In Christ, death opens into the uncreated light of glory, because Christ’s death on the Cross overcomes death by death, unveiling the light of glory. Given death opens into uncreated light that overcomes death, revealing uncreated glory, it is an open entrance into realms of light and glory, not what fear dreads. Faith, hope and love know that although fear arises, death itself is not an end but an opening of light into glory, very different from what fear dreads and profoundly other than the catastrophe that terror thinks it is. Death is on its inexorable way, with eternal life at its heart, bringing the day of doom nearer than near, whether it be heaven or hell. Hell is flame but so is heaven, for the flame of the Name is what turns doom’s flame from hell to heaven. If, even now, the hour of flame is present in the midst, fear has nothing to fear, because the Name saves. Death is hallowed harrowing that opens the flame of the Name to uncreated light, opening light to uncreated glory even now, for the day of timeless doom is always present. In Christ, the Spirit opens earth to heaven, wisdom to glory, chronological time to timeless presence that death cannot obscure.
Abiding in Christ, the vulnerabilities of ageing and bodily weakness occur but do not reign, giving scope to the life of glory, through the Holy Spirit, that opens life in Christ to expansive openness. Abiding in the Spirit, Christ opens paradise on earth to glory in heaven, transfiguring illness and death into the opening presence of God. The Father of glory restores glory to glory in Christ, welcoming in the Spirit, temporal openings to timeless openness of light to glory. For where the Father is, love is at home, welcoming Name-hallowing home in the Spirit through Christ. When the soul knocks, the Name of glory answers, ‘Here AM I, I AM, I AM WHO I AM, ever-present in the midst.’ Heaven’s gates are always open to the Name, for the light of its glory is recognised and unfailingly welcomed in. Doomsday is bright openness when the Name awakens hearts to uncreated light, bright love when the Name answers for us in realms of uncreated glory. We fall short of glory, but the Name that saves does not, because doomsday is a holy day for wisdom.
Wisdom is wondrous when heaven opens and glory enters in, inspiring wonder that loves wisdom unveiled at the moment of death. The sting of death cannot poison the Name, so cannot kill God’s remembrance of God in God’s Name. Heaven opens earth in paradise, so that, in God, wisdom opens light to glory in deification. Openings are everywhere, for the Name of mercy bestows peace everywhere. So whatever happens, wisdom opens light to glory at centre, hallowing the Name that saves. Fear naturally dreads the moment of death, but the ascending Cross descends to bless the dying with the uncreated light of grace, hallowing the Name with uncreated glory. Dread turns and sees glory in light, dead to death, alive in light to glory’s delight. Hallowed openings open the Name on earth to hallowed openness in heaven, blessing timely presence with timeless openness. Fear pushes the Name away to what it thinks is a safe distance, but love hallows the Name as a flame of uncreated fire, consuming distance, purifying presence, harrowing hells of separation in fires of boundless love. Opening to light with radical openness, wisdom beholds the glory of presence in realms of uncreated light, witness to hallowing openness in realms of uncreated glory.