By Shanaz Joan Parsan
Abstract
This study completes a theological trilogy on angelology by exploring humanity’s final participation in the celestial order through the Communion of Saints and the restoration of creation. Drawing on Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Augustine, and Joseph Ratzinger, it presents heaven not as static perfection but as dynamic communion. The essay examines how redeemed humanity is integrated into the angelic hierarchy, how resurrection unites the material and spiritual orders, and how eternal life fulfills the divine plan of harmony disrupted by the fall of angels and men alike. In the end, all creation—visible and invisible—finds its unity in Christ, the Logos through whom all things were made and for whom all things exist.
1. Introduction – Heaven as Communion, Not Isolation
In modern imagination, heaven is often conceived as static serenity, an eternal pause. Catholic theology, however, understands it as communion—an eternal participation in the Trinitarian life of God. The Catechism (§1024) defines heaven as “the perfect life with the Most Holy Trinity, the communion of life and love with the Trinity, the Virgin Mary, the angels, and all the blessed.”
The resurrection of humanity and the permanence of angels converge in one divine purpose: that all creation should glorify God in unity. The Communion of Saints is therefore not merely a fellowship of human souls but the integration of redeemed creation into the celestial hierarchy—an eternal liturgy of love.
2. The Restoration of Order
The rebellion of the fallen angels fractured cosmic harmony. Sin introduced disharmony into the fabric of being. Yet God’s providence never ceased; the Logos entered history to repair what was broken. As St. Paul writes, “In Christ all things in heaven and on earth are reconciled” (Col 1:20).
This reconciliation includes not only humanity but the angels themselves. The faithful angels rejoice at human salvation (Lk 15:10) because it completes what was lost. St. Thomas Aquinas teaches (ST I q.63 a.9) that the vacant places of the fallen angels will be filled by redeemed humans, who, united to Christ, will participate in the beatific vision alongside the heavenly choirs.
Redemption thus restores symmetry to creation: what rebellion destroyed, humility rebuilds.
3. The Communion of Saints and the Celestial Hierarchy
The Communion of Saints expresses the unity of the Church on earth, in purgatory, and in glory. Yet it extends beyond the human family to include the angels who continually intercede before God. In the liturgy, this communion becomes visible: “Therefore with Angels and Archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we proclaim Your glory…”
Aquinas describes heaven as hierarchical participation in the divine light. The blessed do not all receive equal glory, but all are perfectly satisfied according to capacity. Likewise, the saints will join the ranks of angels not by nature but by grace, each fulfilling a specific role within the celestial body. Humanity’s vocation is not replacement but integration—the visible world finding its eternal harmony with the invisible.
4. The Resurrection and the Transfiguration of Creation
The resurrection is the moment when the material and spiritual orders are permanently reconciled. St. Paul declares: “The creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God” (Rom 8:19). The glorified body of Christ is the prototype of the renewed cosmos—a fusion of spirit and matter under divine governance.
St. Augustine writes in The City of God (XXII.1) that in the resurrection, “the peace of the body shall answer to the peace of the soul, and both shall be perfect in the peace of God.” The angels, as pure spirits, already experience this peace; redeemed humanity will share it bodily. Thus heaven will not be disembodied spirit but embodied harmony—matter spiritualized, spirit incarnate in glory.
The restoration of creation is therefore sacramental in scope: what was divided by sin becomes one in praise.
5. The Economy of Intercession
In the Communion of Saints, prayer is the currency of unity. Angels intercede by perfect contemplation; humans intercede through faith and charity. The saints, as glorified members of Christ’s body, now exercise angelic functions—interceding, guarding, and guiding.
St. John’s vision in Revelation (5:8) shows both angels and saints offering incense before the throne: “The prayers of the holy ones rise as sweet fragrance before God.” This is the mystical expression of one Church across dimensions—earthly, purgatorial, celestial.
In this communion, the barrier between visible and invisible dissolves. Love is the sole medium of exchange.
