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Chapter 13 — "Our Eternal Destiny"
OPENING PRAYER
ACT OF FAITH
O my God, I firmly believe that you are one God
in three divine Persons, Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit. I believe that your divine Son became man
and died for our sins and that he will come again
to judge the living and the dead. I believe these
and all the truths which the Holy Catholic Church
teaches because you have revealed them who are
eternal truth and wisdom, who can neither
deceive nor be deceived.
In this faith I intend to live and die. Amen.
ACT OF HOPE
O Lord God, I hope by your grace for the pardon
of all my sins and after life here to gain eternal
happiness because you have promised it who are
infinitely powerful, faithful, kind, and merciful.
In this hope I intend to live and die. Amen.
ACT OF LOVE
O Lord God, I love you above all things and I love
my neighbor for your sake because you are the
highest, infinite and perfect good, worthy of all
my love. In this love I intend to live and die. Amen.
"OUR ETERNAL DESTINY"
—CCC, Nos. 988–1065
[The Lord] is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish
but that all should come to repentance (2 Pt 3:9)
What do you believe happens to you when you die?
Some people may believe that our life on earth is all that there is and that when we die, we cease to exist. Other people may choose to ignore reflecting on this question, trying to hold onto this lifetime as long as they can. Still others search for an answer to this question. In the end, everyone will experience the answer when their life on earth ends.
At Mass we profess by the Nicene Creed, “I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.” What does this mean?
The Church teaches that at the very moment of death, our soul is separated from our body. At that moment, we each receive a “particular” judgment from God based on the degree to which we have perfected holiness and our love of God and one another during our lifetime. Those who die in a state of grace, friendship, and communion with God are assured of their eternal salvation when they will come to experience God “face to face,” called the “beatific vision.” However, those who are not fully purified and perfected in holiness and love must first undergo a purification to obtain the perfection of holiness and love needed to enter heaven. The Church calls this purification process “Purgatory.” The Church assists those in Purgatory through prayer.
When we seriously sin against God, our neighbor, or our self, we have failed to love God. Our persistence in this state of sin, and our failure to repent and seek reconciliation through divine grace, reflects our free and willful choice to reject God, and to separate ourselves from God. This freely chosen state of eternal separation from communion with God is called “hell.” “God predestines no one to go to hell” (CCC, no. 1037). Instead, God “wills everyone to be saved” (1 Tm 2:4); “not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet 3:9).
Faith in the resurrection of our bodies is based on our faith in the Resurrection of Christ's body from the dead. At the end of time, when Christ returns in glory, a final judgment will occur when all are raised from the dead, assembled before God, and their relationship with God is made public. This is called the “general judgment.” At that time there will be a renewal of the universe in Christ—“the new heaven and the new earth” (see Rev 21:1). All souls will be united with their body. We do not know when or how this will happen.
Please read this week
USCCA,Chapter 13, "Our Eternal Destiny," (pages 151–162), the
CCC, Nos. 988–1065, (pages 258–276) ,and the
Compendium, Nos. 202–217
REFLECT ON YOUR EXPERIENCE
What experiences cause you to think about death?
How does the Church’s teachings about eternal life give you hope when thinking about your own death?
We encourage and invite you to spend time to reflect, pray, and write in your journal about what you have read, seen, heard, or experienced this week. You can find some questions you may wish to consider here.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, in now, and ever shall be.
Amen.