"And I beheld, and heard the voice of one eagle flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice: Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth.... [Apocalypse (Revelation) 8:13]
Saturday, August 6, 2016
Pope Benedict XII: On The Beatific Vision (Heaven)
Pope Benedict XII: On The Beatific Vision (Heaven)
On the Beatific Vision of God
Benedictus Deus
Constitution issued by Pope Benedict XII in 1336
By this Constitution which is to remain in force for ever, we, with apostolic
authority, define the following: According to the general disposition of God,
the souls of all the saints who departed from this world before the passion of
our Lord Jesus Christ and also of the holy apostles, martyrs, confessors,
virgins and other faithful who died after receiving the holy baptism of Christ-
provided they were not in need of any purification when they died, or will not
be in need of any when they die in the future, or else, if they then needed or
will need some purification, after they have been purified after death-and again
the souls of children who have been reborn by the same baptism of Christ or will
be when baptism is conferred on them, if they die before attaining the use of
free will: all these souls, immediately (mox) after death and, in the
case of those in need of purification, after the purification mentioned above,
since the ascension of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ into heaven, already
before they take up their bodies again and before the general judgment, have
been, are and will be with Christ in heaven, in the heavenly kingdom and
paradise, joined to the company of the holy angels. Since the passion and death
of the Lord Jesus Christ, these souls have seen and see the divine essense with
an intuitive vision and even face to face, without the mediation of any creature
by way of object of vision; rather the divine essence immediately manifests
itself to them, plainly, clearly and openly, and in this vision they enjoy the
divine essence . Moreover, by this vision and enjoyment the souls of those who
have already died are truly blessed and have eternal life and rest. Also the
souls of those who will die in the future will see the same divine essence and
will enjoy it before the general judgment.
Such a vision and enjoyment of the divine essence do away with the acts of
faith and hope in these souls, inasmuch as faith and hope are properly
theological virtues. And after such intuitive and face-to-face vision and
enjoyment has or will have begun for these souls, the same vision and enjoyment
has continued and will continue without any interruption and without end until
the last Judgment and from then on forever.
(On hell and the general judgment)
Moreover we define that according to the general disposition of God, the
souls of those who die in actual mortal sin go down into hell immediately (mox)
after death and there suffer the pain of hell. Nevertheless, on the day of
judgment all men will appear with their bodies "before the judgment seat of
Christ" to give an account of their personal deeds, "so that each one may
receive good or evil, according to what he has done in the body" (2 Cor. 5.10).
