What is the Catholic understanding of 'eternity'?

Recently, Archbishop Bernard Longley was a keynote speaker at a unique interfaith event that examined how followers of the world's major religions viewed eternity, and how a knowledge of eternity can help us to make the most of the life that we have now.

Organised by The Centre for the Art of Dying Well and the Institute for Theology and Liberal Arts at St Mary’s University, the Archbishop of Birmingham gave the Christian perspective, explaining that "the starting point for understanding eternity is in our relationship with the person of Jesus Christ - God’s eternal son.

"We believe through his life, his death and the resurrection - his rising form the dead that grace by grace, God has shared with humanity the fruits of eternal life."

In the Catholic tradition, at the moment of death, the Archbishop said that: "prayers are offered which not only bring comfort and consolation to the departing soul, but also give reassurances of life - that life which is to come at the end of this earthly life."

The five other main speakers alongside Archbishop Longley were: Rabbi Yossi Jacobs, The Chief Minister of the Birmingham Hebrew Congregation, Singers Hill Synagogue; Simon Romer, Teacher of Buddhism; Anjana Shelat, Midland region coordinator of Hindu Mandir Network UK, Trustee at Shree Laxmi Narayan Temple; Dr. Gopinder Sagoo, from the Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewa Jatha community in Birmingham, and Mohammad Asad MBE, lead Imam at Birmingham Central Mosque.

Podcast

This Catholic News podcast carries an interview with Archbishop Longley recorded a few days before the event. Use the embeded player at the top of this page to listen or use the subscribe links below.

It was part of the bi-monthly 'Art of Dying Well' podcast. Listen here.

Subscribe

You can subscribe to our Catholic News podcasts via Apple Podcasts, Amazon/Audible or Spotify.