Lesson 37
ON THE LAST JUDGMENT AND THE RESURRECTION, HELL, PURGATORY, AND HEAVEN

408 Q. When will Christ judge us?
A. Christ will judge us immediately after our death, and on the last
day.

"Immediately." In the very room and on the very spot where we die, we
shall be judged in an instant, and even before those around us are sure
that we are really dead. When we have a trial or judgment in one of our
courts, we see the judge listening, the lawyers defending or trying to
condemn, and the witnesses for or against the person accused. We are in
the habit of imagining something of the same kind to take place in the
judgment of God. We see Almighty God seated on His throne; our angel and
patron saint giving their testimony about us--good or bad--and then we
hear the Judge pronounce sentence. This takes place, but not in the way
we imagine, for God needs no witnesses: He knows all. An example will
probably make you understand better what really takes place. If you are
walking over a very muddy road on a dark night, you cannot see the
spattered condition of your clothing; but if you come suddenly into a
strong light you will see at a glance the state in which you are. In the
same way the soul during our earthly life does not see its own
condition; but when it comes into the bright light of God's presence, it
sees in an instant its own state and knows what its sentence will be. It
goes immediately to its reward or punishment. This judgment at the
moment of our death will settle our fate forever. The general judgment
will not change, but only repeat, the sentence before the whole world.
Oh, how we should prepare for that awful moment! See that poor sick man
slowly breathing away his life. All his friends are kneeling around him
praying; now he becomes unconscious; now the death rattle sounds in his
throat; now the eyes are fixed and glassy. A few minutes more and that
poor soul will stand in the awful presence of God, to give an account of
that man's whole life--of every thought, word, and deed. All he has done
on earth will be spread out before him like a great picture. He will,
towards the end of his life, have altogether forgotten perhaps what he
thought, said, or did on a certain day and hour--the place he was in and
the sin committed, etc.; but at that moment of judgment he will remember
all. How he will wish he had been good! How, then, can we be so careless
now about a matter of such importance, when we are absolutely certain
that we too shall be judged, and how soon we know not. When you are
about to be examined on what you have learned in school or instructions
in six months or a year, how anxious you are in making the necessary
preparation, and how you fear you might not pass, but be kept back for a
while! How delighted you would be to hear that a very dear friend, and
one who knew you well, was to be your examiner! Prepare in the same way
for the examination you have to stand at the end of your life. Every day
you can make a preparation by examining your conscience on the sins you
have committed; by making an act of contrition for them, and resolving
to avoid them for the future. You should never go to sleep without some
preparation for judgment. But above all, try to become better acquainted
with your Examiner--Our Lord Jesus Christ; try by your prayers and good
works to become His special friend, and when your judgment comes you
will be pleased rather than afraid to meet Him.

409 Q. What is the judgment called which we have to undergo immediately
after death?
A. The judgment we have to undergo immediately after death is called the
Particular Judgment.

"Particular," because one particular person is judged.

410 Q. What is the judgment called which all men have to undergo on the
last day?
A. The judgment which all men have to undergo on the last day is called
the General Judgment.

"General," because every creature gifted with intelligence will be
judged on that day--the angels of Heaven, the devils of Hell, and all
men, women, and children that have ever lived upon the earth. The Holy
Scripture gives us a terrible account of that awful day. (Matt. 24-25).
On some day--we know not when, it might be tomorrow for all we know--the
world will be going on as usual, some going to school, others to
business; some seeking pleasure, others suffering pain; some in health,
others in sickness, etc. Suddenly they will feel the earth beginning to
quake and tremble; they will see the ocean in great fury, and will be
terrified at its roar as, surging and foaming, it throws its mighty
waves high in the air. Then the sun will grow red and begin to darken; a
horrid glare will spread over the earth, beginning to burn up. Then,
says the Holy Scripture, men will wither away for fear of what is
coming; they will call upon the mountains to fall and hide them; they
will be rushing here and there, not knowing what to do. Money will be of
no value then; dress, wealth, fame, power, learning, and all else will
be useless, for at that moment all men will be equal. Then shall be
heard the sound of the angel's great trumpet calling all to judgment.
The dead shall come forth from their graves, and the demons rush from
Hell. Then all shall see our Blessed Lord coming in the clouds of Heaven
in great power and majesty surrounded by countless angels bearing His
shining Cross before Him. He will separate the good from the wicked; He
will welcome the good to Heaven and condemn the wicked to Hell. The sins
committed shall be made public before all present. Imagine your feelings
while you are standing in that great multitude, waiting for the
separation of the good from the bad. To which side will you be sent? Our
Lord is coming, not with the mild countenance of a saviour, but with the
severe look of a judge. As He draws nearer and nearer to you, you see
some of your dear friends, whom you thought good enough upon earth, sent
over to the side of the wicked; you see others that you deemed foolish
sent with the good, and you become more anxious every instant about the
uncertainty of your own fate. You see fathers and mothers sent to
opposite sides, brothers and sisters, parents and children, separated
forever. Oh, what a terrible moment of suspense! How you will wish you
had been better and always lived a friend of God! The side you will be
on depends upon what you do now, and you can be on the better side if
you wish. Do, then, in your life what you would wish to have done at
that terrible moment. Learn to judge yourself frequently. Say this, or
something similar, to yourself. "Now I have lived twelve, fifteen,
twenty, or more years; if that judgment came today, on which side should
I be? Probably on the side of the wicked. If then I spend the rest of my
life as I have lived in the past, on the last day I shall surely be with
the wicked. If my good deeds and bad deeds were counted today, which
would be more numerous? What, then, must I do? It will not be enough for
me simply to be better for the future--I must try also to make amends
for the past. If a man wishing to complete a journey on a certain time,
by walking a fixed number of miles each day, falls behind a great deal
on one day, he must not only walk the usual number of miles the next,
but must make up for the distance lost on the previous day. So in our
journey through this life we must do our duty each day for the future,
and, as far as we can, make up for what we have neglected in the past.

