Death is nothing, but death is a word, and for that matter so is nothing and makes us think of something. The animals don`t think or talk about death because they can`t think or talk, but they do die. Is there language in the other side of death, John`s gospel refers to Jesus as the Word in eternity, does this tell us anything or is it just another way of talking about the next world in terms of this world? What will the next world be like, will we be able to enjoy a nice chat in heaven, the trouble is it suggests the passing of time, and there is no time in heaven, what will that be like? The truth is we have no idea what the next world will be like.
It`s November, the time of year we Catholics do think about death and the next world, we even think we can influence what happens in the next world. Where do the dead go, where are the dead now? These are questions the people of the past have asked and answered them in many different ways. Many people nowadays think there is nothing beyond death. We Catholics think there is heaven, hell and purgatory, if the dead are in one of the first two, that`s where they`ll stay, but if they are in purgatory, we can help them with our prayers to move on to heaven. The Church`s doctrine of purgatory has always seemed to me a bit clumsy, to some it has seemed nothing more than a money making enterprise. But it seems realistic to be able to pray if our dead are not in heaven now, they will be.