The Four Last Things Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell Agenda

1 Life Everlasting 2 Death 3 Judgment 4 Hell 5 Heaven 6 Your Destiny 1. Life Everlasting “I believe in…the life everlasting. Amen” Apostles Creed

We all sense a desire for something more than this world. • “Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in thee” (St. Augustine, Confessions, 1.1.1, Polkington trans.)

We all sense the intrinsic value of people.

• “Man is called to a fullness of life which far exceeds the dimensions of his earthly existence, because it consists in sharing the very life of God” (St. John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, 1.2) Cf. 2 Peter 1:4 “I believe in…the life everlasting. Amen” Apostles Creed

We have the ability to reason about abstractions.

• “The operation of anything follows the mode of its being” (St. , Summa Theologica, 1.75.3). Thus the Church rejects annihilationism. “ The Church teaches that every spiritual is created immediately by God—it is not “produced” by the parents— and also that it is immortal: it does not perish when it separates from the body at death, and it will be reunited with the body at the final Resurrection. d”

Catechism of the Catholic Church, Para. 366 Thus the Church rejects reincarnation. “ Death is the end of man's earthly pilgrimage, of the time of grace and mercy which God offers him so as to work out his earthly life in keeping with the divine plan, and to decide his ultimate destiny. When “the single course of our earthly life” is completed, we shall not return to other earthly lives: “It is appointed for men to die once.” There is no d “reincarnation” after death. ”

Catechism of the Catholic Church, Para. 1013 (Cf. Lumen Gentium 48, 3; Hebrews 9:27) Two Arguments Against Reincarnation 1. Absence of Maturity Tertullian: “For all men are imbued with an infant soul at their birth. But how happens it that a man who dies in old age returns to life as an infant? . . . I ask, then, how the same are resumed, which can offer no proof of their identity, either by their disposition, or habits, or living? (A Treatise on the Soul 31).

St. Irenaeus: “If we don’t remember anything before our conception, then how do advocates of reincarnation know we’ve all been reincarnated?” (Against Heresies 2.33.1). Two Arguments Against Reincarnation 2. Population Growth Tertullian: “If the living come from the dead, just as the dead proceed from the living, then there must always remain unchanged one and the selfsame number of mankind” (A Treatise on the Soul, 30). 2. Death “It is appointed to men to die…” Hebrews 9:27

Death: The separation of body and soul at the end of one’s life.

“Therefore as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all men sinned” (Rom. 5:12)

“For in the day that you eat of it you shall die” (Gn. 2:17)

“You are dust and to dust you shall return” (Gn. 3:19)

Psalm 90 “It is appointed to men to die…” Hebrews 9:27

Jesus transformed the curse of death into a blessing.

“‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?’” (1 Cor 15:54–55)

“So that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Christ our Lord.” (Rom. 5:21)

“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (Rom. 6:3–4) “It is appointed to men to die…” Hebrews 9:27

“It is in regard to death that man's condition is most shrouded in doubt.” In a sense bodily death is natural, but for faith it is in fact “the wages of sin.” For those who die in Christ's grace it is a participation in the death of the Lord, so that they can also share his Resurrection (CCC, 1006).

Death is a consequence of sin. The Church's Magisterium, as authentic interpreter of the affirmations of Scripture and Tradition, teaches that death entered the world on account of man's sin. Even though man's nature is mortal God had destined him not to die. Death was therefore contrary to the plans of God the Creator and entered the world as a consequence of sin. “Bodily death, from which man would have been immune had he not sinned” is thus “the last enemy” of man left to be conquered (CCC, 1008). “It is appointed to men to die…” Hebrews 9:27

Death is transformed by Christ. Jesus, the Son of God, also himself suffered the death that is part of the human condition. Yet, despite his anguish as he faced death, he accepted it in an act of complete and free submission to his Father's will. The obedience of Jesus has transformed the curse of death into a blessing (CCC, 1009).

Because of Christ, Christian death has a positive meaning: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” “The saying is sure: if we have died with him, we will also live with him.” What is essentially new about Christian death is this: through Baptism, the Christian has already “died with Christ” sacramentally, in order to live a new life; and if we die in Christ's grace, physical death completes this “dying with Christ” and so completes our incorporation into him in his redeeming act” (CCC, 1010). A Prayer

“ Lord, for your faithful people life is changed, not ended. When the body of our earthly dwelling lies in death we gain an everlasting dwelling place in heaven. d”

Roman Missal, Preface of Christian Death I. A Prayer “ Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us sinners now and

at the hour of our death. d”

Hail Mary A Prayer

“ O BLESSED JOSEPH, who yielded up thy last breath in the arms of Jesus and Mary, obtain for me this grace, O holy Joseph, that I may breathe forth my soul in praise, saying in spirit, if I am unable to do so in words: “Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I give Thee my heart and my soul.” Amen. d”

