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."
Those who die in the state of friendship with God but who are not fully purified and perfected are assured of their eternal salvation. However, they must undergo a purification to obtain the perfection of love and holiness needed to enter heaven, where they have a heart that is really open to [God] . . . .
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 into heaven, imperfect love will require purification, and a total lack of love will mean eternal separation from God” (Id.).
Heaven is beyond anything that we can contemplate or imagine. “What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor. 2:9). As the Church teaches, "Seeing God face to face in all [God's] glory is the essential aspect of heaven. This is called the beatific vision. To make this possible God must reveal [the Godself] and give us the capacity to behold [God]" (USCCA, p. 154
The process of Purgatory provides:
It is impossible for us to imagine what Purgatory is. Traditionally, it has been described as a purifying fire. Since the human soul cannot be touched by earthly flames, the image serves to recall that perfect love is achieved by a gradual and painful spiritual detachment from selfishness and self-centeredness. (USCCA, p. 154).
Those who do not enter Purgatory or heaven are destined for “the chief punishment of hell [which] is eternal separation from God” (CCC no. 1035). The reason for this state is that
“It is impossible for us to be united with God if we refuse to love him. When we sin seriously against God, neighbor, or self, we have failed to love God. Persistence in a state of serious sin reflects a choice to reject God’s love and an intention to separate ourselves from [God]. Freely chosen eternal separation from communion with God is called hell" (USCCA at pp. 154-155).
Fortunately, the Church holds
There is no offense, however serious, that the Church cannot forgive. There is no one, however wicked and guilty, who may not confidently hope for forgiveness, provided his repentance is honest. Christ who died for all men desires that in his Church the gates of forgiveness should always be open to anyone who turns away from sin” (CCC, no. 982).
Despite this, one of the more challenging teachings of the Church is “the reality of death and its finality give an urgency to our lives. ‘Death puts an end to human life as the time open to either accepting or rejecting the divine grace manifested in Christ’ (CCC, no. 1021)" (USCCA, p. 153).
Mortal sin destroys the loving relationship with God that we need for eternal happiness. If not repented, it results in a loss of love and God's grace and merits eternal punishment in hell, that is, exclusion from the Kingdom of God and thus eternal death" (USCCA, p. 520).
Of course, only God can judge a person's soul. It is hoped that God's unconditional love, compassion, mercy, and forgiveness and God's will for "everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:4) will overcome any choice a finite and limited creature makes or fails to make prior to their death.
* Different religious traditions have different beliefs or understandings regarding what happens after a person dies. For example, Hinduism and Buddhism include the concept of karma and reincarnation or rebirth. There are also differences among various Christian faith traditions regarding who and under what circumstances a person can attain eternal salvation. This article discusses some of the teachings and implications arising from the Roman Catholic Christian faith tradition.
This teaching presumes that each person is given sufficient grace and the ability to make a freely-willed decision prior to their death. At the very least, it presumes that a person is capable of fully understanding the eternal consequences of failing to make the appropriate choice, especially if we consider that more than 4.5 billion people in the world today do not consider themselves to be Christian.
For example, the Church teaches,
Perhaps we can imagine that after death we all undergo the process of purgatory until we "obtain the perfection of love and holiness needed to enter heaven." This may take longer for some than for others, but we have eternity to complete the process and God is patient.