Now that we are in the month of November, the Church, especially in her liturgy, invites us to reflect on the Four Last Things: death, judgment, Heaven, and Hell. All of them are related, for when death comes for each of us, as it most certainly will, we will undergo a judgment. At that judgment, known as the Particular Judgment, we will be evaluated based on love, whether we are in a position of loving God and our neighbor at that point when our earthly journey comes to an end. For those who die in God’s friendship, having accepted His invitation to grace, they will be admitted into Heaven. For those who have rejected that invitation, even in one’s final moment when the Lord pleads for them to accept His mercy, their final destination will be Hell. Note that Purgatory is not listed among the Last Things, for there is no finality in Purgatory. Purgatory is a place of transition where those who have died in friendship with Christ, before being admitted to Heaven, are purified from any remaining effects of sin not purged away through penance in this life.
There is also the Last Judgment, which the Catechism describes in these words:
The Last Judgment will come when Christ returns in glory. Only the Father knows the day and the hour; only he determines the moment of its coming. Then through his Son Jesus Christ he will pronounce the final word on all history. We shall know the ultimate meaning of the whole work of creation and of the entire economy of salvation and understand the marvellous ways by which his Providence led everything towards its final end. The Last Judgment will reveal that God’s justice triumphs over all the injustices committed by his creatures and that God’s love is stronger than death. (CCC 1040)
This description is a helpful companion to what Pope Benedict has been writing about in this last section of Spe salvi on judgment as a setting for learning hope. the Holy Father writes in the next paragraph:
The image of the Last Judgement is not primarily an image of terror, but an image of hope; for us it may even be the decisive image of hope. Is it not also a frightening image? I would say: it is an image that evokes responsibility, an image, therefore, of that fear of which Saint Hilary spoke when he said that all our fear has its place in love. God is justice and creates justice. This is our consolation and our hope. And in his justice there is also grace. (SS 44)
I find the pope’s invitation to see how the image of the Last Judgment evokes a sense of responsibility to be helpful. The judgment is related to justice in that justice is one receiving what is their due. We take responsibility for our actions, for maintaining our relationship with the Lord, with how we live the commandment of loving our neighbor and working for a more just world. At the same time, we know that we do not earn our salvation, for that is a pure gift, or grace, that the Lord gives to us. That grace, however, is something we have the responsibility of accepting and living throughout our lives. May we not fear the idea of judgment, but may we take it seriously, living intentionally to know, love, and serve God and our neighbor in this life, so that when this life comes to an end and we are judged on how we have loved, we may hope to be forever happy with God and all of the saints forever in Heaven.