Reflections on the Catechism of the Catholic Church – Paragraphs 1020 to 1065
For the Christian, death is not understood as the absolute end of existence, but as the passage into the fullness of life in God. By uniting his own death with that of Christ, the faithful confronts this supreme moment as the definitive encounter with the One who conquered death and opened the gates of eternity. In this sense, death becomes an arrival: not a fall into the void, but the entrance into eternal life.
The Church, like a mother who accompanies her children until the very last moment, offers the dying Christian the sacramental signs that strengthen him for this crossing: absolution, which reconciles him with God; the anointing, which communicates spiritual strength; and the Viaticum, which is Christ himself given as food for the journey. In this way, death is not faced in loneliness, but sustained by the grace of the sacraments.
At the final moment, the Church raises words of confidence and tenderness. She addresses the soul of the faithful, reminding him that he does not depart alone, but under the invocation of the Most Holy Trinity, in communion with the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, the angels, and all the saints. The Christian is once again entrusted to the Creator, who formed him from the dust of the earth, so that he may return to the One who is his origin and his destiny.
Thus, death is illumined by hope. The faithful is called to contemplate the Redeemer face to face and to enjoy the vision of God for evermore. What could appear as defeat is revealed as triumph; what seemed an ending manifests itself as fulfilment. The Christian life, which begins in Baptism as participation in the death and resurrection of Christ, culminates in the final moment as a passage into the eternal dwelling with God.
I. The Particular Judgement
Death brings to a close man’s time on earth, a time marked by the possibility of accepting or rejecting the divine grace manifested in Jesus Christ. Earthly life is therefore a unique and unrepeatable opportunity to decide, in freedom, for God or against Him. It is in this horizon that the mystery of judgement is understood: each human existence, at its end, is placed before the ultimate truth of its path.
The New Testament, in several passages, underlines the aspect of the final judgement that will take place at the second coming of Christ. Yet it also clearly teaches that already at the very moment of death each man experiences an immediate retribution. The parable of poor Lazarus, the promise made by Jesus to the good thief on the cross, and other biblical testimonies reveal that, immediately after death, the soul encounters its definitive destiny before God.
This immediate encounter with Christ is called the particular judgement. In it, each person, in his immortal soul, receives eternal retribution according to his works and his faith. Such judgement may lead to three distinct destinies: a temporary purification — Purgatory — for those who died in grace yet still need to be purified; the immediate entry into the eternal happiness of Heaven; or, tragically, the eternal condemnation of Hell, for those who definitively rejected the grace of God.
The mystic Saint John of the Cross expressed this truth sublimely: “At the evening of life, you will be examined in love.” The measure of judgement will be none other than charity. Love lived or rejected will be the key by which the life of every man will be evaluated before Christ.
II. Heaven
Heaven is the definitive goal of the Christian life, the fulfilment of God’s promises and the ultimate realisation of the deepest desire of the human heart: to see God face to face. There, those who die in God’s grace and friendship, fully purified, will live for ever in communion with Christ. This direct and immediate vision of the divine essence, called by the Church the beatific vision, makes the blessed like God, for they behold his glory as He is.
The Church, with the authority received from the Apostles, teaches that all the just — from those who preceded the Passion of Christ to the baptised who concluded their earthly lives purified — already participate in this heavenly communion. Associated with the Kingdom of Heaven, they live with Christ, in the company of angels and saints, enjoying the eternal joy of God’s presence. Heaven, therefore, is not only a future state, but a reality already lived by those who have completed their earthly pilgrimage in fidelity to the Lord.
The essence of Heaven is “to be with Christ.” To be in Him does not mean to lose personal identity, but rather to discover it in its fullness. Only in Christ does each man find his true name, his authenticity, and his deepest fulfilment. For this reason, Saint Ambrose could affirm with clarity: “Life consists in being with Christ; where Christ is, there is life, there is the Kingdom.”
It was through the death and resurrection of Jesus that Heaven was opened to man. He who conquered sin and death has associated with his glorification all those who believed in Him and remained faithful to his will. Eternal life is therefore full participation in the fruits of Christ’s redemption. It is perfect communion with God and, at the same time, the blessed community of all those definitively incorporated into Christ.
The greatness of this mystery surpasses any human representation. Sacred Scripture, to bring us closer to it, uses images and symbols: life, light, peace, the wedding feast, the new wine of the Kingdom, the Father’s house, the heavenly Jerusalem, paradise. All these images point to a happiness beyond human imagination: “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Cor 2:9).
Heaven is, above all, contemplation. Not an abstract contemplation, but the living and direct experience of God in his glory. This is the so-called beatific vision, a gratuitous gift by which God fully reveals himself and grants man the capacity to behold Him. This vision is the source of endless joy: to share in the joys of salvation, of eternal light, of communion with Christ, with the just and the friends of God. It is to possess life in its fullness for ever.