Prayer to St. Joseph, Patron Saint of a Happy Death A Prayer “ Go forth, Christian soul, from this world May you return to [your Creator] in the name of God the almighty Father, who formed you from the dust of the who created you, in the name of Jesus earth. Christ, the Son of the living God, who suffered for you, in the name of the Holy May holy Mary, the angels, and all the Spirit, who was poured out upon you. saints come to meet you as you go forth from this life. Go forth, faithful Christian! May you see your Redeemer face to May you live in peace this day, face. may your home be with God in Zion, with Mary, the virgin Mother of God, with Joseph, and all the angels and saints. d” Order of Christian Funerals, Prayer of Commendation 3. Judgment “and after that comes judgment…” Hebrews 9:27

Particular Judgment: The judgment of each person at the moment of death.

Luke 16:19–31

Luke 23:39–43

1 Peter 4:3–5 “and after that comes judgment…” Hebrews 9:27

Death puts an end to human life as the time open to either accepting or rejecting the divine grace manifested in Christ. The speaks of judgment primarily in its aspect of the final encounter with Christ in his second coming, but also repeatedly affirms that each will be rewarded immediately after death in accordance with his works and faith. The parable of the poor man Lazarus and the words of Christ on the cross to the good thief, as well as other New Testament texts speak of a final destiny of the soul—a destiny which can be different for some and for others (CCC, 1021).

Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a that refers his life to Christ: either entrance into the blessedness of heaven—through a purification or immediately,— or immediate and everlasting damnation (CCC, 1022). “and after that comes judgment…” Hebrews 9:27

General Judgment: The revelation of the eternal destination of all persons at the end of time.

Matthew 25:31–46

“those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment” (Jn 5:29)

2 Thes. 1:5–10

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive good or evil, according to what he has done in the body” (2 Cor 5:10). “and after that comes judgment…” Hebrews 9:27

The resurrection of all the dead, “of both the just and the unjust,” will precede the Last Judgment. This will be “the hour when all who are in the tombs will hear [the Son of man's] voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment.” Then Christ will come “in his glory, and all the angels with him. . . . Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. . . . And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life’ (CCC, 1038).

The Last Judgment will come when Christ returns in glory. Only the Father knows the day and the hour; only he determines the moment of its coming. Then through his Son Jesus Christ he will pronounce the final word on all history. We shall know the ultimate meaning of the whole work of creation and of the entire economy of salvation and understand the marvelous ways by which his Providence led everything towards its final end. The Last Judgment will reveal that God's triumphs over all the injustices committed by his creatures and that God's love is stronger than death (CCC, 1040). A Call

“ The message of the Last Judgment calls men to conversion while God is still giving them “the acceptable time, . . . the day of salvation.” It inspires a holy fear of God and commits them to the justice of the Kingdom of God. It proclaims the “blessed ” of the Lord's return, when he will come “to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at in all who have believed.” d”

Catechism of the Catholic Church, Para. 1041 The Steps Death

Judgment

No Yes Attachment Mortal to Sin? Sin? Yes No

Heaven Hell 4. Hell The Reality of Hell

“ There is no doctrine which I would more willingly remove from than this, if it lay in my power. But it has the full support of Scripture, and, especially, of Our Lord’s own words; it has always been held by Christendom; and it has the support of reason. If a game is played, it must be possible to lose it. If the happiness of a creature lies in self- surrender, no one can make that surrender but himself (though many can help him make it), and he d” may refuse. C. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain The Cause of Hell

We cannot be united with God unless we freely choose to love him. But we cannot “ love God if we sin gravely against him, against our neighbor or against ourselves: “He who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him” (1 Jn 3:14- 15 ). Our Lord warns us that we shall be separated from him if we fail to meet the serious needs of the poor and the little ones who are his brethren (Mt 25:31-46). To die in mortal sin without repenting and accepting God’s merciful love means remaining separated from him for ever by our own free choice. This state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called “hell.” God predestines no one to go to hell (Cf. Council of Orange II (529):DS 397; Council of Trent (1547):1567); for this, a willful turning away from God (a mortal sin) is necessary, and persistence in it until the end. In the Eucharistic liturgy and in the daily prayers of her faithful, the Church implores the mercy of God, who does not want “any to perish, but all to come to repentance” (2 Pet 3:9). d” Catechism of the Catholic Church, Para. 1033; 1037 The Images of Hell

“ The smoke of the fire that torments them will rise forever and ever, and there will be no relief day or night for those who worship the beast or its image or accept the mark of its name (Revelation 14:11).

