The Last Things: ‘The resurrection of the body and 
life everlasting’

By Father Michael N. Lavallee
pastor, St. Peter Parish, Northbridge

In the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we learn that the creeds of the Church, also called “symbols of faith,” are “composite formulas … with which the Church, from her very beginning, has set forth synthetically and handed on her own faith in a language that is normative and common to all the faithful.” The two main creeds prayed by the Church are the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed. They evolved from baptismal creeds, first professed by those preparing for Christian initiation, which declared that their personal faith was fully aligned with the faith of the universal Church.

In the Apostles’ Creed we profess that “I believe ... [in] the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.” This clearly defines what the Church teaches us concerning eternal life.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church distinguishes between two judgments which souls will undergo in eternity – particular and general judgment. The catechism notes that “each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in particular judgment that refers his life to Christ: either entrance into the blessedness of heaven, through a purification, or immediately … everlasting damnation.” This particular judgment results in souls receiving heaven, purgatory or hell as a consequence of how they have lived their earthly lives.

General judgment, however, will take place at the end of time when the soul and the body are reunited. On the last day of human history, the Church teaches, when Christ returns to judge the living and the dead, the general judgment will take place for all. This is significantly different than particular judgment in that it will take place for us in our bodies whereas particular judgment will take place for us when our souls and bodies are separated after death. These resurrected bodies will probably have the same qualities of Christ’s after he rose from the dead.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains “The resurrection of all the dead, of both the just and the unjust, will precede the last judgment … Then Christ will come in his glory … before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another … and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left … and they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

We may ask why there will be two judgments. If God has already judged souls at particular judgment why would he need to do it again? Also, we may ask that if heaven and hell are for all eternity, how could those assigned there after death leave their permanently assigned states, be reunited with their bodies for the second judgment, and receive a second sentence from God?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us what will be different about general judgment which makes it necessary. It teaches, “In the presence of Christ (on the last day) … 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.”

The catechism goes on to teach that at the last judgment “Jesus Christ 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.” Thus, two special elements of the general (last) judgment are noted in these catechism quotes. The first is that the general judgment will involve people learning how what they have done or not done in their lives has affected the whole of salvation history. Secondly, at the general judgment, Christ will show us all why God has created the world as he has and how he saw the events of human history. At this time God will also show us how he worked, mysteriously, throughout history to fully accomplish his plan of salvation.

Would someone God assigns to heaven at particular judgment receive a different sentence by God at general judgment? The answer is no. Those saved at particular judgment will remain so at general judgment and those condemned at particular judgment will remain so at general judgment. The new detail is that at general judgment these sentences will now have a bodily dimension. Those given heaven by God at particular judgment will then receive the joys of “the new and heavenly Jerusalem.” Those given hell by God at particular judgment will then receive eternal torment, in their bodies and souls, at general judgment.

But what of those assigned to purgatory at particular judgment? At the end of the world, purgatory will cease as those in it will be perfectly purified so that they may spend life everlasting among the saved in the new and heavenly Jerusalem.

So far we have learned that the general or last judgment will take place on the last day in human history, when Christ will come again to judge the living and the dead. On this day, the souls and bodies of the dead will be reunited and all, the good and the wicked, will be part of Christ’s judgment of all nations and peoples. At this time, the catechism states, “The kingdom of God will come in its fullness … the righteous will reign forever with Christ, glorified in body and soul. The (whole) universe itself will be renewed.” It goes on, “The form of this world, distorted by sin, is passing away, and we are taught that God is preparing a new dwelling and a new earth in which righteousness dwells, in which happiness will fill and surpass all the desires of peace arising in the hearts of men.” In The Faith Understood: An Introduction to Catholic Theology, author Mark Zia adds “The last judgment … is a public, universal witness to God’s ultimate triumph over the forces of sin and death.”