Follow-up on Lectio divina from the Commemoration of All Souls (2 November)

[Jamie]

+JMJ

Friends in Christ,

We who participate in the prayer of the Church we are making use of as
Young Adults, Lectio divina, are continually amazed at how just four
lines of the Gospel can move us to realizations of God's profundity,
of His nature, His Person, and His will.

During our exegesis of Jn 6:37-40, we spent some time speculating on
the word 'everything' in Jn 6:37: "All that the Father gives me will
come to me." I here quote from the RSV-Catholic Edition found online.
Yesterday we used the NAB translation that uses "Everything" in place
for "All" as the first word of verse 37.

Now, we could not have had a better day of commemoration (All Souls)
to discuss what precisely the Scripture means by "All" or "Everything"
when talking about God's "will," and meditating on that vast concept!
For the conversation turned to whether 'everything' can mean the rest
of creation: animals, plants, and even angels (though they have a
different situation than fallen humankind).

I did some brief research to follow up on this for us. Here is what I
found.

In the Catechism (CCC), we find no definitive teaching on this
subject, but some priests, theologians, and philosophers have found
suggestions. There is one suggestive paragraph, 1047.

In this case, I believe we are free to speculate on whether plants and
animals might somehow be in heaven, so long as we do not controvert
the deposit of faith definitively set forth. Indeed, I have three
resources for you here you can use to follow the line of thinking and
get started, if you desire.

I find the following paragraph fro the CC somewhat suggestive that all
shall be restored: "The visible universe, then, is itself destined to
be transformed, "so that the world itself, restored to its original
state, facing no further obstacles, should be at the service of the
just," sharing their glorification in the risen Jesus Christ (CCC
1047)." This is hardly definitive, but delightful to meditate on.

I took a quick look at the Catena Aurea, the collection of quotes St.
Thomas Aquinas made of the Church Fathers on the Gospels. I found 18
comments by the Fathers on these four lines of St. John's Gospel. None
of them includes non-human souls. However, we can be certain that the
Fathers and CCC agree that Christ died for all humankind:

St. Augustine: "But, because you have seen Me, and believed not, I
have not therefore lost the people of God: All that the Father gives
Me, shall come to Me; and him that comes to Me, I will in no wise cast
out."
(source: http://www.catecheticsonline.com/CatenaAurea-John6.php)

St. Bede: "All, He said, absolutely, to show the fullness of the
number who should believe. These are they which the Father gives the
Son, when, by His secret inspiration, He makes them believe in the
Son."
(source: http://www.catecheticsonline.com/CatenaAurea-John6.php)

The first resource to peruse is by Dr. Richard Geraghty. I will copy
his biography below this message. Dr. Geraghty takes a more skeptical
view, but does not deny the possibility that animals could be found in
heaven. The article can be found here: http://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/pets_in_heaven.htm

The second resource to peruse is by Franciscan friar Jack Wintz. His
biography is pasted below. Friar Wintz takes a more open view and sets
forth some Scriptural evidence that he believes supports the idea of
animals in heaven. You can find the article here:
http://www.americancatholic.org/Messenger/Jul2003/Feature2.asp

A third resource is Peter Kreeft. Dr. Kreeft is a Catholic and a
philosophy professor at Boston College. He is a prolific writer and I
have read many of his books; they are all excellent. I heard him speak
once to a group of Calvinists in New York; they invited him to speak
since he formerly was Calvinist. He has this to say about it: "Would
the same animals be in heaven as on earth? "Is my dead cat in heaven?"
Again, why not? God can raise up the very grass; why not cats? Though
the blessed have better things to do than play with pets, the better
does not exclude the lesser. We were meant from the beginning to have
stewardship over the animals; we have not fulfilled that divine plan
yet on earth; therefore it seems likely that the right relationship
with animals will be part of Heaven; proper "petship". And what better
place to begin than with the already petted pets?" Source: Peter
Kreeft, Every Thing You Ever Wanted to Know about Heaven but Never
Dreamed of Asking (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1990), 45.

Given the interest in the subject displayed last night, I think we
might consider reading Dr. Kreeft's book about heaven at some point at
one of our future education series. The title is "Every Thing You Ever
Wanted to Know about Heaven but Never Dreamed of Asking" and you can
view it here: http://www.amazon.com/Everything-Wanted-Heaven-Dreamed-Asking/dp/0898702976
It is a great read, combining Revelation, Teaching, and profane
philosophy in order to speculatively answer the most random questions
put forth about eternal life!

Remember Father Ron's suggestion to pray for the holy souls! Here is
one traditional prayer from St. Gertrude the Great: ""Eternal Father,
I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in
union with the masses said throughout the world today, for all the
holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the
universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.""

Peace,
Jamie




Dr. Richard Geraghty is professor of philosophy at St. Joseph’s House
of Studies, the college-level facility of the Franciscan Missionaries
of the Eternal Word, at EWTN. Prior to coming to EWTN, Dr. Geraghty
taught philosophy for 18 years at the University of Dayton, Providence
College, and St. John’s College Seminary. Dr. Geraghty earned his BA
in philosophy at the University of Dayton, an MA in English from Ohio
State University, and his MA and PhD in philosophy from the University
of Toronto, where his thesis was entitled "The Object of Moral
Philosophy According to St. Thomas Aquinas." Source:
http://www.ewtn.com/faith/QA/expertslist.htm

Jack Wintz, O.F.M., contributing editor of St. Anthony Messenger and a
Franciscan friar for over 45 years, is also the author of a children's
book, St. Francis in San Francisco (Paulist Press, 2001), which
conveys the same Franciscan vision of creation. The book can be
ordered through St. Anthony Messenger Press or online at www.AmericanCatholic.org.
You can learn more about Father Jack at www.friarjack.org.