Parousia and Judgment

Jesus will come at the end of time to judge all human beings. This is called the Parousia, His second coming. It was foretold by the angels as He ascended: "This Jesus who is taken up from you to heaven, will come in the way in which you saw Him going into heaven" (Acts 1:11).

However, those who die before the Parousia will be judged immediately at their deaths. This is known as the Particular Judgment. The Epistle to the Hebrews says (9:27): " It is appointed to men to die once, and after that comes the judgment". Then, "Each one will receive his pay, according to his works" (1 Cor 3:8).

Every soul must undergo judgment by God. Those who die before Christ returns are judged at the moment of their death and are rewarded with eternal communion with God in heaven – either immediately or following purification in Purgatory – or condemned to eternal separation from God in hell. The sentence of this judgment is final and will not be reversed. The Particular Judgment will be given immediately after the soul leaves the body. The soul will go at once either to its reward in heaven or to its punishment in purgatory or hell.

THE PARTICULAR JUDGMENT: CCC 1021: “Death puts an end to human life as the time open to either accepting or rejecting the divine grace manifested in Christ. The New Testament speaks of judgment primarily in its aspect of the final encounter with Christ in his second coming, but also repeatedly affirms that each will be rewarded immediately after death in accordance with his works and faith. The parable of the poor man Lazarus and the words of Christ on the cross to the good thief, as well as other New Testament texts speak of a final destiny of the soul — a destiny which can be different for some and for others.”

Catholics view the Parousia not as a terrifying apocalyptic destruction, but as a "blessed hope". The exact time of the Second Coming is known only by God, but Christ's kingdom is already actively present through the Church and the sacraments. The faithful are called to live in constant, hopeful readiness for His return. Every human soul will be judged at the end of the world.

In salvation history, the Parousia marks the definitive triumph of Christ over sin and death. This triumph was manifested in Christ’s Resurrection and Ascension and can be shared through sanctifying grace, but it will be fully demonstrated only at the end of the world. Parousia is the culmination of the history of salvation. The plan of God will reach complete fulfilment in a renewed universe inhabited by glorified bodies.

In both the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds, Christians profess the Christ will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. This judgment at the end of time is also known as the General Judgment or Last Judgment. For those who have already died and experienced the Particular Judgment, this Last Judgment is not some kind of appeal or retrial; it will in no way reverse or alter their previous judgment but only confirm it.

When Christ returns in glory, the bodies of every human person will rise from the dead. Those who have died in faith will have glorified bodies, much like Jesus Christ at his Transfiguration. Everyone’s moral decisions, including the circumstances and motivations surrounding them, will be revealed. Each person will be rewarded or punished for what he or she did in this life according to one’s acceptance or refusal of grace.

CCC 682: “When he comes at the end of time to judge the living and the dead, the glorious Christ will reveal the secret disposition of hearts and will render to each man according to his works, and according to his acceptance or refusal of grace.”

Keeping the eternal destination in mind helps us choose the correct course on earth. Christ has shown the way, but each of us must respond to his gift of salvation and follow him:

The Narrow Gate. “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.” (Mt 7: 13-14)

—Deacon Gerry Flamm

Texts for Meditation

Jesus said to his disciples: "Amen, amen I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it." (Jn 14,12-14)

"Dear children! Today I am with you in a special way and I bring you my motherly blessing of peace. I pray for you and I intercede for you before God, so that you may comprehend that each of you is a carrier of peace. You cannot have peace if your heart is not at peace with God. That is why, little children, pray, pray, pray, because prayer is the foundation of your peace. Open your heart and give time to God so that He will be your friend. When true friendship with God is realized, no storm can destroy it. Thank you for having responded to my call." (Mary’s message at Medjugorje, June 25, 1997)

"If you knew the gift of God!" The wonder of prayer is revealed beside the well where we come seeking his asking arises from the depths of God's desire for us. Whether we realize it or not, prayer is the encounter of God's thirst with ours. God thirsts that we may thirst for him. "You would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." Paradoxically our prayer of petition is a response to the plea of the living God: "They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water!" Prayer is the response of faith to the free promise of salvation and also a response of love to the thirst of the only Son of God. (CCC 2560-2561)