Dear Ginny:

I am amazed and astounded. Your relatives apparently value life on earth more than life in heaven. Amazing. The fullness of life is not found on this Earth. The fullness of life is with God in heaven. Babies who die are in a far better place and are enjoying life in heaven. What better place to be?

I am always amused by people who believe in reincarnation, that is, Americans who believe in reincarnation. These people haven't the slightest idea what reincarnation is really about. For one thing reincarnation does not mean that one will come back as a human being. One may come back as a cockroach. That is why Buddhist, for example, will not kill cockroaches. I read about a Buddhist monastery that actually moved the monastery to someplace else rather than kill the infestation of cockroaches that had literally taken over their current monastery. The reason for this is because these cockroaches maybe their ancestors.

Ever notice that people who believe in reincarnation always seem to believe they are reincarnated for some celebrity or some noble or important person in history? It is not so glamorous to think that one has been reincarnated from a cockroach or that when one dies their own reincarnation will be to a cockroach.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church definitively settles the argument from a doctrinal point-of-view, of which your relatives will not except, of course. But we must begin with the official teaching of the Church:

1022 “Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ: either entrance into the blessedness of heaven—through a purification or immediately, — or immediate and everlasting damnation.”

As one commentator remarked: Jesus says to the "good thief", "Today you will be with me in paradise!" He did not say "well, in the next life you will know better".

Here are some articles that explain and refute Reincarnation:

Does the Bible teach reincarnation?

Does the undeserved suffering of innocents point to the reality of reincarnation?

Perhaps the best and most comprehensive analysis on the question of reincarnation is the article: Reincarnation Western-Style: the Resurgence of Age-old Superstition in a Scientific Era

Hopefully, you will find what you need in these articles.

Keep in mind, however, that it is your job only to explain the truth, not to convince. We should explain the faith as persuasively as possible, but it is the Holy Spirit who does the convincing. If we keep that in mind we can hopefully avoid negative argumentation.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary