Judgment, resurrection, purification, and eternal life

Question 408

When will Christ judge us?

Christ will judge us immediately after our death, and on the last day.

Question 409

What is the judgment called which we have to undergo immediately after death?

The judgment we have to undergo immediately after death is called the Particular Judgment.

Question 410

What is the judgment called which all men have to undergo on the last day?

The judgment which all men have to undergo on the last day is called the General Judgment.

Question 411

Why does Christ judge men immediately after death?

Christ judges men immediately after death to reward or punish them according to their deeds.

Question 412

What are the rewards or punishments appointed for men's souls after the Particular Judgment?

The rewards or punishments appointed for men's souls after the Particular Judgment are Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell.

Question 413

What is Hell?

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.

Question 414

What is Purgatory?

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.

Question 415

Can the faithful on earth help the souls in Purgatory?

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.

Question 416

If every one is judged immediately after death, what need is there of a General Judgment?

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.

Question 417

Will our bodies share in the reward or punishment of our souls?

Our bodies will share in the reward or punishment of our souls, because through the resurrection they will again be united to them.

Question 418

In what state will the bodies of the just rise?

The bodies of the just will rise glorious and immortal.

Question 419

Will the bodies of the damned also rise?

The bodies of the damned will also rise, but they will be condemned to eternal punishment.

Question 420

What is Heaven?

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.

Question 421

What words should we bear always in mind?

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."

Particular and final judgment

Questions 408, 409, 410, 411, 412

At death each person receives judgment in relation to Christ; at his return the truth of every life and history is manifested in the general judgment. God alone judges hearts with perfect truth and mercy. Christians may teach revealed possibilities but must not pronounce the eternal fate of particular persons without revelation.

Hell, purification, and prayer for the dead

Questions 413, 414, 415

Hell is definitive self-exclusion from communion with God, not evidence that God delights in suffering. Purgatory is the final purification of those who die in God's friendship, distinct from the punishment of the damned. Prayer, especially the Eucharistic offering, expresses communion and hope for the dead.

Justice revealed and bodies raised

Questions 416, 417, 418, 419

The general judgment reveals consequences and God's providence before all. Resurrection affirms embodied identity and rejects the idea that salvation is escape from creation. All rise; the just share transformed glory, while judgment confirms the seriousness of freedom.

Heaven and the urgent present

Questions 420, 421

Heaven is perfect life with the Trinity and communion with the saints, fulfilling rather than erasing personhood. Remembering death, judgment, heaven, and hell should direct today's choices toward grace, repentance, hope, and love—not obsessive fear.

Matthew 25:31–46

Jesus' judgment scene joins accountability before the Son of Man to concrete treatment of vulnerable neighbors.

31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

1 Corinthians 15:42–58

Paul explains bodily resurrection, transformation, Christ's victory, and steadfast labor grounded in hope.

42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: 43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. 46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. 47 The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven. 48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. 49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. 50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Revelation 21:1–7

The final vision centers God's dwelling with humanity, the end of death and grief, and the renewal of creation.

1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.