BEATIFIC
VISION IS THE ULTIMATE DESTINY OF MAN.
This is a conviction that filled my heart and mind when I visited the
tombs of loved ones on the Feast of All Saints and All Souls day (Nov. 1-2,
2013). I reasoned out that as I come
from God, Who is my Creator, then my greatest joy will be to go back to God and
have the privilege of seeing Him face to face.
This prompted me to search for further viewpoints on what Beatific Vision is. The following are some excerpts on this
subject matter.
From
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, we read:
“In Christian theology, the beatific vision is the
ultimate direct self communication of God to the individual person. A person possessing the beatific vision
reaches, as a member of redeemed humanity in the communion of saints, perfect
salvation in its entirety, (i.e. heaven). The notion of vision stresses the
intellectual component of salvation, though it encompasses the whole of human
experience of joy, happiness coming from seeing God finally face to face and not imperfectly through faith (1 Cor
13:11-12).
Our
human understanding of God while alive is indirect (meditation/prayer, not
actually looking at Him). The beatific vision, on the other hand, is direct
(immediate, visual) or literal seeing God.
In other words, the beatific vision means a soul is actually looking at
God, as is, viewing Him without any sort of censorship like that depicted by
the prophet Isaiah.
In
Christianity, the Bible teaches that God “dwells in unapproachable light, whom
no one has even seen or can see” (1 Timothy 6:16), but when God reveals Himself
to us in heaven we will then see Him face
to face (1Cor 13:12).
Thomas
Aquinas defined beatific vision as the
human being’s “final end” in which one attains perfect happiness. … This kind of perfect
happiness cannot be found in any physical pleasure, any amount of worldly
power, any degree of temporal fame or honor, or indeed in any finite reality. It can only be found in something that is
infinite and perfect – and this is God.
The only perfect and infinite good, therefore, is God Himself, which is
why Aquinas argues that our perfect happiness and final end can only be the
direct union with God Himself and not with any created image of Him; that the
Beatific Vision surpasses both faith and reason. Rational knowledge does not fully satisfy
humankind’s innate desire to know God, since reason is primarily concerned with
sensible objects and thus can only infer its conclusions about God indirectly. Thus, only the fullness of the Beatific
Vision satisfies this fundamental desire of the human soul to know God.
The
Catechism of the Catholic Church says: “God Himself will be the goal of our
desires; we shall contemplate Him without end, love Him without surfeit, praise
Him without weariness. This gift, this
state, this act, like eternal life itself will assuredly be common to all.”
(CCC 2550)
I hope and pray that GOD shall bestow on me,
all my loved ones and all the faithful this wonderful Gift of BEATIFIC VISION.
by: Buddy Cagurangan
Nov. 10, 2013
