I would like to start with certain key questions:

DO I BELIEVE IN GOD? DO I BELIEVE IN HIS PROMISES?

Promise of GOD to Abraham (Genesis Chapter 18)
So knowing that God always fulfills His promises, what is it that
Has it been promised to all of us?

The promises that God makes to us are automatically truths for us.

That is why the topic to be discussed this afternoon is 'ETERNAL TRUTHS'

The Christian Creed - profession of our faith in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and in
its creative, saving, and sanctifying action culminates in the proclamation of the
resurrection of the dead at the end of times, and in eternal life. (art. 11 n° 988)

Eternal life is a gift that is acquired when you and I receive Jesus Christ and
So from there we establish a personal relationship with him.

What does eternal life consist of? In knowing God, the only true God, and
Jesus, whom he has sent, this life is a gift.

This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and the one you have sent.
sent. (John 17:3)

By saying that we believe in eternal life, we automatically believe that there is the
death, the judgment, purgatory, heaven and hell.

DEATH.

What is death?
Death is the end of earthly life. (art. 11 n°1007)
It is the separation of the body and the soul.
In a sense, physical death is natural, but through faith we know that it is truly
"Wages of sin" (Rom. 6:23). Death is a consequence of sin.

The teaching of the Church states that death entered the world because of sin.
of the man.
Although man possessed a mortal nature, God destined him not to die.
Thus, death was contrary to the designs of the Creator God, and entered the world.
as a consequence of sin. (Wis. 2:23-24)
The catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that death brings an end to man's life.
as an open time for the acceptance or rejection of the divine grace manifested in
Christ. (No. 1021)
When does death appear? (Gen. 2:17)

Death was transformed by Christ. Jesus, the Son of God, also suffered death.
characteristic of the human condition. But despite his anguish in the face of it, he accepted it in
an act of total and free submission to the will of the Father (Mark 14:33-34) (Hebrews 5:7-
8)
The obedience of Jesus transformed the curse of death into blessing (Rom. 5, 19-
21)
Thanks to Christ, Christian death has a positive meaning. 'For me, life is'
Christ and to die is gain.

4 CERTAINTIES OF DEATH
We are all going to die.
Death only comes once, therefore life is one
Death will come soon
Death strips away everything.
The only thing we take with us is all the acts of love we have done and
Curiously, the only thing we leave behind and for which we will be remembered.

DEATH HAS 3 UNCERTAINTIES

We do not know where
2. We don't know how
3. We don't know when
Since we do not know when we will die, we must live every moment in grace.

THERE ARE 2 TYPES OF DEATH

Sudden
Announced

Death is not a tragedy, death is a blessing, tragedy is dying in sin.

mortal.

THE TRIAL

There are two types of judgment:

Particular Trial
2. Final Judgment
PARTICULAR TRIAL.
It occurs immediately after death, and determines whether the soul goes to heaven or hell.
or to purgatory.
In this trial, we will stand before Jesus Christ and before our life: all our
acts, words, thoughts, and omissions will be revealed.

The Private Judgment, as its name says, will be for each one of us in the
personal. In this, God will ask us: 'How much did you love?' And each one of us
you will have to answer this question. God expects that each of our actions
it is done for love.

It sounds dramatic, but it is real. If we find ourselves in God's grace, our

happy eternity will begin at that moment. If we die in a total attitude of rejection and
voluntary to God, in mortal sin, then the punishment will begin for us.
eternal, hell.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church speaks to us about the 'immediate retribution after the
death of each one as a consequence of their works and of their faith" (n. 1021).

The fate of the soul will be different for each of us, according to how
we have used our lifetime on Earth.

There are many people who say: "I am going to save myself, for I have never done evil to
nobody.” One must be careful, for on that day we will not be judged only by the evil that we did not
we have done, but also for the good that we have failed to do. We must
to be concerned not only about avoiding doing evil, but about doing good to everyone we
surrounds. If we do not do good to others, we will arrive at judgment with empty hands and
we will not pass the exam.

FINAL JUDGMENT
The Last Judgment will happen at the end of times, when Jesus returns.
glorious to the Earth. In it, all men will be judged according to our
faith and our works.

The resurrection of all the dead, "of the righteous and of the sinners," will precede the
Final Judgment. Those who have done good will rise for life, and those who have
done evil, for condemnation (John 5:28-29).

