Four Last Things
The Four Last Things
In the Catholic Church, we embrace death because we know that we are leaving Earth and joining God in Heaven. We know we will reunite with our family and friends in the best place. We dedicate, and recently just celebrated, two days honoring those who have gone before us. When we discussed the Communion of Saints and why we celebrate this holy day, we said it was to "remember not the Alpha, the beginning of time, but the Omega, the end of time."
In the beginning, when God created Adam and Eve (it always stems back to them!) He gave them a choice to live eternally in the Garden of Eden but do not eat from the fruit of the tree. As we all know, they chose the fruit, were asked to leave the Garden, and at that time, God said you would not live forever. Sin came into play, and as a consequence, death too came of that free-will decision.
The Church divides death into four different sections: judgment, purgatory, hell, and heaven.
Let's look at judgment. When we die, we first enter the phase of judgment. In both Creeds, it states that "he {God} will come to judge the living and the dead." The Creed says that once you have passed the Earthly life, God will meet you and review (judge) your faith and works. How were you to the ones you loved, and how did you live your life? The Catechism states that you will be rewarded for your faith and works, which enters you into heaven, or you might have to enter into a state of purification, purgatory, or you might enter hell, all depending as you lived your life here on Earth.
The next part is purgatory. Purgatory is a place where one is purified, and for the people here on Earth to be praying for the cleansing of one's soul. It is not a permanent place to be, and know that one will be moved into heaven. Author C.S. Lewis explains purgatory as "a time to be in the washroom and be cleaned by God." Purgatory is not a place to be feared, but rather welcomed because of the time one gets to spend with God one on one and knows the loved ones who are here still on Earth are praying for you.
Heaven is the next part. The Catechism states that heaven is the final resting place with God, Jesus, Mary, and all the angels and saints that have gone before you. When you die, if you are at peace with dying, leaving behind your loved ones, and knowing that you lived a life full of good faith and works, your loved ones and God will be waiting for you there.
The final part is hell. Hell is when one has a broken relationship with God, and one does not believe that He exists or that He loves anyone. Suppose one spends their life not believing in God, but by accepting Him and His love at the last moment of your life restores that relationship before passing. In this case, one will move into purgatory. As stated above, the prayers and time with God will help one not go to hell, move out of purgatory, and move into heaven. Know that God does not predestine anyone to go to hell, but rather it is our choice if we want to be in Communion with God or not.
These are heavy subjects, but essential to discuss. Fr. Chuck will be giving this presentation, so please bring your questions to ask!
Books and Resources
Paulist Fathers: You don't know jack about hell