The Devil who had led them astray was thrown into the pool of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet were. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever (Revelation 20:10). d”

See also: Mt 5:22,29; 10:28; 13:41–42,50; Mt. 25:41; Mk 9:43–48 The Images of Hell 5. Heaven With a Detour through Purgatory Purgatory

Purgatory: The state of existence whereby those who die in God’s friendship go to receive final purification

We are not perfect: 1 John 1:8

We must be perfect: Matt 5:48; Rev 21:27

Our works will be tested: 1 Cor 3:10–17

We must be made perfect: Heb 12:22–24

This perfection requires fire: Malachi 3:2

We can receive help: 2 Mac 12:38–46 Purgatory

All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven (CCC, 1030).

The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned (Cf. Council of Florence (1439):DS 1304; Council of Trent (1563):DS 1820; (1547):1580). The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence and Trent. The tradition of the Church, by reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire (1 Cor 3:15; 1 Pet 1:7) (CCC, 1031).

This teaching is also based on the practice of prayer for the dead, already mentioned in Sacred Scripture: "Therefore [Judas Maccabeus] made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin" (2 Mac 12:46). From the beginning the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God (Council of Lyons II (1274):DS 856). The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead (CCC, 1032). Purification After Death

“ As for certain lesser faults, we must believe that, before the Final Judgment, there is a purifying fire. He who is truth says that whoever utters blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will be pardoned neither in this age nor in the age to come. From this sentence we understand that certain offenses can be forgiven in this age, but certain others in the age to come. d”

St. Gregory the Great, Dialogues, 4,39:PL 77,396 Prayers for the Dead

“ Let us help and commemorate them. If Job's sons were purified by their father's sacrifice, why would we doubt that our offerings for the dead bring them some consolation? Let us not hesitate to help those

who have died and to offer our prayers for them. d”

St. John Chrysostom, Homilies, in 1 Cor. 41,5:PG 61,361; cf. Job 1:5 Purgatory and Time?

“ Some recent theologians are of the opinion that the fire which both burns and saves is Christ himself, the Judge and Saviour. The encounter with him is the decisive act of judgement. Before his gaze all falsehood melts away. This encounter with him, as it burns us, transforms and frees us, allowing us to become truly ourselves. All that we build during our lives can prove to be mere straw, pure bluster, and it collapses. Yet in the pain of this encounter, when the impurity and sickness of our lives become evident to us, there lies salvation. d”

Pope Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi, Para 47 Purgatory and Time?

“ His gaze, the touch of his heart heals us through an undeniably painful transformation “as through fire”. But it is a blessed pain, in which the holy power of his love sears through us like a flame, enabling us to become totally ourselves and thus totally of God. In this way the interrelation between justice and grace also becomes clear: the way we live our lives is not immaterial, but our defilement does not stain us for ever if we have at least continued to reach out towards Christ, towards truth and towards love. Indeed, it has already been burned away through Christ's Passion. d” Pope Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi, Para 47 Purgatory and Time?

“ At the moment of judgement we experience and we absorb the overwhelming power of his love over all the evil in the world and in ourselves. The pain of love becomes our salvation and our joy. It is clear that we cannot calculate the “duration” of this transforming burning in terms of the chronological measurements of this world. The transforming “moment” of this encounter eludes earthly time-reckoning—it is the heart's time, it is the time of “passage” to communion with God in the Body of Christ. d”

Pope Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi, Para 47 Heaven

Heaven: The state of existence whereby those who die in grace and friendship with Christ, perfectly purified, live in happiness forever in communion with the Trinity.

The pure shall see God: Mt. 5:8; 1 Cor 13:12; 1 Jn 3:2

This vision is beyond imagination: 1 Cor. 2:9; Jn 14:1–3

Death and suffering will be no more: Rv 21:1–7 Heaven

At the end of time, the Kingdom of God will come in its fullness. After the universal judgment, the righteous will reign for ever with Christ, glorified in body and soul. The universe itself will be renewed (CCC, 1042).

For man, this consummation will be the final realization of the unity of the human race, which God willed from creation and of which the pilgrim Church has been "in the nature of sacrament" (Lumen Gentium, 1). Those who are united with Christ will form the community of the redeemed, "the holy city" of God, "the Bride, the wife of the Lamb" (Rev. 21:2, 9). She will not be wounded any longer by sin, stains, self-love, that destroy or wound the earthly community (Rev. 21:7). The beatific vision, in which God opens himself in an inexhaustible way to the elect, will be the ever-flowing well- spring of happiness, peace, and mutual communion (CCC, 1045). Your Destiny

Q3 What is man? Q4 Is this likeness in the body or A. Man is a creature composed in the soul? of a body and soul, and made to A. This likeness is chiefly in the the image and likeness of God. soul.

Q5 How is the soul like to God? Q6 Why did God make you? A. The soul is like God because A. God made me to know Him, it is a spirit that will never die, to love Him, and to serve Him in and has understanding and free this world, and to be happy with will. Him forever in the next.

Baltimore Catechism, 1891 The Four Last Things Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell