my articles about my Rum
River name-change movement and environmental activism on this river I have been able to attract
national and international renowned
environmentalists and environmental organizations to my Catholic eco-friendly worldview. The
National Environmental Coalition of Native
Americans, First Nations Environmental Network, Pax Christi U.S.A. and several national and
internationally renowned environmental
activists have given their support for the effort to rename the "Rum" River. My web site is
located at
http://www.towahkon.org
In Earth Charter Woos Catholics with New Age Spirituality Anderson made the following statement
about Pax Chrisi International: "Pax Christi
International, a leftist Catholic group of lay and religious members has a global outreach that
supports the Earth Charter and various United
Nations initiatives. They are persuaded that "eco-friendly" policies and a blend of religious "wisdom"
from native peoples are the key to peace
on earth. I also believe that eco-friendly policies and a blend of religious wisdom from native
peoples
are the key to peace on earth.
EWTN teaches an heretical theology/spirituality in its Pagan Earth Worship Suppresses the
Masculine online article by Mary Jo Anderson,
in the article Anderson wrote: "The earth mother, (Gaia, goddess) always associated with matter,
is presented in the literature as non-dogmatic, a
flowing spirituality that is "warm and enveloping;" an acceptance of the "natural child" who
roams
the earth with abandon" no rules, no
restraints. The child remains within Gaia-- her womb, the earth. All is one, one is all. Here the
lines of gender are blurred. There is no
separation of mankind from earth (child from mother) a perfect pantheistic wholeness where the
distant and powerful Father in Heaven is not
acknowledged."
Old order Catholics have an heretical theology/spirituality wherein they believe that God the Father
is "distant", and that when they die they
will "separate from the earth" and go to a "distant" place where God the Father lives, and this is the
reason why we have a world-wide ecological
crisis.
When referring to the first phrase in the Lord's Prayer: "Our Father who art in Heaven" the
Catechism of the Catholic Church says in 2794 that:
"This biblical expression....does not mean that God is distant, but majestic. Our Father is not
"elsewhere". We are here on the earth and our
Father in Heaven is not elsewhere. Therefore, our Father is not literally up in the clouds, or
beyond the clouds, He is here on this
earth, the earth that we are now living on. Therefore, Catholics are not suppose to acknowledge a
"distant" Father in heaven, and for those who go
to Heaven after they die, there is "no separation from earth" (Hebrews 12:1 & CCC 165 & CCC 1404).
Does this sound like earth-based apostate
"Christian" New Age spirituality, it's not, it is what the Catholic Church teaches.
Hence, when a majority of Catholics accept this Catechism of the Catholic Church teaching,
or, in other word's, accept the EWTN so-called
apostate "Christian" New Age spirituality, the Catholic Church will be able to put an end to the
present-day world-wide ecological crises.
Mary Jo Anderson also wrote in her (EWTN) Pagan Earth Worship Suppresses the Masculine
article that: "The fiction is that a feminine
worldview" one where gender is neutral and spirituality is earth (goddess) based-- is a peaceful
return to Eden before the Fall."
Catholics with an authentic (none apostate) New Age Christian spirituality believe in a more
feminine worldview --one where gender is
neutral and spirituality is earth based (because Heaven is on earth)-- is a peaceful return to
Eden before the Fall, and this is the
truth that the Catholic Church teaches, however, EWTN's Mary Jo Anderson is erroneously and radically
opposed to this New Age Christian
(foreseeing the fullness of Heaven manifest on earth) earth-based and gender-neutral
spirituality.
