A Note From Father Eickhoff
May 18, 2025
He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away.”
This verse from today’s second reading is from the Book of Revelation. The idea – no, the knowledge – that sorrow does not, will not, last forever is a source of hope for many people. It is proper that we ask ourselves just how and why sorrow, wailing, or pain will cease in the coming Kingdom of God. It is easiest to start off by saying that these things will truly be rendered non-existent. In other words, they will not be still present but cloaked or buried. Instead, they will truly be completely gone. Sorrow and grief will simply not exist in the Kingdom of God. Nor will they be swept away by some giant rising tide of “bliss” as if the presence of God is some sort of addictive drug that simply swamps out everything in its way. Rather, the Kingdom of God (as fully revealed when Christ returns in glory) will take away the causes of death, mourning, wailing, and pain. These things will not exist for the simple reason that they will not have any basis to exist.
Let me have the Church Father Tertullian of Carthage (2nd and 3rd century AD) explain in his own words:
“If sorrow, and mourning, and sighing and death itself assail us from the afflictions both of soul and body, how shall they be removed, except by the cessation of their causes, that is to say, the afflictions of flesh and soul? Where will you find adversities in the presence of God? Where incursions of an enemy in the bosom of Christ? Where attacks of the devil in the face of the Holy Spirit—now that the devil himself and his angels are “cast into the lake of fire”? Where now is necessity, and what [the pagans] call fortune or fate? What plague awaits the redeemed from death after their eternal pardon? What wrath is there for the reconciled after grace? What weakness after their renewed strength? What risk and danger after their salvation?” ON THE RESURRECTION OF THE FLESH 58.
Quoting Tertullian allows me to write a brief note on his life. You will notice that I did not describe him as “Saint Tertullian.” That is because Tertullian broke from the Catholic Church late in his life as he did not believe that “fallen away Christians” should be readmitted to the Church. Despite that he is one of the most important theologians the Church has ever had and is frequently quoted by all the most recent popes including our new Holy Father Pope Leo XIV in one of his very first public addresses.
Returning to the main point of this article let me point out that as Christians we do not simply look forward to a better or nicer earth in the coming Kingdom of God which is like our present circumstances but more pleasant. Rather we look forward to a new earth in which things will be radically different and which will allow human beings to exercise the full extent of their God given gifts as received and promised in baptism. A life free from all the difficulties and sorrows
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Stephen Eickhoff
Pastor