Eternity of soul.
All we need to worry about in this life is eternity. Eternity means never ending life of the soul, can we imagine this? NEVER ENDING LIFE? The soul is eternal, although some people do not believe in this reality nor in resurrection nor in life after death. The soul is eternal and is naturally inclined to eternal happiness, to perfect justification of goodness rewarded and evil punished, which cannot be achieved in temporal life. False philosophy of life, hatred of the Son of God and its consequences are all summarized in chapter 2 of the Book of Wisdom (1-25): "For they have said, reasoning with themselves, but not right: The time of our life is short and tedious, and in the end of a man there is no remedy, and no man hath been known to have returned from hell. For we are born of nothing, and after this we shall be as if we had not been: for the breath in our nostrils is smoke: and speech a spark to move our heart, Which being put out, our body shall be ashes, and our spirit shall be poured abroad as soft air, and our life shall pass away as the trace of a cloud, and shall be dispersed as a mist, which is driven away by the beams of the sun, and overpowered with the heat thereof. And our name in time shall be forgotten, and no man shall have any remembrance of our works. For our time is as the passing of a shadow, and there is no going back of our end: for it is fast sealed, and no man returneth. Come therefore, and let us enjoy the good things that are present, and let us speedily use the creatures as in youth. Let us fill ourselves with costly wine, and ointments: and let not the flower of the time pass by us. Let us crown ourselves with roses, before they be withered: let no meadow escape our riot. Let none of us go without his part in luxury: let us everywhere leave tokens of joy: for this is our portion, and this our lot. Let us oppress the poor just man, and not spare the widow, nor honour the ancient grey hairs of the aged. But let our strength be the law of justice: for that which is feeble, is found to be nothing worth. Let us therefore lie in wait for the just, because he is not for our turn, and he is contrary to our doings, and upbraideth us with transgressions of the law, and divulgeth against us the sins of our way of life. He boasteth that he hath the knowledge of God, and calleth himself the son of God. He is become a censurer of our thoughts. He is grievous unto us, even to behold: for his life is not like other men's, and his ways are very different. We are esteemed by him as triflers, and he abstaineth from our ways as from filthiness, and he preferreth the latter end of the just, and glorieth that he hath God for his father. Let us see then if his words be true, and let us prove what shall happen to him, and we shall know what his end shall be. For if he be the true son of God, he will defend him, and will deliver him from the hands of his enemies. Let us examine him by outrages and tortures, that we may know his meekness and try his patience. Let us condemn him to a most shameful death: for there shall be respect had unto him by his words. These things they thought, and were deceived: for their own malice blinded them. And they knew not the secrets of God, nor hoped for the wages of justice, nor esteemed the honour of holy souls. For God created man incorruptible, and to the image of his own likeness he made him. But by the envy of the devil, death came into the world: And they follow him that are of his side." In this chapter Old Testament people's beliefs are presented. Our Lord warns us in these words: "And I say to you my friends: Be not afraid of them who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do, But I will shew you whom you shall fear: fear ye him, who after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell. Yea, I say to you, fear him." (Luke 12:4), and in the Gospel of St Matthew: "And fear ye not them that kill the body, and are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him that can destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matt 10:28). Therefore Credo passage: "I belive in...life everlasting" can be ignored only by fools. The soul has only two ends, eternal heaven or eternal hell. There is no other choice. Achieving the Christian perfection should be therefore seek after. In every situation of life, facing difficult choices, we need to ask ourselves simple question: "How does it relate to my salvation?", remembering also St Paul's warning: "Be not conformed to this world " (Rom 12;2).
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