On a beautiful day in early October, 1978, I learned that my grandfather had unexpectedly passed away. He was only 71 years old and had always been in exceptional health due to his lifelong love for cycling. His death came as a great shock to all of us. I was devastated. I lost one of the most important men in my life, a true role model.
After the funeral Mass, while my grandmother and I were waiting in the limo she turned to me and asked: “Do you believe in life after death?” I quickly responded: “Of course I do!” She looked me right in the eyes and said: “I don’t know if I do.” I was shocked. Here was a woman who I admired not only as a successful businesswoman but also as a woman of deep faith. How could she even ask this question? What caused her to doubt?
Today we celebrate All Souls Day. On this day, dedicated to all those who have preceded us in death my grandmother’s question is especially poignant: “do I believe in life after death?” My answer in 1978 and my answer today remains the same: “I do!” What changed is my understanding of what life after death might look like. In 1978 I had a very visual understanding of heaven and hell, mostly informed by depictions in our churches. Hell was marked by fire and hideous monsters. Heaven was marked by puffy clouds and cherubs. Purgatory was somewhere in between, there were flames, but not as many. Today I find this view insufficient.
As Catholics we believe that at the time of death our soul separates from our body. Our body is laid to rest in the anticipation of the last judgement when our soul and body will be reunited. Our soul, on the other hand, immediately enters one of three states.
The first state which we call heaven is reserved for those who are in right relationship with God. Contrary to the artistic depictions of heaven we really don’t know what the state of heaven looks like. Our Catholic understanding of heaven is best described as the Beatific Vision, which is characterized by a deep experience and unmediated knowledge of God, resulting in complete and utter happiness. In the same way as it is impossible to depict God, since no human has ever seen God, it is impossible to depict the Beatific Vision.
The second state which we call hell is reserved for those who reject God in word and/or deed. Whereas heaven is the experience of union with God, hell is the experience of the absence of God and the pain that comes with that. In essence, this state is “the penalty of eternal ruin, separated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power” (2 Thes 1:9). Based on Biblical references, our spiritual imagination has identified the spiritual pain of eternal separation from God with the physical pain suffered by fire.
The third state we call purgatory. This word is derived from the Latin verb purgare which means to cleanse or to purify. Purgatory is thus a state of purification or cleansing in anticipation of heaven. Although Jesus does not directly reference the state of purgatory, we believe that he refers to forgiveness that happens after death in Matt 12:31 and to the payment for sins after death in Matt 5:25-26. This is an implicit reference to a state of purification after death.
The month of November is a time we honor our beloved dead. On the first day of November, All Saints Day, we honor all those who enjoy the Beatific Vision of Heaven. They are our intercessors before God in heaven and our spiritual examples on earth. On All Souls Day we pray for all those who are in the state of purgatory to hasten their admittance into Heaven.
My grandmother has long since joined my grandfather in the hereafter. It is my belief and my ardent prayer that they are enjoying the Beatific Vision together with my parents, my brother, my niece, and all those who went before us. If not yet, then I pray fervently that it may be so, soon.
Johan M.J. van Parys, Ph.D.
Managing Director of Ministries
Director of Liturgy and the Sacred Arts