In Mary Jo Anderson's (EWTN) Pagan Earth Worship Suppresses the Masculine article
she wrote: "God the Father, however, calls His children
beyond infantile indulgences on this passing earth (she erroneously believes that the earth will
be destroyed) to a mature and disciplined
focus on eternity (in a place that she erroneously believes is in the distant cosmos, or beyond the
cosmos)." Catholics with an authentic
(none apostate) New Age Christian spirituality believe that the earth is not "passing", or
going to be destroyed, but that, as it says
in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1047) it will be "transformed" (sin and corruption
on and within the earth will pass), and when it
is "transformed" it will "reconizably" resemble its present form and appearance, it will have been
"restored to the purity of its (Eden)
origins" (CCC 2336 & CCC 2061). And the scriptures say that: "The foundations of the earth will last
forever" (Ps 104.5). And in the book of
Revelation it says that: "Destruction will come on all who destroy the earth" (Rev. 11.18). I'm not
destroying the earth in my theology/spirituality,
and neither are the scriptures and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, but it seems to me
that EWTN's Mary Jo Anderson is
destroying the earth in her theology/spirituality.
Hopefully, this article as well as other writings of mine will influence EWTN and Mary Jo Anderson to
quit teaching a false doctrine and start
teaching the truth about the Catholic Church's doctrine about the coming restoration of the
gardened of Eden on earth.
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(6.)
RENEWING THE FACE OF THE EARTH: A Meditation
by Thomas Storck - Commentaries by Thomas Dahlheimer
In the glorious mysteries of the Rosary there is an interesting shift of perspective between the
second mystery, the Ascension of our Lord,
and the third, the Descent of the Holy Spirit. After his crucifixion Jesus Christ rose gloriously
from the grave and spent a period of weeks
putting the finishing touches on his instruction of the Apostles. And then he left this world. This
action shows us that Christ's eternal
kingdom will not be on this earth.
Comment by Thomas Dahlheimer:
When Jesus ascended into heaven, he only ascend a little ways into the air before he disappeared
into a cloud. In other words, when Jesus
ascended into heaven, he did not go to some place in the distant cosmos, where a lot of people
erroneously believe Heaven is located. Jesus
ascended a little ways into the air, and did so to symbolize the majestic glory of His ascension, he
never-the-less remained on earth. He
remained on earth, while spiritually "ascending" to a more exalted realm; and, in doing so, He became,
as it says in 665 of the CATECHISM
OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, "hidden from the eyes of men".
The CCC says in 2823 that: "...In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined
according to the purpose of him who
accomplishes all things according to his council and will. We ask insistently for this loving plan to
be fully realized on earth as it
is already in heaven." And the CCC says in 2825: "Consider how [Jesus Christ] teaches us to be humble,
by making us see that our virtue
does not depend on our work alone but on the grace from on high. He commands each of the faithful who
prays to do so universally, for
the whole world. For he did not say "thy will be done in me or in us,' but "on earth, the whole
earth, so that error may be banished
from it, truth take root in it, all vice be destroyed on it, virtue flourish on it, and earth no
longer
differ from heaven." Therefore,
after error has been banished from the earth, truth has taken root in it, all vice has been destroyed
on it, virtue flourishes on it,
and the earth is no longer differ from heaven, Christ's eternal kingdom will be fully established on
this earth
He did not set himself up in Jerusalem as universal king, and compel the obedience of all nations by
miracles or force.
Comment:
Christ's eternal kingdom will be established on this earth, hence He will, in due time, set himself up
in Jerusalem as universal
king, and compel the obedience of all nations by miracles or force. In Isaiah 2: 3-4 the word of God
says: For from Zion shall go forth
instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and impose
terms on many peoples. They shall
beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; One nation shall not raise the
sword against another, nor shall
they train for war again
He turned our attention to the things above, reminding us that someday we too will leave this present
life.
Comment:
Christ turned our attention to "things above", or, in other words, to a high and exalted "hidden from
our sight" realm here
on earth, a realm that we will someday enter, either by the way of the grave or by our (moral bodies')
"resurrection"/"ascension"
(transformation) at the time of the Second Coming.
But then, the very next mystery of the Rosary gives us an entirely different viewpoint.
Comment:
From my perspective the very next mystery of the Rosary does not give us an entirely different
viewpoint, in fact it does not even
give a different viewpoint at all.
Jesus Christ sends his Holy Spirit to this earth, to the very place he had just left behind.
