FIFTY-SECOND LESSON
On Judgment
and Eternity.
"The hour cometh wherein all that are in the graves shall hear the voice of the Son of God."—ST. JOHN V. 28.
My children, when last we talked together, I tried to reconcile you to the thought of death, by representing it merely as a short passage to a better life; for I firmly hope, that sooner or later, each and all of you will have a share in eternal happiness. But you are, I suppose, fully aware that such a reward must be deserved. God, who is supremely just, could not grant such bliss to souls unworthy of heaven, and accordingly, after our death, God will pass judgment upon each of us—you, me, and all mankind. On what shall we be judged, my dear children? On the use we shall have made of that life he had granted us. As soon as we shall have drawn our last breath, our soul will fly to God, who will then open the book of the holy law, and another, on which are inscribed men's actions. Then, comparing our behavior with our duties, he will see how we have benefited by the good education we have received, by the good example set us on all sides, by the good inclinations he had placed in our hearts, rendering virtue thereby easier to us. He will see if the sins oar weakness has caused us to commit have been redeemed by true repentance, atoned for by good deeds. Our fate during all eternity will be decided on by this examination, through which you, my children, and every man will have to pass after death, and that the Church calls the personal or particular judgment.
This first judgment will be confirmed by the last judgment, which according to the Gospel will be announced by startling and alarming signs. Our Lord Jesus Christ himself speaks thus of this awful day: "When the Son of Man shall come in His majesty, and all the Angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the seat of His majesty. And all nations shall be gathered together before Him, and He shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats; and He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on His left. Then shall the king say to them that shall be on His right hand: Come, ye blessed of my father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Then He shall say to them also that shall be on His left hand: Depart from Me, ye cursed, into the everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels!"
In another part of the Gospel, our Lord again compares the separation of the good from the wicked, to the harvest time. At this season the master of the fields says to the reapers: "Gather up first the cockle, and bind it into bundles to burn, but the wheat gather ye into my barn."
My children, what can we do to escape the due chastisement of sin, to be one day placed on the side of the sheep, to be gathered like the pure wheat and placed in the barns of the Master? Nothing else but fulfil the duties of our position and of our age, do daily and hourly the will of God, return sincerely to him, as soon as we have had the misfortune to commit sin. Then if, in thinking of the last judgment, you cannot overcome a feeling of fear, for even the most perfect souls cannot help dreading divine justice, this fear at least, does not do away with all confidence; it sustains, it encourages, its corrects without despairing; and the Christian who has done his best in this life, can confidently place his eternal future in the hands of God, whose goodness is a thousand times greater than our weakness.
The thought and the desire of heaven, still more than the sentiment of fear, my dear children, should direct our actions, help us to practise virtue and fulfil faithfully our duties. Heaven is the abode of our Father, of that God whom so many mercies have taught us to love. In heaven, where we shall see Him, where our souls will be taught to know Him thoroughly, we shall be enabled to love Him still more, and we shall love Him forever. In His holy abode no sufferings, no tears, and, above all, no sins will ever more exist. This is the bliss of heaven, of which St. Paul said: "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive, what things God hath prepared for them that love him."
Disclaimer: Linking of a site does not imply endorsement of the views of the site, but merely offers it as a resource the webmaster beleives to be accurate. Because sites can be amended over time and non-Catholic items added, we ask all to do due diligence in checking things out
Ads are added to keep this site free. Donations are also accepted! If you find an objectionable ad, please contact us so we can block it in the future.