*411 Q. Why does Christ judge men immediately after death?
A. Christ judges men immediately after death to reward or punish them
according to their deeds.

412 Q. What are the rewards or punishments appointed for men's souls
after the Particular Judgment?
A. The rewards or punishments appointed for men's souls after the
Particular Judgment are Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell.

413 Q. What is Hell?
A. Hell is a state to which the wicked are condemned, and in which they
are deprived of the sight of God for all eternity, and are in dreadful
torments.

"Deprived of the sight of God." This is called the pain of loss, while
the other sufferings the damned endure are called the pain of
sense--that is, of the senses. The pain of loss causes the unfortunate
souls more torment than all their other sufferings; for as we are
created for God alone, the loss of Him--our last end--is the most
dreadful evil that can befall us. This the damned realize, and know that
their souls will be tortured by a perpetual yearning never to be
satisfied. This is aggravated by the thought of how easily they might
have been saved, and how foolishly they threw away their happiness and
lost all for some miserable pleasure or gratification, so quickly ended.

Besides this remorse, they suffer most frightful torments in all their
senses. The worst sufferings you could imagine would not be as bad as
the sufferings of the damned really are; for Hell must be the opposite
of Heaven, and since we cannot, as St. Paul says, imagine the happiness
of Heaven, neither can we imagine the misery of Hell. Sometimes you will
find frightful descriptions of Hell in religious books that tell of the
horrible sights, awful sounds, disgusting stenches, and excruciating
pains the lost souls endure. Now, all these descriptions are given
rather to make people think of the torments of Hell than as an accurate
account of them. No matter how terrible the description may be, it is
never as bad as the reality. We know that the damned are continually
tormented in all their senses, but just in what way we do not know. We
know that there is fire in Hell, but it is entirely different from our
fire; it neither gives light nor consumes what it burns, and it causes
greater pain than the fire of earth, for it affects both body and soul.
We know that the damned will never see God and there will never be an
end to their torments. Now, all this is contained in the following: Hell
is the absence of everything good and the presence of everything evil,
and it will last forever. Now, a priest coming out to preach on Hell
would not say to the people: "Hell is the absence of everything good and
the presence of everything evil, and it will last forever," and then
step down from the altar and say no more. He must give a fuller
explanation to those who are unable to think for themselves. He must
point out some of the evils present in Hell and some of the good things
absent, and thus teach the people how to meditate on these dreadful
truths. If, then, you bear in mind that there is nothing good in Hell
and it will last forever, and often think of these two points, you will
have a holy fear of the woeful place and a deep sorrow for your sins
which expose you to the danger of suffering its torments.

It should be enough, therefore, for you to remember: there is nothing
good in Hell, and it will last forever. Think of anything good you
please and it cannot be found in Hell. Is light good? Yes. Then it is
not in Hell. Is hope good? Yes. Then it is not in Hell. Is true
friendship good? Yes. Then it is not in Hell. There the damned hate one
another. There the poor sufferers curse forever those who led them into
sin. Hence, persons should try to bring back to a good life everyone
they may have led into sin or scandalized by bad example.

414 Q. What is Purgatory?
A. Purgatory is the state in which those suffer for a time who die
guilty of venial sins, or without having satisfied for the punishment
due to their sins.

"Punishment"--that is, temporal punishment, already explained to you.
After the general judgment there will be Heaven and Hell, but no
Purgatory, for there will be no men living or dying upon the earth in
its present condition to go there. All will be dead and judged and sent
to their final abodes. Those in Purgatory are the friends of God; and
knowing Him as they do now, they would not go into His holy presence
with the slightest stain upon their souls; still they are anxious for
their Purgatory to be ended that they may be with God. They suffer, we
are told, the same pains of sense as the damned; but they suffer
willingly, for they know that it is making them more pleasing to God,
and that one day it will all be over and He will receive them into
Heaven. Their salvation is sure, and that thought makes them happy. If,
therefore, you believe any of your friends are in Purgatory, you should
help them all you can, and try by your prayers and good works to shorten
their time of suffering. They will help you--though they cannot help
themselves--by their prayers. And oh, when they are admitted into
Heaven, how they will pray for those that have helped them out of
Purgatory! If you do this great charity, God will, when you die, put in
some good person's heart to pray for you while you suffer in Purgatory.
There must be a Purgatory, for one who dies with the slightest stain of
sin upon his soul cannot enter Heaven, and yet God would not send him to
Hell for so small a sin. But why does God punish those He loves? Why
does He not forgive everything? He punishes because He is infinitely
just and true. He warned them that if they did certain things they would
be punished; and they did them, and God must keep His promise. Moreover
He is just, and must give to everyone exactly what he deserves.