Yet Heaven does not mean inactivity or stagnation. In it, the blessed continue to live in a dynamic communion of love. Joyfully fulfilling the will of God, they intercede for men and participate in Christ’s work in creation. United to the Lord, they already reign with Him and, as the Book of Revelation teaches, “they shall reign for ever and ever” (Rev 22:5).
Thus Heaven is the supreme destiny to which every man is called. It is not merely a reward, but the consummation of life in Christ, where love conquers for ever. It is the inheritance promised to those who persevere in faith, the eternal dwelling with God, where every tear is wiped away and every hope finds its perfect fulfilment.
III. The Final Purification or Purgatory
The Christian life teaches that holiness is the necessary condition for entering the eternal joy of Heaven. Yet many leave this life reconciled with God but still marked by imperfections and venial faults not yet fully purified. For these, divine mercy reserves a path of purification after death, in which, though already assured of eternal salvation, they undergo a final purification that prepares them to behold God face to face. The Church calls this state Purgatory.
Purgatory is entirely distinct from the damnation of the reprobate. Whereas Hell is definitive separation from God, Purgatory is already a state of salvation: all who are there know that they are journeying towards eternal beatitude. It is a purification that is painful yet full of hope, for in it the love of God refines the soul, making it ready for heavenly glory.
The Church officially formulated this doctrine at the Councils of Florence and Trent, reaffirming that Tradition has always recognised the existence of purification after death. Scripture itself points to this reality: Jesus speaks of sins that can be forgiven “in the age to come” (cf. Mt 12:32), and Saint Paul refers to a purification “as through fire” (cf. 1 Cor 3:15). The image of purifying fire expresses the transformative action of divine love that consumes all imperfection and prepares the heart for the definitive encounter with God.
Beyond its biblical basis, the doctrine of Purgatory also finds support in the constant practice of the Church in praying for the dead. From the earliest centuries, Christians have offered suffrages, especially the Eucharistic Sacrifice, on behalf of souls being purified, so that they may attain the beatific vision sooner. Scripture itself attests this custom in 2 Maccabees 12:46, where Judas Maccabeus offers expiatory sacrifices for the dead, that they might be freed from their sins.
The Church also recommends works of charity, indulgences, and penances for the departed. Saint John Chrysostom already exhorted the faithful not to hesitate in helping those who had gone before with prayers and offerings, confident that these acts bring them consolation and relief. Thus the love that unites the members of the Church is not broken by death: it continues to manifest itself through the communion of saints, which transcends the frontier between earth, Purgatory, and Heaven.
Purgatory, therefore, is an expression of God’s mercy and of Christian hope. It shows that holiness is not the privilege of a few, but the destiny of all who persevere in the Lord’s friendship. In it, divine love acts as a fire that purifies and beautifies the soul, preparing it for the eternal encounter with God.
IV. Hell
Christian faith teaches that God created man for eternal communion with Him, but this communion requires a free response of love. To love God is always a choice, and to reject this love deliberately and persistently is to choose separation from God. Thus, to die in a state of mortal sin, without repentance and without accepting divine mercy, means to exclude oneself for ever from the life of communion with the Lord and with the saints. This state of definitive self-exclusion is what the Church calls Hell.
Jesus spoke many times of this reality. He uses the image of Gehenna, of the “unquenchable fire”, to express the condition of those who refuse to convert until the end of life. In the parables of the Gospel, Christ announces in severe terms the fate of those who practise iniquity and reject grace: they will be cast away from the Lord’s presence, thrown into the fiery furnace, where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” In Matthew 25, He presents the final judgement in decisive words: “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire.”
The Church’s doctrine clearly confirms the existence of Hell and its eternity. Souls that die separated from God by mortal sin descend immediately into this state of condemnation, where they suffer the pains proper to Hell. The most terrible of these pains is not the image of material fire, but the eternal separation from God. Man was created to live united with his Creator; not to attain Him is to lose life, happiness, and the very meaning of existence.
The teaching on Hell is not, however, a message of fear, but a call to responsibility and conversion. In recalling this truth, the Church invites each man to live his freedom seriously, choosing the narrow way that leads to life. The Lord warns us: the wide gate and the easy road lead to destruction, while the narrow gate leads to the Kingdom. Constant vigilance is therefore necessary, so that the Christian may persevere in faith and be prepared on the day the Lord calls him.
It is important to emphasise that God predestines no one to Hell. For anyone to arrive at this destiny, it is necessary freely and voluntarily to reject God through mortal sin and to remain in that state until death. God, in his infinite mercy, wills that all be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (cf. 1 Tim 2:4; 2 Pet 3:9). Therefore, the Church, in every Eucharist and in her daily prayers, implores the grace of conversion, begging the Father to deliver the faithful from eternal damnation and receive them among his elect.
Hell is therefore the tragic consequence of misused freedom. It reminds us that God’s love is never imposed: it is always a gift to be accepted. Whoever rejects it until the end shuts himself off from eternal life. The awareness of this truth should not paralyse with fear, but awaken in the Christian the desire to persevere in love and to proclaim to all the path of salvation, which is Christ.
