An Apologetical Explanation of the

Moment of Death

What happens when we die?

Just as it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.  (Heb 9:27-28)

At the moment of death, the immortal soul separates from the mortal body, and every person undergoes the Particular Judgment in which Christ immediately judges the person for the choices and actions he or she made in life and whether or not he or she has died in God’s grace and friendship.  As St. John on the Cross wrote, “At the evening of life, we shall be judged on our love”  (Dichos, 64).  Based on that judgment, the soul immediately enters the state of Heaven, Hell, or Purgatory.  (Cf. CCC 990, 1005, 1016, 1022, 1051)

The souls of those who have responded to God’s gift of salvation, die in a state of grace, and have been perfectly purified—either in this life or in Purgatory—will enter Heaven, the state of eternal happiness in which a person shares in the life and love of the Blessed Trinity.  In communion with the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the angels and saints, the soul enjoys a state of perfect happiness, and in the Kingdom of God, the saints will reign with Christ forever.  In Heaven, the blessed will receive the Beatific Vision: they see God face to face and contemplate him in the fullness of glory.  (Cf. CCC 1023-1029)

The souls of those who have responded to God’s gift of salvation, die in a state of grace, but need the remission of the temporal punishment due to sin that results from an unhealthy attachment to created goods, the soul must be purified before entering Heaven.  This purification after death is called Purgatory.  By purifying us of all imperfections before we can enter his presence in Heaven, God shows not only his justice but also his great love and mercy.  (Cf. CCC 1030-1032)

Just as the blessed will enjoy eternal love and joy, those who have rejected God will suffer eternal hatred and unhappiness in Hell.  All souls in Hell suffer the loss of eternal communion with God and punishment for sins committed on earth.  This state of separation from God is eternal, and there can be no repentance.  (Cf. CCC 1033-1037)

The General Judgment at the time of the Second Coming of Christ will not change the result of the Particular Judgment.  At that time, our mortal bodies will rise and be reunited with our souls.  The bodies of those saved will be in glorified form.  (Cf. CCC 1042, 1052)

The Catechism addresses this question in paragraph 1022.

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