Comment:
Jesus did not actually leave this "very place" (or the earth) he only became "hidden from our eyes".
(See CCC 665) And He sent his
Holy Spirit from that "hidden place" behind a "veil" to the visible realm on this earth.
The Church even prays, in the words of Holy Scripture (Psalm 104:30), that the Lord will send out his
Spirit so that the face of the earth
will be renewed. So on the one hand, by ascending into Heaven, our Lord is showing us that we must not
expect an eternity such as the
Jehovah Witnesses' propose for most of their believers, everlasting life on a perfect planet earth,
with a never ending supply of this
world's goods.
Comment:
By not literally ascending into heaven (or to a distant place in the cosmos) our Lord is showing us
that we must expect an eternity
such as the Jehovah Witnesses propose for most of their believers, everlasting life on a perfect
planet
earth, with a never ending supply of
this world's goods. That is not to say that this earth will not experience a transformation, by way
of
a miraculous or "catastrophic natural event"
at the time of the Second Coming, a transformation that will change the "form" and "appearance" of
this
earth.
The Catholic Encyclopedia says: "In the Apostolic writings we are told that the end of the world
will be brought about through a general
conflagration, which, however, will not annihilate the present creation but will change its form and
appearance (2 Peter 3:10-13; cf. 1
Thessalonians 5:2; Apocalypse 3:3, and 16:15). Natural science shows the possibility of such a
catastrophe being produced in the ordinary
course of events..." Hence, if we are on this earth when an end-time catastrophic natural event occurs
and it changes the "form" and the
"appearance" of this earth we will still be on this earth. And this earth is destined to be a perfect
planet
After this end-time catastrophic natural, or more likely miraculous, event
transforms this earth it will be called, as the word of God says
in Revelation 21, "the new earth". A footnote in a Catholic bible says, when referring to this "new
earth" that: "there are two words that
are translated "new" in our English versions. One refers to time: the other to quality. The quality
of the earth will be change but not the
substance....". The quality of the earth will change and that is why it will be called "the new earth"
and it is on this earth, after its
quality has been changed, that Christ will rule and reign on, as the King of Kings forever and
ever
But on the other hand, he is also showing us that a very important part of our vocation is concerned
with this world, the world to which he
sent the Holy Spirit and the face of which is to be renewed by the Spirit's coming. If we hold both
of these truths in our minds, if we
meditate on both of these mysteries of the Rosary, then we are apt to keep these two aspects of our
faith in their proper harmony.
Comment:
A very important part of our vocation is concerned with this visible world, the world to which Jesus
sent the Holy Spirit and the
face of which is to be renewed by the Spirit's coming. If we hold both of these truths in our minds
(the visible world, where the Spirit has
been sent to renew the face of the earth, and the invisible world here on this earth where Jesus
"ascended" and is now "hidden" behind a "veil")
if we meditate on both of these mysteries of the Rosary, then we are apt to keep these two aspects of
our faith in their proper harmony.
When referring to the first phrase in the Lord's Prayer: "Our Father who art in Heaven" the CCC says
in
2794 that: "This biblical
expression....does not mean that God is distant, but majestic. Our Father is not "elsewhere". We are
here on the earth and our
Father in Heaven is not elsewhere. Therefore, "Heaven" is not literally up in the clouds, or beyond
the clouds, it is here on this
earth, the earth that we are now living on.
In Hebrews 12:1 the word of God says that: "we are compassed about with so great
a cloud of witnesses", the terminology "so great a cloud of
witnesses" referrers to the saints in Heaven. And when explaining where the "great cloud of witnesses"
dwell, the CCC says in 165 that "we
are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses". Two of the saints that the CCC names as members of this
"great cloud of witnesses" are
Abraham and the Virgin Mary. And we know that the Virgin Mary sometimes comes from behind a "veil" and
appears in our visible world.
But it is particularly the second of these mysteries that I want to look at now. And it seems to me
that there is much in this mystery that
is well worth the consideration of those of us who still dwell on the face of the earth and who might
be able to have some role in renewing
that face.
