A Complete Catechism of the Catholic Religion/Twelfth Article
The Twelfth Article.
'And life everlasting. Amen.'
1. What does the Twelfth Article of the Creed teach us?
1. That after this life there is another, which will last for ever; and 2. That the just shall enjoy eternal happiness in it.
'The just shall go into life everlasting' — that is, into eternal glory (Matt. xxv. 46).
2. In what does the eternal happiness of the just consist?
1. They see God as He is, and are united with Him in the most intense love; and 2. With this sight and love of God is combined the possession of all good things, eternal joy and glory in the company of all the Angels and Saints.
1. 'We see now through a glass in a dark manner; but then face to face' (1 Cor. xiii. 12; comp. 1 John iii. 2). 2. 'God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and death shall be no more, nor mourning, nor crying, nor sorrow' (Apoc. xxi. 4). 'They shall be inebriated with the plenty of Thy house [O God!], and Thou shalt make them drink of the torrent of thy pleasure' (Ps. xxxv. 9). 'They shall receive a kingdom of glory, and a crown of beauty at the hand of the Lord' (Wisd. v. 17).
3. Can we conceive this eternal happiness?
No; the happiness in Heaven is so great that it exceeds all that can be said or imagined.
For 'eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love Him' (1 Cor. ii. 9).
4. Shall all be equally happy?
No; for ' every one shall receive his own reward according to his own labor'—i.e., according to his deserts (1 Cor. iii. 8).
'He who soweth sparingly, shall also reap sparingly; and he who soweth in blessings, shall also reap blessings' (2 Cor. ix. 6; comp. 1 Cor. XV. 41, 42).
5. What will be the life of the wicked through all eternity?
A life without any grace or joy, a life full of pains in hell.
Such a life is called in the Holy Scripture the second (eternal) death. 'The fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, they shall have their portion in the pool burning with fire and brimstone, which is the second death' (Apoc xxi. 8).
6. What is hell in the words of Christ?
'A place of torments' (Luke xvi. 28); 'an everlasting punishment' (Matt. xxv. 46); an 'unquenchable fire' (Mark ix. 44); 'the exterior darkness, where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth ' (Matt. viii. 12).
7. Who shall be condemned to the torments of hell?
Every one who dies an enemy of God — that is, who dies in mortal sin.
'He that committeth sin is of the devil' (1 John iii. 8); therefore, he also deserves to be punished like the devil. (Comp. Matt. xxix. 41.)
8. What sort of pains shall the souls of the damned suffer?
1. Internal torture and despair at the thought of all the evil they have done, and of the many graces they have abused (Wisd. v. 1-15; Matt. viii. 12); 2. Unspeakable sadness and misery, because they have, by their own fault, forfeited eternal happiness in Heaven (Luke xiii. 25-28); 3. Perpetual horror of the dismal company of the devils and of all the damned (Matt. XXV. 41); and 4. The most intolerable torments and pangs, without any hope of relief or end; for their fire shall not be extinguished, and their worm shall not die (Mark ix. 45; Apoc. xx. 9, 10).
'And the rich man also died, and he was buried in hell. And lifting up his eyes when he was in torments, he saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom; and he cried, and said: Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, to cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame,' etc. (Luke xvi. 22-24).
9. Whence do we know that the pains of the damned are eternal?
1. From the clear testimony of Christ and the Apostles1; and 2. From the express doctrine of the infallible Church, which has solemnly condemned the erroneous opinion of those heretics who taught that the pains of the devils and of the damned would in time have an end.
{{fine|1'Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire: . . . and they shall go into everlasting punishment' (Matt. xxv. 41 and 46). 'It is better for thee to enter lame into life everlasting, than, having two feet, to be cast into the hell of unquenchable fire, where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not extinguished' (Mark ix. 44, 45). 'And the smoke of their torments shall ascend up for ever and ever' (Apoc. xiv. 11, and elsewhere) .
10. Why are the pains of the condemned souls eternal?
1. Because the offence against the infinite Majesty of God demands of His justice a punishment without end; 2. Because all who die in sin remain eternally obdurate in sin;1 3. Because God, in virtue of His holiness, hates evil no less than He loves what is good, and therefore punishes vice eternally, as He eternally rewards virtue; and 4. Because only the everlasting pains of hell are a sufficient means to deter man, even in secret, from evil.2
1 Sin remains as a propensity to sin, though it can no more be committed in deed (Innocent III.). 2 God showed also mercy to us when He created hell, whereby He will prevent us from being wicked (St. John Chrysost.).
11. Will the pains of all the damned be equal?
No; for each one shall have to suffer in proportion to his sins, and to the ill use he has made of the graces bestowed upon him.
'As much as she' (the city of Babylon) 'hath glorified herself, and lived in delicacies, so much torment and sorrow give unto her' (Apoc. xviii. 7). 'Unto whomsoever much is given, of him much shall be required' (Luke xii. 48).
12. Will all those who are condemned to eternal hell-fire be condemned by their own fault?
Yes; for all men may be eternally happy, provided they will avail themselves of the abundant graces which God gives them.
'God will have all men to be saved, for there is one mediator of God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a redemption for all' (1 Tim. ii. 4-6). 'Before man is life and death; that which he shall choose shall be given him' (Ecclus. XV. 18).
13. What do you understand by the 'Four Last Things' of man?
I understand by the four last things Death, Judgment, Hell, and Heaven.
14. Of what use is the frequent remembrance of the four last things to us?
It is, as the Holy Ghost testifies, an effectual means to avoid sin, and consequently to escape eternal damnation.
'In all thy works remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin' (Ecclus. vii. 49).
15. With what word do we conclude the Apostles' Creed?
With the word 'Amen', which means 'So it is,' or 'So be it.'
16. Why do we conclude the Apostles' Creed with this word?
In order to declare that we firmly believe all that is contained in the twelve Articles of the Creed, and that we are determined to live according to this belief, and to die in it.
Application. Often consider, especially at the hour of temptation, this serious truth: 'Once lost, lost for ever'; or this one: 'Momentary joy brings on eternal pain, but short pain eternal joy'; and these words of Jesus Christ: ' The kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence, and the violent bear it away' (Matt. xi. 12).