One of the most important concepts that motivated saints to work hard for the Kingdom of God and for the salvation of immortal souls is the reality of eternity.
What is eternity? Very simply eternity is forever and ever and ever and never any end. Our time on earth is temporal—meaning that it will quickly come to an end. With the reality of eternity must be added our ultimate destiny—either heaven or hell, no other possibility! Meditating on ETERNITY is a powerful reflection to help us to change our lives, to give up our sinful habits and to renew our desire to become saints as Jesus reminds us: “Be holy as your heavenly Father is holy.”
CATECHETICAL STORY. Try to imagine a small bird with a huge task. The bird has to sweep down over the shore and swipe up a grain of sand. With that grain of sand in his beak he must fly all the way to the planet Saturn and drop the grain of sand on that distant planet. Then he must fly back to planet earth. Having arrived at planet earth, the little bird must sweep down and grab on to another grain of sand and once again fly back to Saturn and once arrived drop the grain of sand again. This the little bird will have to do until all of the grains of sand on planet earth have been transferred to the distant planet Saturn. Once this monumental task is completed, eternity is merely beginning.
SHORTNESS OF LIFE. Related to eternity is the utter shortness or brevity of our life on earth. The Bible, the Word of God, gives us a few clear images for our contemplation. “Our life on earth is like the lilies of the field that sprout up in the morning and wither and die as the sun goes down.” Saint Augustine gives us another graphic image. The Doctor of Grace on eternity states: “Our life in comparison with eternity is a mere blink of the eye.” The Word of God also compares our life on earth to a breath of smoke. You see it for a brief moment and then it is gone!VANITY OF VANITIES! As the Word of God teaches us “Vanity of vanity, all indeed is vanity” if it is not related to our ultimate purpose in life which is to be united with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit forever—that means for eternity—in Heaven!
WORDS OF A SAINT AND ETERNITY
Saint Anthony Mary Claret comments on the effect that eternity left on him, even in the tender years of his childhood. He says: The first ideas I can remember date back to when I was five years old. When I went to bed, instead of sleeping—I never have been much of a sleeper—I used to think about eternity. I would think forever, forever, forever. I would try to imagine enormous distances and pile still more distances upon these and realize that they would never come to an end. Then I would shudder and ask myself if those who were so unhappy as to go to an eternity of pain would ever see an end to their suffering. Would they have to go on suffering? Yes, forever and forever they would have to bear their pain. This troubled me deeply, for I am by nature very compassionate. The idea of an eternity of torment made such a deep impression upon me, either because of the tenderness that it evoked in me or because of the many times I thought about it, that it is surely the thing that to this day I remember best. The power of this idea has made me work in the past, still makes me work, and will make me work as long as I live, in converting sinners, in preaching, in hearing confessions, in writing books, in distributing holy cards and pamphlets. And in having familiar conversations.” (Saint Anthony Mary Claret, AUTOBIOGRAPHY, #’s 8-9 Claretian Publications, Chicago, 1976)
The sober but penetrating thought of eternity should move us to a deep conversion of life. We would like to offer five ways that ETERNITY can bring us to live out Jesus’ first command in His Public life: “Be converted because the Kingdom of God is at hand.” (Mk. 1;15)
1. SHORTNESS OF LIFE. Our limited time on earth in comparison to eternity is barely anything. Our life is like the flower of the field that rises in the morning and withers and dies as the sun goes down. Let us be wise and recognize the fleeting, ephemeral and transitory character of our human existence! Reflection on eternity can help us to grow in wisdom—giving true value and importance to what is most important in life.
2. UNCERTAINTY OF OUR LIFE AND DEATH. None of us can pinpoint with mathematical certainty the day, the hour or the moment of our death. This lies in the Providential design of our loving and caring Father. However, it is the epitome of foolishness to be living in a state of mortal sin separated from God. We are playing “Russian Roulette” with our eternal salvation as well as falling into the sin of presumption, stating by this sinful lifestyle that we have many years or at least more time to live. None of us knows. Our life can end like the coming of the thief in the night. At the moment we least expect the Lord can call us to be judged. The thought of eternity can be a huge motivational force.
3. THE STAKES ARE HIGH. Either we will be saved or lost for all eternity. It is eternal salvation and joy with God in heaven; or it is eternal damnation and suffering in hell with the damned and the devils. There is no other possibility. And this reality is eternal—forever and ever and ever. Our life on earth in comparison to eternity is a mere blink of the eye—Saint Augustine!
4. APOSTOLIC ZEAL: DESIRE TO WORK FOR THE SALVATION OF SOULS. The acute awareness of eternity—forever and ever and ever and ever— and the possibility of our loved ones losing God forever and ever and ever— can be a potent force in our lives to work out our salvation in fear and trembling, as well as to collaborate with God for the salvation of many other souls. Recall the words of the Angelic Doctor, Saint Thomas Aquinas: “One soul is worth more than the whole created universe.” This one soul was saved and redeemed by the Precious Blood that Jesus shed on the cross on Good Friday.
5. The sober but all-pervading realism of ETERNITY can move us to detach ourselves from all that is an impediment from reaching our goal in life which is heaven. First and foremost, eternity can help us to renounce sin in our lives, which is mortal enemy number one! Mortal sin kills the life of God within us! Venial sin weakens God’s grace in our souls and can dispose us and pave the way to mortal sin. Another step still, eternity can help us to renounce even our disordered attachments that prevent us from soaring into the heights of our spiritual life like an eagle! What might be attachments? Saint Ignatius in his consideration Principle and Foundation (#23 Spiritual Exercises) states that we should not prefer long life to short life, health to sickness, riches to poverty, honors to humiliations, but to choose what is most conducive to the purpose of our existence—the glory of God and the eternal salvation of our soul. Indeed if we cling to the things of the world then we cannot cling to God. May the reality of eternity sever our attachment to sin and even other things that can impede our spiritual ascension!
May Our Lady, the Mother of God, the Mother of the Church, and our loving Mother help us to meditate frequently on ETERNITY and have our minds, hearts and souls focused on God who awaits us eagerly in heaven our eternal home!
Father Ed Broom, OMV, is Associate Pastor of St. Peter Chanel Church in Hawaiian Gardens, California. He is a member of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary and was ordained by Saint John Paul II on May 25, 1986. Fr. Ed teaches Catholic Ignatian Marian Spirituality through articles, podcasts, a radio show, retreats and spiritual direction.
