Jesus Christ Jesus Christ shall come to shall come to

judge the living judge the living and the deadand the dead

1616

BACKER, Jacob deThe Last Judgement

c. 1580Oil on panel, 140 x 105 cm (centre

panel), 140 x 52 cm (wings)O.-L. Vrouwekathedraal, Antwerp

Compendium of the Catechism

133. How does the Lord Jesus now reign?

668-674680

As the Lord of the cosmos and of history, the Head of his Church, the glorified Christ mysteriously remains on earth where his kingdom is already present in seed and in its beginning in the Church. One day he will return in glory but we do not know the time. Because of this we live in watchful anticipation, praying “Come, Lord” (Revelation 22:20).

Introduction

When Christ “comes in His glory, escorted by all the angels, all nations will be assembled before Him and He will separate people one from another as the shepherd separates sheep from goats. He will place the sheep on His right hand and the goats on His left;… these will go away to eternal punishment, and the upright to eternal life.” (Mathew 25, 31.32.46).

CAVALLINI, PietroThe Last Judgement (detail)1290sFrescoSanta Cecilia in Trastevere, Rome

Main ideasMain ideas

1. Particular judgment and final judgment

Besides the particular judgment, which takes places immediately after death, the faith of the Church tells us that the whole of mankind will be judged when Christ comes again.

This second judgment will take place in the presence of all men, at the end of time; that is why it is called final or universal judgment.

FRANCKEN, Frans IIThe Last Judgement

1606Oil on copper, 67 x 52 cm

Private collection

2. Meaning of the final judgment

The final judgment will not change the verdict given in the particular judgment; Divine Wisdom and Justice will be seen because the upright will be rewarded and the wicked condemned. This reward or condemnation will affect their souls as well as their bodies.

The final judgment will reveal the definitive consequences of each one’s deeds and omissions –good or bad— during their life on earth.

POURBUS, PieterLast Judgement1551Oil on oak panel, 228,5 x 181 cmGroeninge Museum, Bruges

3. The second coming of our Lord

Jesus Christ, as He told the Apostles, will come with great power and majesty, surrounded by all His angels, as the supreme judge.

Then we will know the final meaning of the whole work of Creation and Redemption.

Final judgment will show that Divine justice triumphs over all injustices committed by His creatures, and that God’s love is stronger than death.

RUBENS, Pieter PauwelThe Last Judgement

1617Oil on canvas, 606 x 460 cm

Alte Pinakothek, Munich

4. The hope of “the new heavens and the new earth”

At the end of time the Kingdom of God will come in all its fullness. The upright, glorified in body and soul, will triumph forever with Christ. And the material universe –the whole cosmos— will be transformed.

This mysterious transformation of humanity and the world is called by Sacred Scripture “new heavens and new earth”.

God will have His dwelling among men.

GRECO, ElThe Opening of the Fifth Seal (The Vision of St John)1608-14Oil on canvas, 222,3 x 193 cmMetropolitan Museum of Art, New York

5. To prepare ourselves for the definite encounter with God

Reflecting on these tremendous truths, the Second Vatican Council affirms: “Since however we know not the day nor the hour, on Our Lord's advice we must be constantly vigilant so that, having finished the course of our earthly life, we may merit to enter into the marriage feast with Him and to be numbered among the blessed and that we may not be ordered to go into eternal fire like the wicked and slothful servant, into the exterior darkness where "there will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth" (cfr. Lumen Gentium, 48).

ANGELICO, FraChrist the Judge1447FrescoChapel of San Brizio, Duomo, Orvieto

Resolutions Resolutions for Christian for Christian

lifelife

Resolutions to move forward

Consider that all our actions will eventually be known to all men. Try to do everything with a right intention.

Always be prepared to welcome Christ with an upright disposition.