Comment:
Some of us visibly dwell on the face of the earth, and others, those who have died, are now living
in the "hidden from our eyes"
place on earth, a place called Heaven, the place where Jesus and the Saints dwells. Both the living
and the dead are now able to have some
role in renewing the face of the earth.
When quoting St. Therese of Lisieux, the CCC says: "Do not weep, for I shall be more useful to you
after my death and I shall help you then
more effectively than during life." "I want to spend my heaven in going good on earth." St. Therese
is,
at this time, spending her heaven
doing good on earth and after she experiences her resurrection/ascension she will continue to spend
her heaven doing good on earth.
The created things of this earth - with the exception of human beings - that the Holy Spirit is sent
to renew are all things that will
eventually pass away.
Comment:
The Catholic Encyclopedia says: "In the Apostolic writings we are told that the end of the world will
be brought about through a
general conflagration, which, however, will not annihilate the present creation but will change its
form and appearance (2 Peter 3:10-13; cf.
1 Thessalonians 5:2; Apocalypse 3:3, and 16:15). Natural science shows the possibility of such a
catastrophe being produced in the ordinary
course of events..." Hence the created things of this earth will be, as the CCC states, "renewed",
"transformed", "renovated" "restored to
their original purity" and not annihilated, and this is what the words - the created things of this
earth will "pass away" mean. The word
of God says in Psalms 104:5: "He laid the foundation of the earth, that it should not be removed for
ever.
The Post-Communion prayer for the first Sunday of Advent (in the original Latin) refers to them as
praetereuntia, that is, things that are
passing away. Yet these very things that will pass away, these things that will not last, someday
will be arrayed under the lordship of
Jesus Christ, the King of all creation, and in some manner will contribute to his glory.
Comment:
The very things that will "pass away" will not be annihilated - they, including the very foundation of
the earth, will therefore,
in a way, last for ever. And these present everlasting created things, including the very foundation
of
the earth, will someday be "restored
to the purity of their origins" and remain under the lordship of Jesus Christ, the King of all
creation. And when they are "transformed" the
created things will contribute, even more so, to his glory
In the first chapter of his letter to the Colossians (verses 15 through 20), St. Paul says of Christ
that "in him all things were created, in
heaven and on earth, visible and invisible" and that "all things were created through him and for him."
And that the fullness of God dwelling
in him was pleased "to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by
the blood of his cross." In fact,
this is only one of several passages in the New Testament which speak of Jesus Christ as the head or
the climax and crown of all creation,
or of the related idea of creation being presented or subjected to the Son of God. In the first letter
to the Corinthians (15:23-28), St.
Paul writes of all things being subjected to the Son and "then the Son himself will also be subjected
to him who put all things under him,
that God may be everything to every one," while in Ephesians (1:10) he speaks of God's purpose to
"unite all things in him, things in heaven
and things on earth," and a little later (verse 22) that "he has put all things under his feet and
has made him the head over all things for
the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all."
If these created things are to be presented to Jesus Christ and united in him or reconciled to him,
it would seem that they are not to be
regarded as merely passing things, in the sense that they have absolutely no lasting importance or
meaning. For the passages from the letters
of St. Paul that I quoted above refer to the establishment of the eschatological order, the final
ordering of things when the fullness of the
kingship of Christ Jesus is made manifest. If with the final coming of the Kingdom of God these
created things are simply cast off and allowed
to perish, then why would St. Paul state that "all things...things in heaven and things on earth,"
are to be united in that final and eternal
order?
Comment:
Our earth and the heavens above are not going to be "annihilated" or "cast off" and allowed to
"perish", they will be restored to
the purity of their origins and remain in that glorious state of perpetual preservation for ever.
That is why St. Paul wrote that "all
things...things in heaven and things on earth," are to be united in that final and eternal order.
If we were to read Paul without the guidance of the teaching Church we might conclude that Christ
is to reign over the planet earth forever, an
earth pretty much like it is today, except that disease, poverty, war, etc. have been eliminated. As
I said before, this is not to be the
case.
