Unit 3 AOS 1 DP#08 Flashcards
Death and the afterlife (general definition)
Cultures and religious traditions have their own unique understandings of life and death. Some see life as finite and death as the end of living. Others see life as a cycle in which a person who dies returns to life in the same or another way. Another view on life and death is that they are connected and part of the same journey with death being the transition from a physical existence to a spiritual one. Regardless of the tradition or way of life, death has some meaning to many members of the human race.
Death and the afterlife in the RCT
In the roman catholic tradition, life and death are part of the same journey.
Adherents live their lives trying to follow the example of Jesus in the hope for eternal life.
Catholics believe that when a person dies their soul is separated from their body and goes to od for judgement.
Those who freely chood to cooperate with evil are sent to hell, a place representing total abandoment and seperation from God, while those who live a life in accoudance with theteachings of Jesus experience eternal life and happiness in Heaven in the presence of God.
The final Resurrection of the dead gives hope and meaning to Catholics. Hope in this case meaning the reassurance that God will raise them from death and bring them to everlasting life in his presence. This hope shouldn’t be confused with the kind of hope where an individual is unsure of the final result.
Texts: Scripture
John 14:2: The hope of eternal life: ‘In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?’
Revelation 7:16 – 17: They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’
John 11:25-26: Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’
Text: Nicene creed
‘I believe in the Resurrection of the body and the life everlasting’ – Expressing the Catholic belief that death is not the end of life and that Christ will reunite everyone with their glorified bodies at the end of time.
Texts: Catechism of the catholic church
202 What is the meaning of the term “body” (or “flesh”) and what importance does it have? The resurrection of the flesh is the literal formulation in the Apostles Creed for the resurrection of the body. The term “flesh” refers to humanity in its state of weakness and mortality. “The flesh is the hinge of salvation” (Tertullian).
Rituals: Sacraments
The sacraments are linked to every stage of the Christian life. Baptism signals the beginning of life with Christ and is strengthened in Confirmation.
Adherents participate in the Eucharist frequently which is described as an earthly union with Jesus or a ‘foretaste’ of heaven
These sacraments highlight the presence of Jesus along the human journey and point to the hope found in the death and resurrection of Jesus
Reference: The Christian who dies in Christ reaches at the end of his earthly existence the fulfilment of that new life which was begun in Baptism, strengthened in Confirmation, and nourished in the Eucharist, the foretaste of the heavenly banquet. CCC #354
Rituals: Funerals
355 What do funeral rites express?
Although celebrated in different rites in keeping with the situations and traditions of various regions, funerals express the paschal character of Christian death in hope of the resurrection. They also manifest the meaning of communion with the departed particularly through prayer for the purification of their souls.
Usually, funeral rites consist of four principal parts: welcoming the body of the deceased by the community with words of comfort and hope, the liturgy of the Word, the Eucharistic Sacrifice, and the farewell in which the soul of the departed is entrusted to God, the Source of eternal life, while the body is buried in the hope of the resurrection.
Symbols: The Paschal candle
The Paschal candle – lit at every baptism and funeral ritual. A symbol of God’s presence throughout the life journey of each person from the start to the end. Also symbolises adherents’ life in the context of Christ’s life, death and resurrection.
Paschal = Passover = Easter
