Catholica Commentary by Fr Peter Dresser: God is Big .... Real BIG! (Chapter 9: God, Our Universe and Ourselves Part 4)

"God is Big ..... Real BIG!" by Fr Peter Dresser (Chapter Nine - Part 4)

As foreshadowed at the conclusion of last week's excerpt, Fr Peter Dresser today explores the question: "What is the nature of this heavenly kingdom?". What follows our earthly death? Perhaps challengingly for many of us he observes: "Interestingly enough it has generally been the teaching of the Church that we are saved not as individuals but as a community."

Chapter Nine (Part 4): God, Our Universe and Ourselves

What is the nature of this heavenly kingdom?

I have already referred to Edmund Flood's book The Evidence about Jesus. In chapter twelve of that book Flood writes about what the resurrection of Jesus means in practice today. He observes that each of us has a body but we realise that it isn't just a clothing of flesh and bones, but that it is important and essential in our lives as persons, as human beings. Our embodiment enables us to develop with other people into persons rather than merely things. In a sense we can become one body with others because our embodiment is our personal and therefore creative relatedness with others. We have open-ended possibilities as persons.

There are two ways we use the word body. We have a body and we belong to other various bodies – family, clubs and so on. But the outcome of what it is to be a human person is that there is no definite dividing line between these two realities. The purpose of my body is not to separate me from others but to enable me to enter into and find myself in other bodies: ultimately in the whole body of mankind. In other words, the more my individual embodiment (this particular body I have) leads to an embodied sharing with others, the more human I shall be.[79]

"When Bad Things Happen to Good People" by Harold S. Kushner

Edmund Flood's 1991 book The Evidence about Jesus is no longer available but The Jesus Story appears to be the US title by Sheed and Ward and it is available from Amazon.

It is only at death that we can be more perfectly human because it is only at death that we can become more and more unified not only with all those who have died but also with all those who are still journeying this world. It is only at death that we can become more fully cosmic in the sense that we are now more liberated to share in the evolutionary beauty of the Universe. At least this is my idea of participating fully in the world and therefore of coming closer and closer to God which I refer to as the Universal Principle or Universal Soul. Flood would also claim that although we share now in the resurrection of Jesus insofar as we respond to the action of God in ourselves and in others, we will only experience its completion at death when we shall experience fully "the vitality of God".[80] This is more or less the description of the state of Heaven that we looked at earlier, a full and complete experience of the life giving freedom and liberty and healing spirit of God.

Our whole life is to be lived, connected with everything that is and to be filled with the Spirit of the Universe. Our whole life is to be an experience of interconnectedness with the Universe, a melting into this Universal Soul, this Universal Principle, this deity which is at the heart of all that is. At death we will become even more cosmic and will be able to embrace far more freely and delightedly and with greater awe and reverence and wonderment the beauty that is our God, our Universe and everything and everyone that is part of it.

This idea of melting into the one accords well with science and has implications for many aspects of Christian thinking as well, including for example such a doctrine as the Communion of Saints. The idea of the Communion of Saints is that all people are connected in some way whether living or dead and can assist each other. In coming into complete oneness with this God that I have been alluding to we also come into complete contact and oneness with all things and with all men and women and with all of creation. We are assisted and encouraged by their continued presence with us, a presence that is also a dynamic presence. Everyone becomes connected within the order and the chaos of the universe and may also have an impact on the order and chaos of the universe. Is there such a thing as coincidence for example or are some things and events in some way contrived and do the dynamic presence and activity of others occasionally influence our lives? Indeed I am reminded of some of the words of the Third Eucharistic Prayer:

"May he make us an everlasting gift to you and enable us to share in the inheritance of your saints, with Mary, the virgin mother of God; with the apostles, the martyrs and all your saints on whose constant intercession we rely for help."