Comment:
After our planet earth experiences its "renewal", its "form" and "appearance" will still, as it says
in a Catholic bible footnote,
bare some resemblance to its present form and appearance. And Christ will then reign over our planet
earth and then disease, poverty, war, etc.
will be totally eliminated from off the face of the earth. "And then "the meek shall inherit the
earth".
When our present earth is set free from its bondage to corruption, it will be
called the "new earth" because it will have been "renewed" or
"restored to the purity of its origins", and when this glorious event occurs a new age will begin.
The CCC says in 1049 that: "Far from
diminishing our concern to develop this earth (this earth that is under the bondage of
corruption) the expectancy of a new earth (this
earth after it has been set free from its bondage to corruption) should spur us on, for it is
here that the body of a new human family,
foreshadows in some way the age which is to come."
Obviously there is much here that must remain a mystery to us, but we can ask the question of what
effect this mystery might have on us and on
our conduct. That is, since we know that the things of this created order, even though they will
pass away, have, in some way or other, eternal
significance for the reign of Jesus Christ, should that have any practical influence on our present
way of life in this world? Can we cooperate
with the Holy Spirit in the renewal of the face of the earth and perhaps facilitate the restoration
of all things in Christ?
Comment:
The earth is not going to be annihilated so that the left over gas and smoke can ascended to some
place in the distant cosmos, a place
erroneously called Heaven, where it will then be use to create another planet. Our earth is going to
be renewed right where it is located at this
present time. The CCC says, "for it is here that the body of a new human family, foreshadows in some
way the age which is to come". We are here
on earth, and after the earth is "renewed", a new age will begin wherein we will be in Heaven on
earth.
From another passage of St. Paul it seems that there definitely is a relationship between us and this
renewal of creation. This passage can
be found in his epistle to the Romans, chapter 8, verses 19 through 23.
For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God; for the creation
was subjected to futility, not of its own
will but by the will of him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself will be set free
from its bondage to decay and obtain the
glorious liberty of the children of God. 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.
This passage seems to be saying that the earth and all that is has been waiting for us, for the
children of God, for the Holy Church of God.
And why? What are we to do to relieve the "eager longing" and the "groaning" of the created world?
Perhaps we, by our treatment of creation,
could begin, even now, that healing process which the actions of our first parents make necessary.
It is true that the wounds caused by the
sin of Adam go very much deeper than anything we can do to heal by the way we treat created things.
But nevertheless, since mistreatment of
created things is rooted in Adam's sin, it does not seem amiss for us, after we have received the
grace of our new birth, to cooperate with
the Holy Spirit in renewing the sum of created natures. Especially since "the creation waits with
eager longing" and "has been groaning
in travail" for us. For the earth has been waiting for those who would treat it with the respect due
to a work of God, who would not,
for example, recklessly bulldoze forests for trivial purposes, but would respect the trees at the
same time as we cut down those we need
for our churches, homes, schools and other buildings. It has been waiting for those who would (the
words are Leo XIII's) "learn to love
the very soil which yields in response to the labor of their hands, not only food to eat, but an
abundance of the good things for themselves
and those that are dear to them." It has been waiting for those who would with their hands work the
silver and gold or iron and copper
into objects both useful and beautiful, not force them into giant machines, there to undergo
impersonal grindings and wrenchings. And
if this seems farfetched, consider the words of the Scripture I quoted above, "creation waits with
eager longing." It is not just
animate creation, but the trees, the grass, bushes, rocks, metals within the earth. They are
longing "to be set free from [their]
bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God." They are "groaning in
travail together," waiting for us.
It is certainly true that their final liberation will not occur until our Lord returns as judge
of the living and the dead. But it is equally
true that our life and our actions now are not something unconnected to our life hereafter. In fact,
as St. John says, the believer has
already "passed from death to life" (John 5:24).
