What Happens When We Die? *
"Death is the natural and inevitable end of life on earth. '[There is] a time to be born, and a time to die' (Eccl 3:2)" ( USCCA , p. 153). The Nicene Creed proclaimed during Mass confirms our belief in everlasting life. The Catholic Church teaches that all persons are resurrected after their deaths. Immediately after a person dies, their soul is separated from their physical body, and they stand before God for judgment, and are judged to enter into "purgatory," "heaven" or "hell." The Church teaches, “Heaven is the ultimate end and fulfillment of the deepest human longings, the state of supreme, definitive happiness” ( CCC , no. 1024). The Church “recognizes that the death of a person marks an end to our earthly journey with its sorrows and joys, its sinful failures, and the triumphs of Christ’s saving grace and help.” ( USCCA , p. 153). We will be judged by our love we lived on earth. “Perfect love will make possible entrance int...