Every year, right before Advent, the Church invites us to reflect on the so-called last things. This term describes what happens when we die, what our options are, and, most importantly, how do we prepare for the best possible outcome. We’ve been preparing for this reflection over the past few weeks as we’ve listened to readings of judgment and parables of masters leaving and returning and holding their servants accountable.
Today, St. Matthew gives us a glimpse of what is called the general judgment. The general judgment is the final judgment, where everyone who has ever lived will be brought together before Christ the King. Every thought, every word, every action ever committed by each person will be brought forward for all to see. After this is finished, each person will be reunited with their body and live forever the result of their life choices; those who loved God and kept his commandments and the teachings of his Church will enjoy eternal happiness and peace in heaven. Those who spent a lifetime living for themselves, thinking mainly of what they wanted and what made them comfortable and happy will spend eternity living that way with people of the same selfish mindset; that is the place we call hell.
But while the general judgement is the final judgment, it is isn’t the first. At the moment of our death, we will enter into something called the particular judgment, which is just between God and ourselves. Here, we will see our life and our choices in the light of Christ. We will be judged by the same standards as the final judgment but there are three possible outcomes:
Possibility one: Jesus will look at our life and see we tried our best to live as he did. In other words, we made God the number one priority and we died in the state of grace. Also, he would see that we thought of others before ourself, we made sacrifices to feed the hungry, care for the sick and dying, clothe the naked, and so on. In this case he will see that we were faithful in prayer, kept the commandments, and stayed obedient to the Church’s teaching on faith and morals. After seeing all of this, God will recognize the life of his son within us and we will hear those saving words: “Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”
Possibility #2: Jesus will look at our life and see that we spent most of our time and energy on ourselves and our own interests. In other words, we gave God time only when it was convenient or we felt like it, and we did not die in the state of grace. As a result, he would see that we thought of ourselves first, that we were stingy in making sacrifices to feed the hungry, care for the sick and dying, clothe the naked, and so on. In this scenario, Jesus will see and know this soul but this person will ultimately have failed to recognize and care for Christ, especially in others, throughout his or her life. Christ will see someone who was disobedient or defiant of him, of his Church, and ultimately most concerned with themselves. To these, Jesus will say:Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
Possibility #3: Jesus will look at our life and see that we did pretty well in living as he taught us. He will see that we died in the state of grace and we kept all of the major commandments and laws of the Church, or at least if we broke them, we confessed them in the sacrament of reconciliation. He will notice we have some vices and attachment to sin and things of this world but he will also notice that we consistently opened our hearts to his grace and mercy. As a result we often recognized him in others and tried to ease the sufferings of those around us. To be honest, most of will probably fit in this group. And since we aren’t completely free from sin and unholy attachments to people and things, we can’t enter into heaven. Only those who are perfect in their love of God can be in the presence of God and live. But on the other hand, we died in the state of grace and therefore won’t be sent to hell. This is where purgatory comes in. We still believe in Purgatory and we should be happy about it because it is another expression of God’s mercy. Here, we are purified from our sins, the temporal punishment due to them, and any unholy attachments we might have died with. When the person is completely purified, they go to heaven for an eternity of rest and happiness.
Its not easy for us to think about this topic of the last things. It can be frightening to consider our meeting with Christ and the fact that nothing will be hidden from him or from humanity at the end of time. But the Church understands that we must be aware of what happens at the end of life, so we can know how to live right now. The choices we have made and will make, determine where we will end up for eternity. Getting to heaven is difficult. The good news is God gives us everything we need to avoid hell and make it to heaven. He promises to be with us every step of the way. He gives us saints and angels to strengthen and encourage us. Even purgatory will not last forever and everyone there will eventually reach heaven. The bad news is that there is a hell and people go there. They are there because they decided to reject God and put themselves first. And because God respects our free will, he allows us to live for eternity what we chose to live during our life.
So what can we do now to make sure that we are on the side of the sheep rather than the goats? Which steps do we take to ensure that our judgment will be more of a vindication rather than a condemnation? Consider the following short list:
Make sure that you have a daily habit of prayer. This means more than asking God for what you need but also, and more importantly, listening to what he has to say to you and how he wants to transform your life. Reading the bible, going to Mass regularly, praying the rosary, and going to adoration are all tried and true practices that make saints out of sinners.
Immerse yourself in charitable works. Ask yourself what you can do for other people rather than simply wondering what you can get out of them. Remembering that each and every person is loved and created by God, helps us to recognize Jesus’ presence within them. Fostering an attitude of charity will help you to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, comfort the sick, and welcome the stranger.
Stay close to the Church and seek to be obedient to her. Realize that the Church is part of Christ promising to be with us always until the end of time. See her teachings as the very things that will help you get to heaven, not something oppressive, to be avoided. Stay close to the Church and the sacraments and you will stay close to Christ.
If we do these things, we will have nothing to fear from death and judgment. The last things will be the beginning of our new life in Christ ad we will hear those wonderful words: “Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”