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, in its teaching about creation, says much about the relations
that ought to characterize man and the rest
of creation. In no. 340, it states, "Creatures exist only in dependence on each other, to complete
each other, in the service of each other."
Moreover, "There is a solidarity among all creatures...." (no. 344, emphasis in original). And what
is our role in this? We were created "to
offer all creation back to" God (no. 358) and "to share in [God's] providence toward other creatures;
hence [our] responsibility for the world
God has entrusted to" us (no. 373). To sum up the argument so far: Although the things of earth will
not last forever, they are nonetheless
to be offered to God the Father through Jesus Christ, as part of the restoration of all things in
him.
Only in this way can the wounds of
original sin, which affected even inanimate things, be healed. Moreover, the earth and even all the
cosmos is waiting for the cooperation
of the "sons of God" with this work of restoration and healing, for man was created "to offer all
creation back to" his Creator.
Comment:
The things of the earth will last forever, in other words the
substance or foundation of the earth will last for ever. That is
why we should offer them to God so He can transform them. In this way we share in God's providence
toward the world and help offer it back
to him? In one way, of course, our task is obvious. For we have considerable to do with what kind of
world will be presented back to Jesus
Christ, and through him to the Father. We can offer to God a world of sins, a world of injustices,
a world filled with the products of an
art and culture which degrade and corrupt. Or, on the other hand, we could offer, in some degree at
least, a world in which true community
and justice flourish, a world whose artistic works are formed by a local and traditional popular
culture, not mass-produced and imposed
by the financial might of corporations. But I think there are also other ways in which we can take
part in this work, ways which are
complementary to those I just mentioned
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the supreme act, not only of worship of Almighty God, but of that
offering of all things to him of which
St. Paul and the new catechism speak. Even in its material aspects is this so. In the Mass we offer
bread and wine, created products of the
earth, products in which the work of man complements the natural growth of wheat and grapes. And we
offer them in vessels made from minerals
taken from within the earth. If the bread and wine are offered in the setting of a beautiful liturgy
within a beautiful church building,
then the best works of human culture are also included in that offering, the theology, spirituality,
music, art and architecture which
were created under the inspiration of the Catholic faith, God's final revelation to man. If the Mass
is seen as the height and center of
any civilization, then the offering of the Mass sums up that civilization's offering of created nature
back to God. For example, if the
bread and wine are products of a system of farming and an economic system that respect the earth and
the social nature of man, it could
be said, I think, that those farming practices and that economy are offered to God in and through the
offering of Jesus Christ. In this
way we can attempt to make our offering the best that is possible.
On a different plane, as the re-presentation of the sacrifice on Calvary, the Mass actually takes
part in that reconciliation between
God and man which must precede and accompany any reconciliation between man and the rest of creation.
Moreover, the Victim who is
offered at Mass is the God-Man, that is, one of flesh and blood, whose flesh and blood were nourished
over a period of thirty odd
years with the products of this earth, with plants and animals, water and wine. Thus the physical body
of Jesus Christ also sums
up the offering of created things to God the Father. This physical body is, of course, made up of the
things of earth. Yet Catholics
should recall the startling truth that this physical body is itself worthy of divine worship, not
because of its own properties, to
be sure, but because it is united to the Eternal Logos. As Pope Pius VI (1775-1799) taught against
the Jansenists, "...the humanity
and the vivifying flesh itself of Christ is adored, not indeed on account of itself and as mere
flesh, but inasmuch as it is united
to the divinity." Thus the little things of this world, bread and wine, flesh meat and fruit, fish,
and all that Christ consumed
during his life on earth, were transformed by a natural process into the flesh of Jesus Christ, and
thus, in a sense, they were
divinized.
Similarly, but in a less concrete way, other human actions and good works helped to form and sustain
our Lord in his human nature.
He was nurtured by the very human act of being fed, first at his mother's breasts, then by the work of
farmers and herdsmen and
merchants. He wore clothes and shoes made by some human workman. Furthermore, our Lord was taught, no
doubt by his mother and St.