*415 Q. Can the faithful on earth help the souls in Purgatory?
A. The faithful on earth can help the souls in Purgatory by their
prayers, fasts, almsdeeds; by indulgences, and by having Masses said for
them.

*416 Q. If everyone is judged immediately after death, what need is
there of a general judgment?
A. There is need of a general judgment, though everyone is judged
immediately after death, that the providence of God, which, on earth,
often permits the good to suffer and the wicked to prosper, may in the
end appear just before all men.

"Providence of God." Sometimes here on earth we see a good man always in
want, out of employment, sickly, unsuccessful in all his undertakings,
while his neighbor, who is a very bad man, is wealthy and prosperous,
and seems to have every pleasure. Why this is so we cannot understand
now, but God's reason for it will be made known to us on the Day of
Judgment. Sometimes the wicked do good actions here on earth--help the
poor, or contribute to some charity, for instance; and as God on account
of their wickedness cannot reward them in the next world, He rewards
them chiefly in this world by temporal goods and pleasures. For all
their good deeds they get their reward in this world, and for the evil
their punishment in the next. The good man who suffers gets all his
reward in the next world, that even his sufferings here atone partly for
the evil he has done.

A second reason for a general judgment is to show the crimes of sinners
and the justice of their punishment; also that the saints may have all
their good works made known before the world and receive the glory they
deserve. On earth these saints were sometimes considered fools and
treated as criminals, falsely accused, etc., and now the whole truth
will stand out before the world. But above all, the general judgment is
for the honor and glory of Our Lord. At His first coming into the world
He was poor and weak; many would not believe Him the Son of God, and
insulted Him as an impostor. He was falsely accused, treated shamefully,
and was put to death, many believing Him guilty of some crime. Now He
will appear before all as He really is--their Lord and Master, their
Creator and Judge. How they will tremble to look upon Him whom they have
crucified! How all those who have denied Him, blasphemed Him, persecuted
His Church, and the like, will fear when they see Him there as Judge!
How they will realize the terrible mistake worldlings made!

417 Q. Will our bodies share in the reward or punishment of our souls?
A. Our bodies will share in the reward or punishment of our souls,
because through the Resurrection they will again be united to them.

*418 Q. In what state will the bodies of the just rise?
A. The bodies of the just will rise glorious and immortal.

We honor the dead body and treat it with great respect because it was
the dwelling place of the soul and was often nourished with the
Sacraments; also because it will rise in glory and be united with the
soul in the presence of God forever. For these reasons we use incense
and holy water when the body is to be buried, and even bless the ground
in which it is laid. "Faithful departed" means all those who died in a
state of grace and who are in Heaven or Purgatory. They may be in
Purgatory, and so we pray for them. We pray that they may "rest in
peace"--that is be in Heaven, where they will have no sufferings.

*419 Q. Will the bodies of the damned also rise?
A. The bodies of the damned will also rise, but they will be condemned
to eternal punishment.

420 Q. What is Heaven?
A. Heaven is the state of everlasting life in which we see God face to
face, are made like unto Him in glory, and enjoy eternal happiness.

The most delightful place we could possibly imagine as Heaven would not
be near what it really is. Everything that is good is there and forever,
and we shall never tire of its joys. All the pleasures and beauties of
earth are as nothing compared with Heaven; and though we think we can
imagine its beauty and happiness now, we shall see how far we have been
from the real truth if ever we reach this heavenly home.

"God face to face"--that is, as He is. We shall not see Him with the
eyes of the body, but of the soul. That we may see with our natural
eyes, two things are necessary: first, an object to look at, and
secondly, light to see it. Now, to see God in Heaven we need a special
light, which is called the "light of glory." God Himself gives us this
light and thus enables us to see Him as He is. This beautiful vision of
God in Heaven is called the "beatific vision," and thus our whole life
in Heaven--our joy and happiness--consists in the enjoyment of the
beatific vision.

*421 Q. What words should we bear always in mind?
A. We should bear always in mind these words of Our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ: "What doth it profit a man if he gain the whole world and
suffer the loss of his own soul, or what exchange shall a man give for
his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with
His angels: and then will He render to every man according to his
works."

What does it benefit the poor creatures in Hell to have been rich, or
beautiful, or learned, or powerful? If they had been good, it was all
that was necessary to escape all their sufferings. Is there anything on
earth that they would not give to be released? Why, then, did they sell
their souls for so little while on earth? The present is the only time
you have to merit Heaven and escape Hell. The past you cannot recall,
and of the future you are not sure. Then use the present well and decide
daily whether you wish to be in Heaven or in Hell.