V. The Final Judgement
Christian faith proclaims that at the end of time all men will rise again: the just and the sinners, each to receive eternal retribution according to his works. That will be the hour when the voice of Christ will call all who sleep in their tombs, and they will come forth: those who have done good, to the resurrection of life; those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation (cf. Jn 5:28-29). This will be the moment of the Final Judgement, when Christ will come in glory, surrounded by his angels, and before Him all nations will be gathered. Then, like a shepherd separating sheep from goats, He will place the just at his right and the wicked at his left, pronouncing over each the definitive sentence (cf. Mt 25:31-46).
In this universal judgement, the truth of each life will be fully revealed. Before Christ, who is the Truth itself, the relationship of each man with God and with his neighbour will appear with clarity. Everything done or omitted will be brought to light: charity lived or refused, good done or neglected. The poor, the little ones, those who were Christ’s presence in the world, will be silent witnesses of our fidelity or of our omission. Then it will be understood, incontrovertibly, that every work of love done to one’s neighbour was offered to Christ himself, and that every refusal of charity was ultimately a refusal of the Lord.
The Final Judgement is not only an individual reckoning, but also a revelation of the ultimate meaning of history. In it will be unveiled how divine providence guided all things, even through sorrows and injustices, towards the fulfilment of his plan of salvation. It will be the moment when we shall understand that God’s love is stronger than death and that his justice triumphs over every injustice committed by creatures. This judgement will mark God’s definitive word on all creation and on the history of humanity.
Therefore, the message of the Final Judgement is both demanding and consoling. It is a constant call to conversion, while we still live in the favourable time, the day of salvation (cf. 2 Cor 6:2). It reminds us of the need for vigilance and commitment to the justice of the Kingdom of God, inspiring a holy fear of squandering life. But at the same time, it is a source of hope: the “blessed hope” (cf. Tit 2:13) of the glorious coming of the Lord, who will be admired in all who have believed and glorified in his saints (cf. 2 Thess 1:10).
Thus, the Final Judgement is not only the announcement of separation, but the promise of fullness: it will reveal the ultimate truth about each life, make God’s justice shine forth, and definitively open the gates of eternity for those who remained steadfast in faith and love.
VI. The Hope of New Heavens and a New Earth
Christian faith points not only to the personal salvation of souls, but also to the definitive transformation of all creation. At the end of time, after the Final Judgement, the just, glorified in body and soul, will reign with Christ for ever. At that moment, the universe itself will be renewed and restored in its fullness. The Church teaches that this restoration will embrace not only humanity, but all creation, intimately linked to man and destined to share in his glorification.
Sacred Scripture describes this renewal with the expressions “new heavens and a new earth” (2 Pet 3:13; Rev 21:1). It is the definitive realisation of the divine plan to recapitulate all things in Christ (cf. Eph 1:10). It will be the fulfilment of God’s eternal plan: to gather humanity and the whole universe under the sovereignty of the risen Christ, in a perfect communion of life and love.
In the heavenly Jerusalem, image of this new reality, God himself will dwell among men. He will wipe away every tear, and death shall be no more, nor mourning, nor pain, for the former things have passed away (cf. Rev 21:4). What we now experience as suffering, limitation, and frailty will be definitively overcome by the power of God, who will make all things new.
For man, this consummation will be the full realisation of the unity of the human race, dreamt by God since creation and foreshadowed in the pilgrim Church. The community of the redeemed will form the “Holy City”, the “Bride of the Lamb”, purified of all selfishness, sin, and division. The beatific vision of God will be the inexhaustible source of happiness and communion among all, in a peace that will never be disturbed.
This hope concerns not only humanity but also the cosmos. Saint Paul affirms that “the whole creation has been groaning in travail, awaiting the revelation of the sons of God” (Rom 8:19-22). The material world, created to serve man and to give glory to God, also shares in this expectation. In the end, it will be freed from corruption and transfigured, becoming fully ordered to the service of glorified humanity in Christ.
The exact form of this transformation remains a mystery. We do not know the time or the manner in which the earth and the universe will be renewed. Yet we do know that the present form of the world, marked by sin, will pass away, and God will prepare a new dwelling in which justice and perfect peace will reign, surpassing every human longing.
The expectation of this new earth must not weaken Christians’ commitment to caring for the present world. On the contrary, it should impel them to greater responsibility in cultivating a more just, fraternal, and solidary society. Although earthly progress is not to be confused with the Kingdom of Christ, every work of goodness carried out in conformity with the Spirit contributes, in some way, to preparing the ground where the seed of eternity will grow.
All authentic fruits of human life — dignity, communion, freedom, justice — will not be lost. Purified of every stain, they will rise again transfigured in the new creation, when Christ hands over the eternal and universal Kingdom to the Father. Then, as Saint Paul proclaims, “God will be all in all” (1 Cor 15:28). Eternal life will be full participation in the communion of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the inexhaustible source of love and happiness.