Related Articles
Introduction: When the Heart Seeks the Eternal
There are questions that run through the whole history of humanity—questions that never fade with time because they arise from the deepest part of the soul. Who is God? What does it mean that He is eternal? How can He be “Being itself”? And above all, what does all this have to do with my concrete life, with my daily concerns, with my fears and hopes?
Speaking about the eternity and the being of God is not an abstract exercise reserved for philosophers or theologians. It is, in fact, an invitation to discover the ultimate foundation of our existence. Because if God is eternal and is Being itself, then everything we are and everything we live has its root in Him.
This article aims to be precisely that: an accessible yet profound guide to entering into the mystery of God from philosophy and Catholic theology, with a pastoral perspective that helps us live better today.
1. The Original Wonder: The Question of Being
From the earliest philosophers, such as Parmenides and Aristotle, the human person has perceived that everything that exists participates in something deeper. Things change, are born, and die, yet something remains.
Here arises the great intuition: if everything that exists changes, there must be something that does not change. If everything that is, is “through another,” there must be a Being that is “through itself.”
This intuition finds its fullness in Christian theology, especially in the work of Saint Thomas Aquinas, who affirms that God is not “one being among others,” but rather Being itself subsisting (Ipsum Esse Subsistens).
This means something revolutionary:
- God does not have being… He is Being.
- God does not exist like creatures… He is existence itself.
- He depends on nothing… everything depends on Him.
2. “I Am Who I Am”: The Revelation of the Eternal Being
Philosophy reaches a certain point. But it is divine revelation that fully illuminates this mystery.
In the book of Exodus, God reveals Himself to Moses with a name that contains the whole theology of being:
“I am who I am” (Exodus 3:14)
This statement is not merely an identification. It is an ontological declaration:
- God does not change.
- God does not begin or end.
- God does not depend on time.
Here we enter into the mystery of divine eternity.
3. What Does It Mean That God Is Eternal?
We often think of eternity as “a lot of time” or “infinite time.” But that is insufficient.
Classical theology teaches that God’s eternity is not duration, but the fullness of being without time.
Saint Augustine expresses it masterfully:
“In eternity nothing passes, everything is present.”
This has profound implications:
- God does not live in the past or the future.
- God does not wait or remember.
- God is an eternal present.
For us, time is a succession: past → present → future.
For God, everything is an absolute “now.”
4. God as the Foundation of All That Exists
If God is Being itself and is eternal, then everything that exists:
- Exists because God sustains it.
- Remains because God wills it.
- Has meaning because God orders it.
Saint Paul summarizes this with a phrase of enormous depth:
“In Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28)
This completely changes our vision of the world:
- We are not the result of chance.
- We are not isolated beings.
- We are not abandoned.
We live constantly sustained by God.
5. The Difference Between God and Creatures
Here it is essential to understand a fundamental distinction:
| God | Creatures |
|---|---|
| Is Being | Has being |
| Is eternal | Exists in time |
| Is necessary | Is contingent |
| Does not change | Constantly changes |
We could have not existed. God, however, cannot not exist.
This is not a limitation, but His absolute perfection.
6. Eternity and the Problem of Suffering
One of the most current questions is:
If God is eternal and perfect, why does He allow evil and suffering?
From the perspective of eternity:
- God sees the complete whole of history.
- We see only fragments.
What is incomprehensible to us in the present may have meaning within God’s eternal plan.
This does not eliminate pain, but it gives it a horizon:
“We know that all things work together for good for those who love God” (Romans 8:28)
7. Christ: The Bridge Between Time and Eternity
Christianity does not remain in philosophical abstraction. God enters history.
In Jesus Christ something extraordinary happens:
- The Eternal enters time.
- The Immutable assumes flesh.
- Being itself becomes close.
This has immense value for our spiritual life:
- God is not a distant idea.
- God knows our human experience.
- God has lived suffering, joy, and death.
Christ is the bridge between our temporality and divine eternity.
8. Practical Applications: Living from Eternity
All of this may seem elevated, but it has very concrete consequences.
8.1. Relativizing What Is Passing
If God is eternal, then:
- Our problems are not absolute.
- Our concerns are not definitive.
This does not mean ignoring reality, but placing it in perspective.
8.2. Seeking What Endures
Jesus says it clearly:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth…” (Matthew 6:19)
Living from eternity means:
- Prioritizing the spiritual.
- Cultivating the interior life.
- Investing in what does not pass: love, faith, truth.
8.3. Learning to Live the Present
If God is an eternal present, the place where we encounter Him is now.
- Not in nostalgia for the past.
- Not in anxiety about the future.
But in the present moment lived with God.
8.4. Trusting in God’s Plan
God’s eternity invites us to trust:
- He sees what we do not see.
- He guides what we do not understand.
This translates into a concrete spiritual attitude: trusting surrender.
9. Prayer as an Encounter with the Eternal
When we pray, something remarkable happens:
- We do not “call” a distant God.
- We enter into the presence of the Eternal.
Prayer is, in a certain sense, a foretaste of eternity.
That is why even a few minutes of prayer:
- Orders the soul.
- Brings peace.
- Illuminates life.
10. Christian Hope: Beyond Time
Finally, all of this culminates in hope:
Life does not end in death. We are called to participate in God’s eternity.
Not as an endless existence, but as:
- Fullness of love.
- Fullness of truth.
- Fullness of life.
Heaven is not “a lot of time,” it is being in God.
Conclusion: Living with Our Feet on the Ground and Our Hearts in Eternity
Reflecting on the eternity and being of God does not distance us from the world; it helps us live it better.
It teaches us to:
- Not absolutize what is passing.
- Not despair in the face of suffering.
- Not lose meaning.
Because in the end, everything points to a simple and transformative truth:
Our life has an eternal foundation.
And that foundation is not an idea, but a living God who sustains us, loves us, and calls us to share in His own eternity.
