Life after Death Flashcards
What is ‘death’?
The end of physical life, when the physical body ceases completely to function. “Braindead”
What is ‘eternal life’?
The term used to refer to life in heaven after death. Also, the phrase Jesus uses to describe a state of living as God intends, which leads to a life in heaven.
What is ‘heaven’?
Those who have accepted God’s grace and forgiveness in this life will enjoy an eternal existence in God’s presence in the next life. This face-to-face encounter with God is what is called ‘heaven’.
What is ‘hell’?
Those who, through the exercise of their own free will, ultimately reject God’s grace and forgiveness, will have chosen to live externally outside of God’s presence. This total lack of God for all eternity is called ‘hell’.
What is ‘judgement’?
The belief that each individual will be held to account by God for the things they do, or fail to do, during their lives.
What is the ‘magisterium’?
The teaching authority of the Church, exercised by the bishops in communion with the Pope. The Magisterium is given grace by the Holy Spirit to faithfully interpret the Scriptures and Tradition.
What is ‘resurrection’?
The raising of the body to life again after death. Christians believe that Jesus has already experienced resurrection and that all people will experience it at the end of time.
What is ‘soul’?
The eternal part of a human being given at conception which lives on after the death of the body. Also the name for a human being’s rational nature - their mind.
Christians believe that at death, life is ‘changed not ended.’
“I declare you brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will be changed.” - 1 Corinthians 15:50-51.
“Where, O death is your victory? Where, O death is your sting?” - 1 Corinthians 15:55.
Dying well. It is important for Catholics to do certain things to help those facing death die well.
- Prepare themselves to die well - e.g. spending time with family/making sure will is updated/discussing their funeral/making peace with family or friends. For those in pain, they may seek palliative care to reduce pain in the final stages of life.
- Respect the value of their lives until their natural death - Catholic Church rejects euthanasia and assisted suicide as ways of ending a life.
- Provide rituals to support the grieving - the funeral rite includes imagery and symbols that reflect belief and hope in eternal life. Prayers are said for deceased.
Palliative Care
For some with a significant illness (e.g. cancer) or a condition (e.g. motor neurone disease), there may be long periods of pain. Palliative care aims to control pain with things such as medication. This can enable the individual to retain as much dignity (being worthy of honour and respect) and quality of life (the extent to which life is meaningful and pleasurable) as possible. Done in a hospice. Catholic church (as well as many other religious and non-religious views) supports this because it respects the value of every person until their natural death.
SOWA for palliative care
In 1995, Pope St John Paul II published a document called Evangelium Vitae (Good News of Life) that clearly stated palliative care is appropriate because 1) it allows people to reject any treatment that is too painful or difficult and 2) it allows people to maintain their dignity and some quality of life.
Euthanasia
A ‘good’ or ‘gentle’ death. A procedure where a medical professional gives medication to the end the line of a person who is suffering unbearable pain from an incurable condition. Voluntary euthanasia is done on the request of an individual whose life will be ended.
Assisted suicide
When an individual seeks help to end their own life in a pain-free/reduced process.
The Catholic Church teaches that deliberate actions to end a life before natural death is completely wrong in all circumstances. All human life is sacred. Life is a gift from God (known as the sanctity of life) - it’s precious and should be respected from conception to natural death. Deliberate killing is going against the sanctity of life and the ten commandments (‘Do not murder’).
“I confirm that euthanasia is a grave violation of the law of God since it is the deliberate and morally unacceptable killing of a human person.” - Evangelium Vitae - Pope John Paul II.
The nature of the magisterium
The Catholic Church has three distinct sources of authority to support its teaching about Christia beliefs.
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The nature of the magisterium
The Catholic Church has three distinct sources of authority to support its teaching about Christian beliefs.
Ordinary Magisterium and Extraordinary Magisterium (concilar and pontifical)
- The Bible as the Word of God - primary SOWA for all Christians. The writers of the Bible were inspired by the Holy Spirit (breathed into by HS) and the Holy Spirit continues to work through the Church
- Over the centuries important theologians (someone who studies the nature of God and religion) have explained beliefs to the Church. This is called the ‘Tradition’.
- Popes and Bishops have made statements on certain aspects of the Catholic faith. Their particular authority is the ‘magisterium’. (‘magister’ is Latin for ‘master’ or ‘teacher’) Jesus gave the Apostles the instructions to ‘make disciples of all nations’ (Matthew 28:18-20). They received the authority to teach the faith directly from Jesus. Catholics believe that the Pope and the Bishops got their own appointment and ordination back to the first apostles. This is called ‘apostolic succession’ and is why the Pope and bishops have the authority to make statements about the Catholic faith.
Sarcophagi - stone coffins with carved images. One has scenes of Jesus’ Passion (events of the last period of Jesus’ life ending with crucifixion)
- Simon of Cyrene carrying Jesus’ cross to the crucifixion
- Jesus being given a crown of thorns by soldiers guarding him. The crown is to mock him as he was accused of calling himself king of the Jews. However, in the image, the crown is actually filled with jewels which symbolises that Jesus’ death was actually a triumph over sin.
- Jesus being presented to Pontious Pilate
- The scene of Pilate who didn’t want to execute Jesus but gave in to the pressure of the crowd and Jewish authorities, washing his hands to symbolise he wouldn’t take responsibility for crucifying Jesus.
- There is a cross with the Chir-Rho symbol representing Jesus. This is an ancient symbol of the resurrection. It’s formed from the first two letters of Christ in Greek (Chi-X and Rho-P). To reinforce Jesus’ death was a victory over sin, the Chi-Rho is placed within a wreath which is held in the beaks of two eagles. The wreath is the Roman symbol of victory and the eagles represent God because, in the Roman religion, they were used to represent the God Jupiter. This cross sits above two soldiers looking up at it in awe.