In the Bible, we can read how this judgment will be in MATTHEW 25:31, 32, 46: What
that day will happen, according to the narration of Jesus Christ, it will be like an exam of
that which characterizes us as human beings: our ability to love.
On that day, all our actions will come to light, and the love for others will be revealed.
what we put in each of them.

This love will be the one that judges us:

Come, you blessed of my Father… for I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and
you gave me to drink...
Go you damned ones to the eternal fire... because I was hungry and you did not give me to eat, I was thirsty and
you didn't measure to drink...

The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us: "The Last Judgment will reveal even its last
consequences of what each one has done well or has failed to do during their
earthly life" (n. 1039).

The final judgment is the proof that God is infinitely just and has arranged everything with
wisdom so that the truth is known and justice is applied to each man with it
eternal destiny that he has earned himself.

Some people think that there is no need to worry about those trials, because
They believe that God will save all men at the end of times because He is
infinitely good and loves us.

It is true that God is very good, but He is also very just and respects our
freedom. When we are in mortal sin, we have freely told God
that "we are not interested in saving ourselves". If we die in this state, God will respect our
decision. The man, with his freedom, attains eternal reward or punishment.

Before Christ, the truth of each man's relationship with God will be known.
The Final Judgment will reveal that God's justice triumphs over all injustices.
committed by their creatures and that their love is stronger than death.

Reflecting on both the Particular Judgment and the Final Judgment reminds us that
As long as we have life, we have the opportunity to achieve our salvation. Every day
offers us the possibility to love God and those around us, to forgive those who
they offend us, by living Christianly.

When will the final judgment be?

Jesus Christ himself made it clear to us that even He does not know the day or the hour when it
only God the Father will carry out this event. So we must not let ourselves
deceive by people who claim to know the date of the end of the world. We must not
to worry about trying to know that date, but only to always be well
be prepared, for we do not know when it will happen.

PURGATORY

I would like to know the following: Is purgatory an invention of the Catholic Church?
to make money or is it a teaching from the Bible that Christians should
to create?

In a society and a country where there are many different beliefs about religion,
It is common for many Catholic people to feel attacked or questioned about their
Faith and something that people commonly want to know is why we believe in purgatory and if it is
something with biblical foundations.

Let's see four reasons why to believe in him.

1.- A teaching based on the Word of God.

The first thing to mention is that there are biblical passages that speak very
clearly about the reality of purgatory. One of them, and perhaps the main one, is
when the Apostle Saint Paul talks to us about the day of judgment and what will happen to
those people who had faith and served God, but whose work was not so
good, he explains it like this:

One day, everyone ’s work will be revealed. It will be made public on the day of judgment.
when everything is tested by fire. The fire, therefore, will test the work of each
one. If what you have built withstands the fire, it will be rewarded. But if the work is
turns to ashes, the worker will have to pay. He will be saved but not without going through
by fire". 1Cor 3:13-15

Nothing stained will enter the heaven.

As we continue studying the Bible on this topic, we will find that the existence of
purgatory is a logical consequence of the Holiness of God, for if He is the three
holy times (Is 6:3) or the fullness of holiness and perfection, then those who
they must also be with Him (Mt 5:48), therefore, whoever is faithful to God, but not
is in a state of full grace at the hour of death, cannot enjoy the
heaven because the Bible itself says that in the heavenly city:

Nothing impure will enter it (Revelation 21:27)

 When one dies, they stop earning their own merits to save themselves from purgatory, it is because
Those who remain alive can be supportive with their prayers for those who die.
to assist them in that purification.

What we clearly see in 2 Maccabees 12:46 is a purification after

the death.
Judas Maccabeus made a collection to have what was necessary in order to offer a
expiatory sacrifice for the sin of fallen soldiers.

From the first centuries, Christians believe in their existence.

Purgatory as a temporary state of purification was believed from the beginning by the
first Christians who stood out for their faith and holiness and whom they call
‘Fathers of the Church’, let us learn what some of them said on this topic:

Year 211. Tertullian: 'We offer sacrifices for the dead...'

Year 307. Lactantius: "The just one whose sins remained will be drawn by the fire"
(purification)...
Year 386. John Chrysostom: "We must not doubt that our offerings for the dead
they bring them a certain comfort...
Year 580. Gregory the Great: 'Regarding certain minor faults, it is necessary to believe that,
before the trial, there is a purifying fire...

