Today’s Office of Readings includes a section from the treatise entitled, “The Remission” written by St. Fulgentius of Ruspe. He speaks of the end times for each of us personally.
Here is a snippet (my translation of the Italian):
“Grace first works, as divine gift, a renewed spiritual resurrection by means of an interior justification. Then there will come a resurrection of the body that perfects our justified state. The final transformation will consist of glory. But this change will be definitive for eternity.
“It is through this that the faithful pass by successive transformations of justification, then resurrection and then glorification, for this remains unchangeable for eternity.
“The first change occurs here through illumination and conversion, that is from the passing from death to life, from sin to justification, from infidelity to faith, from evil acts to a holy manner of life. Those that are raised by this resurrection do not undergo a second death. These are those of whom the Apocalypse speaks: ‘Blessed and holy are those that take part in the first resurrection. Death no longer has power over them.’ (Ap. 20,6)
“In the same book it is said: ‘The victor will not be struck by a second death’ (Ap. 2,11). Therefore, just as the first resurrection consists of the conversion of heart, so to does the second death consists sin eternal torture.”
I like how he describes this process of conversion and glorification. In this life, we work to justify ourselves by faith and conversion from sin. We experience then, a sort of spiritual resurrection, as we celebrate in Baptism especially, and the sacraments of Penance and of the Sick. In the world to come we will experience the raising of our bodies on the last day, and the just will be glorified with God in heaven; the unjust will experience eternal death.
What a wonderful journey we are on! Be not afraid! As long as we keep ourselves in the race, God will see to it that we are awarded the victor’s prize!
