Theological Foundations new file

171 CHAPTER SIX THE ESCHATOLOGICAL DIRECTION OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE There is a chapter in every textbook of Catholic theology which deals with the ultimate things concerning man and reveals the prospect of attaining the fullness of our humanity when God’s gift of our becoming His adoptive sons will be realized in the heavenly kingdom. The Church makes it possible for the faithful to achieve this fullness because it is in the Church that, by the grace of God, they acquire holiness and thus the right to the glory of heaven. The universe itself will also partake in this fullness, the universe which is so closely related to man and which attains its destiny through him. The universe, too, will be perfectly reestablished in Christ (cf. KK 48). 1 Such assumptions are also present in Father Stanislaus Papczynski’s teaching. The ultimate fate of man is one of the leading subjects of his teaching. Man’s entire relation to God, his involvement in the life of the Church, his relation to the Mother of Christ should bear fruit in the form of eternal happiness in heaven. In his discussion of the ultimate things concerning man and the world, the author reveals this future reality towards which every man should draw. Father George Matulaitis-Matulewicz treats these matters in a little different manner. In his writings we do not find the apocalyptic images so typical for Father Papczynski, but man’s ultimate fate and the matter of aiding the souls of the deceased through prayer are also close to his heart. Two common areas can be distinguished in the writings of the two authors: the first one encompasses what relates to the ultimate fate of each individual person, and the other, what concerns the fate of all humankind and the universe. Both of these spheres should prompt a Christian to constant vigilance and prayer.