It does seem more than a little precious to suggest that we can alter in some way the course of evolution by somehow entering into and affecting the lives of others. A principal aspect of evolution is that it is random in nature and to suggest that events can somehow be contrived does a great deal of violence to this evolutionary principle. Yet my experience of life attests to the fact that certain chance meetings, certain lottery results, certain poker machine jackpots are more than coincidences. Is it possible for us to be partners in the great energising forces of mathematics and science and to be a dynamic presence in the universe and in the lives of others and especially in the lives of our loved ones? I suspect so. Can this help explain déjà vu experiences, so-called chance meetings, paranormal activities, osmotic thought transferrals and so on? And so, can we be helped and assisted by others particularly those who have died and have entered into a more complete unity with the God of the Universe? We spoke earlier of holons and holograms and so I guess there is no harm in theorising that since each of us is a hologram, we contain within ourselves the mighty force of order and chaos that is present in the entire universe, the mighty principles of mathematics and science that are the infrastructure of the universe, and thus quite possibly we have the energy and force to impinge on the lives of others for good or bad. The man Jesus in his own circumstances was able to unleash the mighty healing and freeing power of the Universal Soul. Other miracle workers have done the same.

Life after death and the Communion of Saints: what do these concepts mean?

When I come to experience the other side as some people refer to that state of existence after death, I can actually feel and sense the presence of certain people. Many people have had similar and indeed more sensational experiences. This phenomenon might be explained in terms of psychology or psychiatry or some other science. However I fervently believe that the spirit of all living things is not extinguished in death but is somehow enhanced by becoming more in communion or connected with everything that is. This experience of being in close contact with those who have died, of empathising with them and they with us, and of their help and assistance to us and, I guess, our help and assistance to them, is really the Christian idea of the Communion of Saints realised in a practical sense.

A question comes to mind: Granted that we become one with each other and with the cosmos, do we eventually arrive at peace with each other and with our universe? What about those who have expressed in words and actions antagonism towards us — and, indeed, what of ourselves who have shown antagonism towards others? Will we all arrive at a peaceful coexistence with each other and with our God? I should hope that some process would bring about harmony in the unity that we share. If such harmony did not exist while we were alive and journeying this world together, then perhaps harmony may very well be realised in the millennia ahead. The Church has employed the doctrine of Purgatory to explain in part the process of obtaining peace and harmony with each other and with our God. In arguing that our relationships will be enhanced after death, it should be hoped that they would also become more harmonious. Otherwise Hell would become a real state to consider! Interestingly enough it has generally been the teaching of the Church that we are saved not as individuals but as a community.

The answer as to what happens after death lies in the realms of conjecture because nobody knows. Answers range from complete cessation of life through to some kind of cosmic embeddedness through to some kind of participation with the universe and with the Soul of this Universe and in communion with everyone and everything. What we must not do is to make our theory do unnecessary violence to our intelligence. There must remain of course that element of the incomprehensible wisdom of God that ancient philosophers and theologians spoke of. But wisdom, even the wisdom of God, cannot do violence to the world of logic, cannot do violence to our intelligence. In any case, whatever happens once we have cast off this mortal coil should never cause us fear, but at all times we should simply place ourselves with great confidence in the powerful vibrancy of the Universal Soul and Ultimate Principle of the Universe. Our God is Big. Real big! We should never forget this. We should live and die comfortably with this outlook.

NEXT WEEK: Chapter Ten Part 1: "Ourselves at Prayer"

“Whatever happens once we have cast off this mortal coil should never cause us fear, but at all times we should simply place ourselves with great confidence in the powerful vibrancy of the Universal Soul and Ultimate Principle of the Universe. Our God is Big. Real big! We should never forget this. We should live and die comfortably with this outlook.” ...Peter Dresser

FOOTNOTES:
[79] Edmund Flood, Op.cit. p.66
[80] Ibid, p.69

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Peter Dresser grew up in Orange NSW. On completing his Leaving Certificate he studied for some years at Springwood and Manly Seminaries. His life journey has led him down diverse paths and he enjoyed the experience of many and varied employments including postman, public servant and factory worker. He has appreciated his exposure to different life styles and religions and his involvement with music and sport, particularly Rugby League. He eventually turned to teaching where he found an easy rapport with and respect for young people. Peter decided to continue with his studies for Priesthood and entered St. Paul’s Seminary. He was ordained in 1990. Peter's love for his Catholic religion dates from his very early years. His involvement with Science is only a recent phenomenon. His fascination with nature has always been predominant. His continuing pastoral concern is that the Good News proclaimed by Jesus be preached and mediated meaningfully in all its richness and fullness to the contemporary world. Peter holds degrees in Arts and Theology and a Diploma in Education. He produced this document in 2004 whilst Parish Priest of Kandos in Central West NSW. He now lives privately in retirement at Kandos where he spent six memorable years.

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[Index of Commentaries by Fr Peter Dresser]

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