Beyond the door
REV JOSÉ MARIO O. MANDÍA
“He’s dead, Jim.” That’s the message I get when my browser crashes. That’s what they will say, or something similar, when we breathe our last. So what happens next? As I said last time, when one has Faith, that Faith tells him what to expect.
So what does the Faith say? In chapter 16 of Saint Luke’s Gospel (verses 19-23), we read this parable, “There was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, full of sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table; moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried; and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus in his bosom.” (Luke 16)
Right away after death, each man knows where he is going. This means that after we breathe our last, we are assigned our respective destinations. At that moment, it will become very clear to us that the destinations are of our own choosing in this life (see previous piece on Freedom). Oh, sorry, maybe we should not say that the destinations are “assigned”. Rather, we should say that our respective destinations are confirmed – we had made the booking earlier. God accepts the decision we have made in this life, sealed forever in death. When I face God after I die, he tells me, “Your will be done.”
“Men die only once, after which comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). The Catechism of the Catholic Church (no 1022) confirms: “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.”
Jesus talks also about another judgment that takes place at the end of the world – the General Judgment. Check, for example, Matthew 25:31,32,46. The judgment I was describing earlier is called the Particular Judgment. In his book Jesus as Friend, Father Salvador Canals explains that in the Particular Judgment, the book that we had been writing all our life is read aloud to us. In the General Judgment, it is published. Aw, shucks!
Okay, so much for the horror story. So what now? What can you and I do? Obviously, if we want Jesus to tell us “Your will be done” at the end, that “will” had better be our eternal happiness and satisfaction. It is a decision that we renew every time we decide to struggle against our weakness.
One specific thing we could do to avoid any unpleasant surprises at the end is to examine ourselves daily. We are the ones writing the book anyway, so why not read it daily to see if the story written there is what we would like to be read to us and be published eventually? While we are here, we can proofread our work and correct our mistakes.
It just takes a few minutes to place ourselves before God, asking the Holy Spirit to shine the penetrating light of grace on the secret corners of our heart. It doesn’t take much to make an examination of conscience. “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23-24)
But … surprise! We will not only find bad things in the heart. We will discover so many graces, so many blessings, for which we should be grateful. “Thank you, Lord!”
Then God’s light reveals our cold response. It shows many filthy corners for which we ask pardon. “I’m sorry, Lord.”
But we want to begin once more, so we ask for his assistance, “Help me more!”
That was how Blessed Álvaro del Portillo, successor of Saint Josemaría prayed: “Thank you! I’m sorry! Help me more!”
The examination of conscience also reminds us of another important thing. The only one who can judge is God. We creatures are in no position to judge anyone. Saint Paul says, “It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then every man will receive his commendation from God.” (I Corinthians 4:4-5)
Two consequences arise from this fact. First, we should not be afraid of the judgment of men, because all of us will be judged. Second, we should not judge, because that is neither our right nor our responsibility. “For at the judgment seat of Christ we are all to be seen for what we are, so that each of us may receive what he has deserved in the body, matched to whatever he has done, good or bad.” (II Corinthians 5:10)
Why is there a need for a final judgment? Because God is infinitely just. He wishes all good or evil that has been done to be publicly acknowledged and rewarded or punished. But there is something probably more important than this reason. Justice is not only for the creature, but also for the Creator. Let me explain.
So many times in our life we miss out on the good things that God does for us. In fact, on many occasions, because we do not see the full picture, we think he is punishing us. But God hardly punishes anyone in this life. There will be time for that – in the afterlife. But here, he continually sends us opportunities to book our place in heaven in little installments, but quite often we miss those opportunities. We may even curse God for sending those trials. In the Final Judgment, God will show us the full story.
On the other hand, there are people who seem to be lucky all the time, who seem to be perpetually blessed, and yet they are “bad” people. Why is that? Here is one possible explanation. God is infinitely just, so when a person does something good, God will reward it. But if that person is in the state of sin, God cannot give him the reward after death. So he rewards him now. So, are you still complaining?
Follow
