14/08/19 14:28
What is Eternity?
I was reminded yesterday of a description of eternity from one of my favorite novels, A Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man, by James Joyce. In Chapter three the main character is attending a retreat where the subject of eternity is discussed. The description, very simply goes like this. Imagine a stack of sand a million miles wide and a million miles high. Every million years a bird, that can lift only one grain of sand in its beak comes and takes that grain and moves it. When the bird after all of those millions and millions of years has finally moved the last grain of sand, eternity would only be beginning.
Now Joyce is certainly referring to an eternity of hell when he writes about it in the novel. So there is a notion of condemnation that exists. Now imagine yourself condemned for that period of time to the fires of hell. Eternity in this fashion is certainly not something we like to think about, especially given our current attitude about sin. Yes, God’s forgiveness is always available for us and we are always loved by God. It baffles me therefore, why we don’t avail ourselves to this forgiveness more often in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
But if we can define eternity by the small bird taking one grain of sand every million years, why can’t we apply that to the eternity heaven as well. This should bring us comfort knowing that if we approach God through the priest that forgiveness and this gift of eternal life can be ours. So think about where we need to be made clean and then use the beauty of the sacrament to make that happen.