By Father Michael N. Lavallee pastor, St. Peter Parish, Northbridge
In his book, The Last Things, author Regis Martin observes that the Catholic theological study of “eschatology” is “the fruit of the Church’s most profound reflection on the meaning of death, judgment, hell and heaven…Purgatory, the second coming of Christ and the end of the world.” Martin goes on to explain that the Last Things “are the mysteries that bear most directly on the final section of the creed, namely ‘the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting’.”
As we have previously considered a Catholic’s proper preparation for death, we now take time to review the Last Things and their bearing upon Christian faith. It is in our prayerful consideration of the Last Things that our spiritual preparation for death is informed and directed towards receiving the fullness of eternal life. The two main topics of this article are the meaning of Christian death and judgment. In a previous article, a definition of death was included, taken from Catholic Health Care Ethics: A Manual for Practitioners, Second Edition. This definition was “the separation of the soul from the body.” The manual explains “the death of a person…is an event which no scientific technique or empirical method can identify directly.” Yet, the manual goes on to stress that “human experience shows that once death occurs, certain biological signs inevitably follow which medicine has learnt to recognize with increasing precision.”
The Catechism of The Catholic Church gives us the reason why we die. In paragraph 1008, the Catechism teaches us “death is a consequence of sin.” It goes on to elaborate that “Death was therefore contrary to the plans of God…and entered the world as consequence of (original) sin.” Though death became part of our regular human experience after the fall of man, the Catechism also teaches us that “death is transformed by Christ.” This is because “Jesus, the son of God, also himself suffered the death that is part of the human condition.” The Catechism then stresses that “Despite his anguish as he faced death, (Jesus) 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.”
We might wonder how death could have been turned by Christ from a curse into a blessing. The Catechism gives us this answer as it explains “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…” Thus, through baptism, the faithful Christian may find hope in death as he is a member of the body of Christ. The Catechism states “In that body (the Church), the life of Christ is communicated to those who believe, and who, through the sacraments, are united in a hidden and real way to Christ in his Passion and glorification.”
This “life of Christ,” which is communicated to those who believe through the sacraments, has bearing upon what happens immediately after the death for baptized members of the body of Christ. The United States Catholic Catechism for Adults explains, “Immediately after death, each person comes before God and is judged individually.” This individual judgment is called particular judgment. The US Catechism continues to teach us that after particular judgment, the soul “enters heaven, purgatory or hell.” Continuing on this subject, the Catechism goes on to note that “at the end of time, a final judgment will occur when all are assembled before God and their relationship with God is made public.” This second judgment is called the general judgment. Thus, we believe that there are two judgments, the first particular and the second general. Particular judgment takes place after the separation of the soul from the body at death while general judgment will involve the reunification of body and soul and the resurrection of the body on the last day. All will undergo both judgments according to how they have lived while on earth.
In closure, we note in this article the importance of baptism in preparation for death, as it washes away original and personal sin and makes one a member of the Church. Baptism also promises eternal life to the one who receives it. The US Catholic Catechism for Adults states, “Baptism is the door to life and to the kingdom of God. Christ offered (this) first sacrament … to all that they may have eternal life.” Adding on to this teaching, the US Catechism teaches, “Living out one’s baptism is a lifelong responsibility. Growing in holiness and discipleship involves a willingness to continue to learn throughout one’s whole life about the faith and how to live it.” It is in honestly taking on this responsibility that the Church’s faithful come to know Christ and grow in greater desire for heaven.