We delve more deeply into eschatology. It is a fascination for so many Christians, and even those outside the fold. Within the flock, some believers are prepared to usurp the role of judge and render the final decision on others in this life. Some are anxious to speed up the final turn of the universe’s clock.
22. Another reality having to do with eternal life is God’s judgement, both at the end of our individual lives and at the end of history. Artists have often attempted to portray it – here we can think of Michelangelo’s magnum opus in the Sistine Chapel – in accordance with the theological vision of their times and with the aim of inspiring a sense of awe in the viewer.
Art is one way to get a glimpse. It’s probably a better window than a theological text.
We should indeed prepare ourselves consciously and soberly for the moment when our lives will be judged, but we must always do this from the standpoint of hope, the theological virtue that sustains our lives and shields them from groundless fear. The judgement of God, who is love (cf. 1 John 4:8.16), will surely be based on love, and in particular on all that we have done or failed to do with regard to those in need, in whose midst Christ, the Judge himself, is present (cf. Matthew 25:31-46).
A judgment based on love rather than the letter of the law. Remember the lesson of Matthew 21:28-32. Or the parable of the workers.
Clearly, then, we are speaking of a judgement unlike any handed down by human, earthly tribunals; it should be understood as a rapport of truth with the God who is love and with oneself, within the unfathomable mystery of divine mercy. Sacred Scripture states: “You have taught your people that the righteous must be kind, and you have filled your children with good hope, because you give repentance for sins, so that… when we are judged, we may expect mercy” (Wisdom 12:19.22).
I like this insight from the previous pope:
In the words of Benedict XVI: “At the moment of judgement we experience and we absorb the overwhelming power of his love over all the evil in the world and in ourselves. The pain of love becomes our salvation and our joy”. [Spe Salvi 47]
Is Judgment something that inspires hope? Perhaps a believer possesses a secret worry. Scrupulous people may have several. How does one balance the attitude of hope and the expectation of eternal life with the importance of fearless self-examination and contrition? Evil tends to evaporate once sin is out in the open. A respected pastor I knew preached on that occasionally. He was involved in 12 Step recovery, so he knew of what he spoke.
Judgement, then, concerns the salvation in which we hope and which Jesus has won for us by his death and resurrection. It is meant to bring us to a definitive encounter with the Lord. The evil we have done cannot remain hidden; it needs to be purified in order to enable this definitive encounter with God’s love. Here we begin to see the need of our prayers for all those who have ended their earthly pilgrimage, our solidarity in an intercession that is effective by virtue of the communion of the saints, and the shared bond that makes us one in Christ, the firstborn of all creation. The Jubilee indulgence, thanks to the power of prayer, is intended in a particular way for those who have gone before us, so that they may obtain full mercy.
We shouldn’t be distracted by any popular meaning of indulgence. As this document presents it, we are talking about an intent to continuing conversion, relying on prayer, and cultivating a desire for mercy. That is mercy for ourselves and for others close to us, much farther, and those in between.
You can check the full document on the Vatican website here.
Catholic Sensibility 