After Life (1997)

What's the one thing that every human being have in common, no matter of race or creed, of financial status or influence?

Death.

We all die. It is as natural to our existence as is our birth.

The book After Life, by Michael H. Brown uses in-depth research of near death experiences as well as visions from various religious to try and get his hands about what we can expect after we die. Inclusive in this short book are visions of Heaven, Hell and Purgatory.

Non-Catholics struggle with the concept of Purgatory. The short of it is, God is perfection. If we die with any sin or having committed grave sins in our lifetime, we are far from perfect and to assume we are worthy of immediate entry into the presence of the Creator simply because we were a good person... well, that doesn't really make sense.

Perfection cannot coexist with imperfection.

So how do we become perfect? The same way we grow here on Earth... through struggle. Through purification. In a place called Purgatory.

Purgatory fulfills two purposes... to cleanse us from our sin and to break us from attraction to sin... you know, those same sins we do over and over again. What makes us attracted to that sin? Well, whatever draws us toward sin also draws us away from God, so that attraction must be broken and we must be cleansed.

Only saints... extremely holy people, who have so little sin and history of sin to keep them from a near immediate presence into Heaven and allowed in the same room with the Almighty.

For the rest of us... there's Purgatory.

In After Life, Brown, using as many sources and resources as he could find, tries to piece together what our eventual and eternal location is like, whether that be Heaven, Hell or Purgatory. Hell, of course, is a dark and sad place, full of people who refuse to love God, to acknowledge him, those who have abused the sacraments and those who have pulled people away from God. It is dark and sinister and perverse. His descriptions are very disturbing.

Purgatory contains various levels from darkness to light. The more purified we become, the lighter it gets, until we are escorted into Heaven by the Virgin Mary or Michael, the Arc Angel.

Heaven is beyond our comprehension... as if all of our senses were magnified a million times. It is as if we are swimming in a bright and luminous love.

Brown also uses Marian messages from various apparitions where Mary talks about these three places and the work we must do to avoid damnation. One thing in particular stuck out in my mind... it is very simple, but very profound.

As Brown puts it, "every second here counts."

Every second, what are our thoughts, our feelings, our generosity, our focus... Jesus and God will judge us on every second of our lives. We are held responsible for every moment here, not just the big events.

He also mentions that our judgment is immediate and, once in the celestial arena, you fully agree with the outcome because you finally "get it." You understand the big picture. What it all means. And what your life meant in regards to it.

After Life is a very quick read... just over 100 pages, but it is a very interesting read.

How can we really know what is next after our soul is released from our bodies? No one can truly ever know until we die. But Brown's After Life does an admiral job trying to use what little information that is available to give us a possible hint at what is to come and what we can expect.

Someday I'll see you all on the other side.