Q. Wsup! I just lost a friend of mine and just the whole experience raises a few questions in my mind, like first of all, why do we die?
A. Pole for your loss...
Death is a punishment for sin. When we sin, we separate ourselves from our life-source: God. When we die, our body separates itself from its life-source: the soul.
Q. Does this mean death and sin are related?
A. What death is to the body, sin is to the soul. Pain is a physical warning sign that there is something wrong with the body; guilt is a spiritual warning sign that there is something wrong with the soul.
A dead body cannot bring itself back to life; a dead soul cannot bring itself back to life. Jesus could resurrect dead people through a miracle; He can also resurrect dead souls through the miracle of the Sacrament of Confession.
Q. What happens after we die?
A. Immediately after we die, our soul goes before the judgement seat of God. Our lives – all we have ever thought, ever said, ever done or ever failed to do – is judged by God and rewarded or punished as appropriate immediately (e.g. the good thief on the cross is promised paradise that very day). This is called the Particular Judgement.
There will be another judgement at the end of the world where we will all see and hear everyone else being judged. This second one is called the General Judgement.
Q. And what does God look for when he judges us?
A. Jesus told a story once that answers this question. The story was of a King judging a crowd of people in front of him. The good guys were on his right and the bad guys on his left. (Mt 25:31-46)
To the good guys he said “'Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see thee hungry… or thirsty and give thee drink? … a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.'”
To the bad guys the King told them to get lost because even though they had a chance of being good to people around them, they were not.
Basically, God checks to see how we have treated those around us: at home, in class, in the gym, in the office, in the estate, on the pitch, in traffic, etc.
31stJanuary 2016