Joseph, possibly in a school; he lived under a political system, deeply flawed it is true, but still,
as St. Paul makes clear,
having the essential properties of a government. This government helped create and preserve that human
peace and common good
which allowed him to grow up within a human family and community. Thus all the good things, works and
actions that in any way
contributed to the formation of our Lord in his human nature are, in a way, offered as part of the
offering of Jesus Christ in
the Mass, for, since it is Christ, man as well as God, who is offered, necessarily all that shaped
him in his humanity is
offered too.
And of course, a similar thing has happened with regard to our Lady. Her assumption into Heaven again
shows how the things of earth
will be taken up and become things that last forever. And when she was crowned Queen of Heaven, in a
sense, all creation was crowned
in her, for she represents everything here below, as its Mother and Queen. And something similar will
also be true for all who will
be saved. But obviously, the examples of our Lady and of all the blessed are not something accomplished
apart from Jesus Christ. In
fact, they are accomplished only as part of his Mystical Body, thus as part of Jesus Christ himself.
Comment:
Here again I get the impression that Thomas Storck erroneously believes that Heaven is located in the
distant cosmos and that the
earth will be annihilated so that the left over gas and smoke will be able to ascend to that distant
place in the cosmos where it can then
be used to create another planet.. In my opinion this is the opposite of what the Church teaches, but
I have found that it is a common error.
And I believe that this error is why the earth is now going to Hell in a hand-basket, and that this
situation will not change until the
great multitudes of Catholics throughout the world know and teach the truth about this important
subject
If all this is true, what does it say to us? Does it suggest new things for us to do, new devotions
or new acts of justice or charity? Not
necessarily. Ultimately what I am suggesting in this article is not that we do anything new, anything
that we are not, or should not,
already be doing, but that we see our good works, whether natural or supernatural, as intimately
related to the Sacrifice of the Mass,
to the offering of Jesus Christ on the Cross and on the altar, because in this sacrifice he offers
not just himself, but all of created
nature, because all of created nature is, in a sense, in him. And this offering of all creation in
and through the God-Man is itself the
cause of the reconciliation not just between God and man, but between man and the rest of creation,
and between and among each and every
created thing, for it is the sacrifice and death of Jesus Christ that effects this. Does this give
us new motives for doing good works
and creating just structures? I would think so, for if we can understand the connections between our
acts and created works in this
world and the offering of creation to God the Father, how could this not give an impetus to whatever
efforts we can make here below?
Anything we can do "to offer all creation back to" God is more than seconded by Jesus himself, for
as both Priest and Victim in the
Mass, he offers himself, the sum of all that is and of all the good we have done. Thus we can aid
the Holy Spirit in renewing the
earth, not just by what we do in our own lives, but by joining ourselves to what Jesus Christ himself
does when he offers himself as
a Victim in the Mass. Furthermore, these considerations could be fruitful subjects for our
meditations, and for connecting our
meditations with our life and actions.
Comment:
In my opinion, when Thomas Storck uses the above term "here below" he erroneously believes that
"here below" is literally true.
We are in a lower realm/dimension of holiness than Jesus, Mary and all the other saints but there
is no distance between them and us.
Hence, we are not literally below them or Heaven.
St. John, who was both seer and prophet, gives us a very vivid image of the earth and all creation
at the end of time. Their exact meaning,
of course, will remain a mystery for us until then, but in his words we can see something of an earth
truly renewed by the Holy Spirit and
entirely pleasing to its Creator.
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away,
and the sea was no more. And I
saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for
her husband; and I heard a
great voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them,
and they shall be his people,
and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no
more, neither shall there be
mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away." - Revelation
21:1-4
At the end of time, then, this mystery of the final ordering of created things will become clear
to us. Then we will see the glory of all
things arrayed beneath Jesus Christ and perhaps we will be able to perceive how our cooperation in
good works contributed to that glory.
Until then we can only pray to the Holy Spirit for grace to cooperate in his renewal of the face of
the earth, according to our own
vocation as Jesus Christ wills.
