Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Catholic
Harry Potter and the Beatific Vision

Harry Potter and the Beatific Vision

Last updated on: November 30, 2022 at 1:04 am by Mark Wilson

3 Comments

Harry Potter and the Beatific Vision 2022-11-30T01:04:14-05:00 Mark Wilson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Nine months before you were born your parents participated in an activity that throw your name into the goblet of existence and thus you entered the tournament of Life. This is much like when somebody throw Harry Potter’s name in the goblet of fire and he entered the Triwizard Tournament. Neither one of you had a say or choice in the matter, you were suddenly cast in a life or death game with spectators all around watching you.

The Triwizard Tournament

The Triwizard Tournament is a series of tasks in which one student from different wizarding schools competes against other students to win a prize, which is eternal glory. This is based on real life wizarding school competitions that J.K. Rowling participated in when she went to her witch school, in which she gained all the information for the Harry Potter stories. There is no verifiable proof for my assertions, you’ll just have to take my word for it. These events are explained in the 4th Harry Potter story ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling - Hardcover ...

In Harry Potter’s second task in the Triwizard Tournament, he has to figure out what to do with the egg he stole from a dragon in the last event. When he opens up the egg it makes this goshawful sound. Eventually he figures out (with help) that if he puts it underwater it gives him a clear concrete understandable message. The message is that he is to go swimming in Black Lake to retrieve someone he cares about from the merpeople. So how is he to accomplish this task?

With a little help from his friends, Harry gets access to Gillyweed. A magical plant that transforms your lungs to gills so you can breathe underwater. It also gives you fins so you can not only breath underwater but swim and navigate underwater. This section of the Harry Potter story serves as my analogy for Christian experiencing the beatific vision in heaven.

The Beatific Vision

Beatific Vision, the immediate knowledge of God which the angelic spirits and the souls of the just enjoy in Heaven. It is called “vision” to distinguish it from the mediate knowledge of .God which the human mind may attain in the present life. And since in beholding God face to face the created intelligence finds perfect happiness, the vision is termed “beatific”. For further explanation of the subject, see Heaven.-E. A. PACE

In order for us to obtain the beatific vision, Jesus has to change us.

“For the Son of God became man so that we might become God.” “The only-begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in his divinity, assumed our nature, so that he, made man, might make men gods.” CCC 460

By our own frail human nature, we would never be able to see, understand or experience God. In this world certain Christian realities seem like a lot of noise until we dip it in God’s truth and it becomes understandable.

‘You cannot see, for no human being can see me and survive.’ Exodus 33:20

Our nature has to be adapted for us to see God. It has to be adapted for us to enter into heaven. We need spiritual gillyweed. We need to change our human lungs into spiritual gills so we can breathe the air of heaven. We need spiritual fins to swim the depths of God. As Harry is plunged into the lake to enter the underwater world, so when we plunge into the waters of Baptism, we enter the spiritual world of God’s. The Eucharist is our Gillyweed that changes our human nature into a godly nature so that we survive in heaven. Heaven is the Eternal Glory we receive as a prize for finishing the race of life.

This is what would happen to our souls if we were to experience God without transformation.

Melting Face GIF | Gfycat

We cannot endure Bliss, Joy, and Endless Delight, not in our current state. We must be thickened up, made more real. The Cosmos over which Christ is King, may be bound up in us, but the Cosmos is no bigger than a hazel nut, is no thing in comparison to the Creator. This is why Moses could not see God’s face and live. He did not have the benefit of the incarnation, but it was the incarnation that likely made his vision possible at all. And yet he would not survive that vision. We might survive longer, but it would kill us in the end. We are dust, however cosmos, and this dust must be made new before it can be ready to dwell in eternity.
David Russell Mosley Time and Eternity: Reflections before the Mass of Christ the King of the Universe (November 26, 2018) Letters from the Edge of Elfland @ Patheos Catholic

Why Can’t We See God Now?

Saint Bridget of Sweden asks this question.

O Judge, I ask you:…. “Why do you not cause your glory to be seen by humans in this life so that they may more fervently desire it?

File:Maso da San Friano - St Bridget of Sweden NY YAG YORAG 850 B ...

God Answers thus…

“My glory cannot be spoken, and it cannot be compared to any other sweetness or goodness. Therefore, if my glory were to be seen as it is, then man’s perishable body would weaken and fail as did the senses of those who saw my glory on the mountain. And also because of the soul’s joy, the body would faint from its labor and would be incapable of physical activities. Therefore, because there is no entrance into heaven without the labor of charity, and so that faith may have its reward and the body may be capable of work, my glory is hidden for a time in order that, through desire and faith, it may be seen all the more fully and happily forever….
From Birgitta of Sweden: Life and Selected Writings, edited by Marguerite Tjader Harris; translation by Albert Ryle Kezel. © 1990 Paulist Press, Inc.

Through Catholic Eyes

When you have Catholic Eyes, you can see catechetical messages hidden everywhere. From everyday occurrences, to the wonders of nature and to the fascinating stories of pop culture. It’s a privilege and joy to be able to take the non-understandable noise of the egg and dip it into a sacramental world view and be able to hear the truth clearly and intelligible. So if anyone ever brings up the topic of Harry Potter, you can now say you learned and got something spiritual out of it. I hope you remember some of these spiritual truths next time you take your spiritual gillyweed and then swim around in the black lake of this life looking for souls to rescue for Christ.

Harry Potter

theology

Previous Post

August 2, 2020

Simple Yesterdays and Harder Todays

Next Post

August 4, 2020 New Media Catholics

Recent Comments

3 Comments | Leave a Comment

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 1889 abortion adoption Advent After Life Angles apologetics Art Awards BCCT bible book review books business Carmelite Catechetics Catholic Actors catholic authors Catholic Bard Catholic Faith Catholic List Catholic Rigorous Vortex Christian Authors Christmas church teaching civil conversation coronavirus Current Events death Different Religions Divine Mercy Easter Education encouragment Entertainment Eucharist Evangelization Event faith Family Life famous people feast day food Fun Stuff Global Church God guest post Harry Potter healing Heck of a Ride Around the Sun history holiday Holy Family Holy Orders Holy Spirit Holy Week hope Humor Interview Ireland Jesus kindle unlimited reflections Last Things Lecto Divina with Kristin Lent Lent/Easter liturgy love marriage Mary Meet the Author Mission Month in Advance Movie Review Movies Movies of the Month Music Narrative Older Writings patheos authors personal Philosophy podcasts poetry political Politics pope prayer Private Revelation pro-life public domain Quotes racial relations racism reflection Religious Life Saints science Scriptural Meditation social justice Social Media spirituality suffering supernatural theology Topics Travel Trivia Tweeting to the Choir Uncategorized universal church Vatican virtue war Week in Review women world religions writing Writing Write Now

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does the Hebrew word 'Shema' mean?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Bless Obey Hear Rejoice

Books by This Author Books by Catholic Bard

See All Titles »