Remembering the four last things

During November as we see the natural world around us preparing for its long winter rest, the Church’s liturgy and many popular customs invite us to reflect on what we call the four last things: death, judgment, heaven and hell. 

This is no morbid fascination, but a sober reminder of the transitory nature of this world and a bold summons to Christian hope. We began the month celebrating the saints in glory on All Saints Day. On Nov. 2, we observed the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls Day) and later in the month, on the last Sunday of the liturgical year, we celebrate the triumphant Solemnity of Christ the King.

Though we may not give much thought to the “four last things,” they are an inescapable reality for each of us. They remind us of the eternal destiny of heavenly glory that God has prepared for us in Jesus Christ and the eternal consequences of turning our back on God’s love. 

Saint John of the Cross wrote, “In the evening of our life, we shall be judged on our love.” At the end of life’s journey, perfect love will make possible our immediate entrance into heaven. If our love is imperfect and still mingled with selfishness, we will need further purification. A total lack of authentic love will mean eternal separation from God because God is love.

God has made us for heaven, where he has prepared for us the perfect fulfillment of all human longing in supreme and eternal happiness. We will enter the presence of God and share his life forever. We cannot even begin to imagine the joy God has prepared for us in heaven. 

The bible uses images such as a wedding banquet and being welcomed into our Father’s house, as in the parable of the Prodigal Son, to give us a glimpse of the happiness of heaven. We know that we will enjoy a perfect communion love with the most Holy Trinity and all the angels and saints. In order to share with us the Father’s mercy, Jesus Christ has opened the gates of heaven for us by accepting death for our sins and gaining victory over sin in his Resurrection from the dead.

At the other end of the spectrum is ultimately the rejection of mercy, which is hell. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that “The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God” (CCC 1035) who alone is our supreme and ultimate fulfillment. In choosing to persist in sin, those who are condemned to hell have freely rejected God’s love and his call to repentance. “God predestines no one to go to hell” (CCC 1037). He desires only our happiness. But, he will not and cannot violate our freedom by forcing us to accept his mercy and love. In that sense, hell is of our own making and choosing. 

Those who die in the state of friendship with God but who are not fully perfected in love are assured of salvation, but they must first undergo further purification from the effects of their sins. Only those who are perfected in love and holiness are able to bear the weight of glory and enter into the presence of the Most Holy Trinity. This process of purification after death is called purgatory. “The Church gives the name Purgatory to the final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned” (CCC 1031). 

We really do not know exactly what purgatory is. It is often described in terms of a purifying fire. The image of fire helps us recognize that perfect love is achieved only through a painful stripping away of the remnants of self-centeredness that cling to us and keep us from loving freely and totally. 

In the Nicene Creed, which we profess at Sunday Mass, we profess belief in the Communion of Saints. In the Communion of Saints, we are united with fellow believers on earth, with the suffering souls in purgatory as well as the saints in heaven. In this wonderful communion of life and love we are able to assist and be assisted by the prayers and good works of one another. 

The Church always is mindful of the duty to assist those in purgatory, especially through the celebration of the Eucharist. We pray for the faithful departed as part of the Eucharistic Prayer in every Mass. But, we also can request that Masses be offered for the intention of the deceased, especially for our deceased loved ones. As an expression of the mystery of the Communion of Saints, the Church also allows us to obtain indulgences and apply them in charity toward the souls in purgatory.  

Though it is our Christian duty always to be mindful of the faithful departed, the month of November is an opportune time to pray for them. On All Souls Day, we come to the aid our deceased brothers and sisters by special remembrances at Mass and other local customs. In many cultures it is the day set aside for the praiseworthy practice of visiting cemeteries and the graves of departed loved ones and friends. 

By visiting these sacred places, we honor the dead and by our prayers we assist them as they await the fulfillment of their hope (and ours), which is the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. 

May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.