6. Eternalism and the Communion of Glory
The mystery of eternal life transcends chronological time. Angels, existing outside time, behold all creation in the divine present. Humanity, once glorified, will enter this same eternal simultaneity—not losing individuality, but gaining participation in God’s timeless vision.
St. Thomas teaches (ST I–II q.3) that the beatific vision is the direct seeing of God’s essence, an act that satisfies every intellect because it unites finite knowing with infinite truth. In that eternal moment, all temporal distinctions—past, present, future—are gathered into one. The Communion of Saints thus becomes a communion of presence. Every soul, angelic or human, will dwell in God’s eternal “now,” fully known and fully loved.
In this light, eternity is not an infinite succession but an infinite intimacy.
7. The Angels and the Saints: Unity in Diversity
Though different in nature, angels and saints share a common vocation—to love and serve God eternally. Angels mirror divine order; saints mirror divine mercy. Together they form the complete image of God’s goodness: intellect and compassion, contemplation and redemption.
In liturgy and prayer, this unity is already anticipated. The Eucharist is the threshold where time meets eternity, where human voices join angelic choirs. The Preface of the Mass proclaims: “With angels and archangels and all the hosts and powers of heaven, we sing the hymn of Your glory…”
Here, heaven is not distant but present. The Church on earth, purified and glorified, becomes the Church of heaven in embryo.
8. The Restoration of the Cosmos
The eschatological vision of Revelation 21 describes a “new heaven and a new earth.” This is not annihilation but transformation. The universe will be transfigured into sacrament—every atom luminous with divine presence. Evil will not be merely restrained but entirely emptied of meaning.
Joseph Ratzinger writes in Eschatology: Death and Eternal Life that “the world will become transparent to God, and God’s light will be the form of all being.” In this restored creation, angels and humanity together will manifest the eternal liturgy, the perfect act of love that is both rest and motion.
Heaven, in the Catholic vision, is not escape from the world but its fulfillment.
9. The Final Victory of Love
The Communion of Saints is the final answer to the rebellion of Lucifer. Where he said, “I will not serve,” the saints eternally say, “Be it done unto me according to Your word.” Service becomes glory; humility becomes exaltation.
The angels, once tested by obedience, now rejoice to see in humanity the reflection of their own fidelity. The saints, raised by grace, complete the choirs of heaven. Together they form what St. Paul calls “the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Eph 1:23).
The cosmic liturgy will never end because love has no terminus. In that communion, all divisions—angelic and human, matter and spirit, time and eternity—will dissolve into a single act of worship: God all in all (1 Cor 15:28).
10. Conclusion – The Harmony Restored
The story of creation, rebellion, and redemption resolves not in destruction but in harmony. The angels remind humanity of obedience; humanity reminds the angels of mercy. Both orders converge in Christ, through whom all creation becomes one hymn of praise.
The fallen are defeated, not by might but by humility. The saints and angels together will behold God face to face, their distinct voices joined in one song. This is the meaning of the Communion of Saints: that love is stronger than separation, and that eternity itself is communion.
In the end, there will be no hierarchy of rivalry—only degrees of light in one eternal dawn.
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth… and I heard a loud voice saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling of God is with men’” (Rev 21:1–3).
References (APA 7th)
Aquinas, T. (1947). Summa Theologiae (Vol. 1, qq. 63–64, 106–114). Benziger Brothers.
Augustine, A. (1998). The City of God (H. Bettenson, Trans.). Penguin Classics.
Catechism of the Catholic Church. (1997). 2nd ed. Libreria Editrice Vaticana.
Holy Bible (RSV-CE). (2006). Ignatius Press.
Ratzinger, J. (1988). Eschatology: Death and Eternal Life. Catholic University of America Press.
Vatican II. (1964). Lumen Gentium. Vatican Press.
Vatican II. (1965). Gaudium et Spes. Vatican Press.