Is There Any Evidence Of An Afterlife? - Sanctuaire de Montligeon

When we lose a loved one, the pain of separation often raises many questions. What has become of that person? What happened to them? We shared their life for years. They meant so much to us. Are they gone forever?

The emptiness we feel creates a deep sadness within us. It also raises a question—one that can sometimes be nagging. We would like to know what their fate is. Is there life after death? So we look for evidence. This desire is entirely understandable and part of our human nature: in Scripture, does God not give us proof of his love? What purpose do the miracles in the Gospels serve—especially the resurrections performed by Jesus—if not to show that He is the Son of God? So, what do we know about the afterlife?

Communication with the dead

Others seek to communicate with their deceased loved ones, particularly through what is known as channeling. Victor Hugo lost a daughter in her early years. After this tragedy, he practiced spiritualism. He claimed to have spoken with his daughter’s spirit. According to him, she gave him very personal answers that only she could have known. The problem is that we do not know who we are actually speaking to with in these cases: is it really the person who is responding? Who is our interlocutor? We don’t know, and very often, without realizing it, we are making contact with spirits that are not benevolent. Furthermore, such curiosity has nothing to do with faith: in the Bible, King Saul was punished for summoning the spirit of Samuel, who had trained him but had since died; the king had thus put himself in God’s place by seeking to know and control the future (see 1 Samuel 28:3–25).

Entrust your loved ones to the prayer of the Shrine

Near death experiences

Some people—including scientists—claim that they had “near-death experiences.” Several people report that after being clinically declared dead, they saw their bodies from the outside. They then observed their loved ones gathered around them. Many also report a review of their lives —sometimes called a “ panoramic review of life”—followed by the sight of a long tunnel with a brilliant light at the end. But these accounts generally do not go beyond this observation, since these people did not die and we know nothing more. What lies beyond?

Apparitions of souls

There are also genuine apparitions of the souls of the deceased, but they remain extremely rare. Allow us to share an amusing anecdote. In Rome, on the banks of the Tiber, the Church of the Sacred Heart of Suffrage has a small museum dedicated to the souls in purgatory. On display there is a bundle of banknotes bearing the imprint of a hand. According to tradition, this money was given by a priest who died suddenly to one of his fellow priests, to whom he appeared to ask him to celebrate Masses for his repose. Eager to have his request granted quickly, he even brought him the amount needed to cover the cost of those Masses.

These apparitions are considered private revelations. Like the apparitions of the Virgin Mary or the saints, they can strengthen the faith of those who receive them. However, they are not necessary for salvation and remain subordinate to the public Revelation transmitted in the Old Testament and fully fulfilled in Christ. Life after death is beyond our human grasp: it is not something we can experience, and we know only what God chooses to reveal to us about it.

The Church’s teaching

As the Church teaches, there are two types of knowledge. The first is natural knowledge, which is based on reason and experience; it is at work in the sciences and philosophy. The second is supernatural knowledge, based on what God has chosen to reveal to us. Eternal life belongs to this realm. In his Revelation, the Lord has revealed to us everything we need to direct our lives toward him. We are called to accept these truths in faith. Thus, Jesus, through his death and resurrection, has shown us the path that leads to eternal life. By embracing his teaching, we can grow “in the hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began” (Letter to Titus 1:2).

Our faith is based on what Christ has taught. The Bible is the primary source of this teaching. It therefore has the nature of a public revelation, intended for everyone; it does not provide guidance on specific cases, nor does it allow us to know the fate of our deceased family members or friends who have passed away. In other words, it provides us with an objective answer by showing us what our hope is and what the destiny of humankind is; but it does not intend to provide a subjective or personal answer. We know what Jesus says in general terms, but not in any specific case.

This situation can be trying for us. Indeed, we would like to know what has become of our deceased loved ones. We are called to live through this with faith and trust. Let us therefore ask the Lord for the graces to live this surrender. This will be our merit in the future: “Abraham believed in the Lord, and the Lord credited it to him as righteousness” (Gen. 15:6).