O Clarim News Bureau (English)
Dear Father L,
The previous letters sent to you were interesting and inspiring. Most of those letters tell us about the predicaments we encounter in daily living, to which you have given straightforward and thoughtful answers. I am a 75-year-old man and look forward someday to see the Lord face to face. I am preparing myself for that day, and for that reason, I give my time to God devotedly in prayers, frequenting the sacrament of Confession and daily Mass. But I am just an old man in the pew. I had no great knowledge of Catholicism before I became Catholic. In fact, I became Catholic in a “Road to Damascus” experience. Dear Father L, to complete my preparation to face God, I have a question: What is the official Church teaching on what happens after our earthly bodies die? Are we “dead” until Judgment Day, or do we immediately go to heaven, hell, or purgatory?
An old man preparing for death
Dear old man preparing for death,
I admire your resolve and courage to prepare for your eventual death, which many people should be doing. But don’t forget that you are still living, and that you have an obligation to make your life more meaningful on earth.
According to our Church’s teaching, although physical human bodies die, human souls never die. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that every spiritual soul “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” (CCC 366).
So, at the moment of death, the soul separates from the body, is judged immediately, and enters either heaven (immediately or through purgatory) or hell.
“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” (CCC 1022).
In Luke 16:22, we read: “Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. In Luke 23:43, “Jesus answered him, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.’” Every soul will unite with its resurrected body just prior to the Last Judgment (Judgment Day) when Christ returns. “In the presence of Christ, who is Truth itself, the truth of each man’s relationship with God will be laid bare. The Last Judgment will reveal even to its furthest consequences the good each person has done or failed to do during his earthly life . . .” (CCC 1039)
“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 justice triumphs over all the injustices committed by his creatures and that God’s love is stronger than death” (CCC 1040).
My final word for you, although it’s good to prepare for death, it’s even better that you start to find ways how to align your days here on earth to match what you want your days in eternity to look like. Make God a part of your whole day, not just your prayer time. Bring Him into conversations with your friends, family, even the people in your parish if you can.
Sincerely,
Father L
Letters are welcome at: OClarimEnglish2022@gmail.com
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