Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell
The catechism ends where life ends, and where eternity begins. This lesson covers the “last
things”: death, judgment, purgatory, heaven, hell, and the resurrection of the body.
Two Judgments
408. Q. When will Christ judge us?
A. Christ will judge us immediately after our death, and on the last day.
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.
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.
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.
There are two judgments:
• The particular judgment happens to each person the moment they die. Our eternal
destiny is decided then, based on how we lived.
• The general judgment (or Last Judgment) happens at the end of the world, when Christ
returns in glory and all people are judged together.
Death is the end of our time to choose. “It is appointed unto men once to die, and after this
the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Now is the time to turn to God.
Remember: I will be judged at death, and again with everyone at the end of the world.
Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell
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.
After death, there are three possibilities. Purgatory is temporary; heaven and hell are forever.
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.
Hell is real. Jesus spoke about it often. Its worst pain is losing God forever, the one for whom
we were made. God does not send anyone to hell against their will. Hell is the final result of
freely and finally rejecting God by dying unrepentant in mortal sin. God wants all people to
be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). His mercy is open to anyone who turns to Him, right up to the last
moment of life.
Remember: Hell is real; it is the choice to be without God forever.
Read more: Catechism of the Catholic Church §§1033–1037.
Purgatory
414. Q. What is Purgatory?
A. Purgatory is a 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.
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,
alms-deeds; by indulgences, and by having Masses said for them.
Many people die in God’s friendship but not yet completely pure, still attached to small sins
or not yet healed from the damage of sin. Nothing unclean can enter heaven (Revelation
21:27). Purgatory is God’s loving purification that makes them ready. Everyone in purgatory
will go to heaven.
We can help them! Prayers, sacrifices, indulgences, and above all having Masses offered for
them. This is one of the most loving things we can do for those we have lost. November is the
Church’s special month of prayer for the dead.
Remember: Purgatory prepares souls for heaven, and our prayers help them.
Read more: 2 Maccabees 12:46; Catechism of the Catholic Church §§1030–1032.
Why a General Judgment?
416. Q. If every one is judged immediately after death, what need is there of a General
Judgment?
A. There is need of a General Judgment, though every one 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.
In this life, good people often suffer and wicked people seem to get away with everything. It
can make us wonder whether God is fair. At the Last Judgment, all will be revealed: the
whole story of history, and how God was at work in it. Every injustice will be set right, and
everyone will see that God is just.
Remember: At the end, everyone will see that God was just all along.
The Resurrection of the Body
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.
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.
At the end of time, God will raise our bodies and reunite them with our souls. We are body
and soul, so the whole person will share in eternity. The saved will have glorified bodies like
the risen Jesus: never again to suffer, grow old, or die.
This is why Catholics treat the bodies of the dead with reverence and bury them (or
reverently inter their ashes) in holy ground, rather than scattering them.
Remember: My body will rise again, and share in my eternal destiny.
Heaven
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.
Heaven is not clouds and harps. It is seeing God face to face, being filled with His life and
love, together with all the angels and saints and everyone we love who has died in Christ. It is
the answer to Lesson 1: this is why God made you. “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither
hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love him”
(1 Corinthians 2:9).
Remember: Heaven is seeing God face to face and being happy with Him forever.
Read more: Catechism of the Catholic Church §§1023–1029.
Words to Remember Always
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.”
The catechism ends with the same words of Jesus we met in Lesson 1 (Matthew 16:26–27).
Everything in this book comes down to this: you were made for God, your soul is worth more
than the whole world, and the choices you make now matter forever. The good news is that
God wants you in heaven even more than you do, and He gives you everything you need to
get there.
Remember: Nothing in the world is worth losing my soul.
Putting It Into Practice
• Have a Mass offered for someone you love who has died.
• Pray each day for a holy death, for yourself and for those who will die today.
• Ask yourself: if I died tonight, am I ready? If not, go to Confession.
Questions to Think About
1. How often do you think about heaven? How would thinking about it more change your
life?
2. What from this whole catechism has meant the most to you?
A Prayer for a Holy Death
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I give you my heart and my soul. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,
assist me in my last agony. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, may I breathe forth my soul in
peace with you. Amen.