4.- What is purgatory?

More than a physical place, it is a temporary state of life for the person who dies in
grace of God but imperfectly purified, and where, through suffering, one is
purified to fully enjoy the presence of God. It is a saved person.
who lives in the love of God and salvation but not in a complete way.

According to the catechism of the church (№1030), purgatory is for those who die in the
grace and in the friendship of God, but imperfectly purified, although they are
insurance for your eternal life.

But the otheranswered, rebuking him, saying, 'Do you not even fearGod, since you are underthe same condemnation?And we indeed justly, forwe receive the due reward of ourdeeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.'Then he said to Jesus, 'Lord, rememberme whenYou come intoYourkingdom.'And Jesus said to him, 'Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.'

But the other answered him, saying: 'Do you not fear God, you who are under the same sentence?'
condemnation? And we have reason to be so, because we have earned it with our actions;
Instead, this one has done nothing wrong." And he said: "Jesus, remember me when
You will enter your Kingdom." Jesus said to him, "I assure you: today you will be with me in Paradise."
The case of the wrongdoer to whom Jesus says that he will be with him in paradise shows us
that this purification in suffering some will have here and others will have it in the
another life as mentioned by St. Paul (1 Cor 3:13-15) and that we have proven in
this theme. It's not about thinking in flames, but rather a type of suffering from not having.
fully to the person who loves us the most in the world: God.

Anyone who has loved a loved one and who, for some circumstance,
Stop watching for a while, know the suffering of not being able to enjoy for some time.
of the love of that person. She knows that she is alive, that she loves him, and that she will see him again, but

not having it fully close experiences joy and at the same time a pain and desire to
to have it close forever, face to face. Something similar, but of greater intensity and form
it will be the 'purification'.

SKY

WHAT IS THE SKY?

The definition of Heaven given to us by the Catechism of the Catholic Church is:

Heaven is participation in the divine nature, enjoying God for all eternity,
the ultimate goal of the inexhaustible desire for happiness that every man carries in his heart.
It is the satisfaction of the deepest longings of the human heart and consists of the
more perfect communion of love with the Trinity, with the Virgin Mary, and with the Saints.
Blessed are the eternally happy, seeing God as He is."Catechism
of the Catholic Church, 1023-1029, 1721-1722.

Surely you must be thinking: "What is Heaven? I didn't understand anything! Something
so difficult to understand can't be that good", or maybe: "How boring that sounds
to contemplate God... and for all eternity! I enjoy the activity, that of angels
cherubim and Gregorian chants... it's just not appealing to me!

This image of Heaven is really very unattractive to anyone, but it is

that Heaven is not like the paintings depict. What if I tell you that Heaven is something
just like the sum of all your happy moments, of all your fulfilled wishes, of
all your doable hobbies? It starts to sound interesting, but it still falls short.

In the face of the impossibility of explaining what Heaven is, many authors and theologians have
trying to describe it as what it is not: in Heaven there will be no suffering, there will be
hunger, nor thirst, nor fatigue, nor injustices, pain will not exist and neither will death.
This is a good start; however, it is too poor to describe Heaven as
the absence of evil, for Heaven is that and much more.

Heaven is happiness that exceeds our desires, activity without tiredness, rest without
boredom, knowledge without veils, greatness without excess, love without the desire for possession,
forgiveness without memory, gratitude without dependence, friendship without jealousy, company without

hinders. In Heaven, God will grant us much more than we can ask or
to imagine and even that which we do not dare to ask.

You can really imagine Heaven however you want: imagine the most beautiful place that
you have seen, fill it with everything you like and take out everything you dislike, then
put on it all the good you can imagine, accompanied by people
extraordinarily good and nice, doing what you like the most. When
having finished visualizing the Heaven, you can be sure that this image is
nothing compared to what it will truly be.

IS HEAVEN A PLACE? WHERE IS IT LOCATED?

We cannot locate it above or below, neither in front nor behind, for Heaven is not a
place, but a state in which men will find the happiness they seek and the
we will preserve for all eternity.

Will we be like angels in heaven or will we also have bodies?

God has created us as men and loves us as men, that's why the reward that
it offers us to enjoy it as men, equipped with soul and body.
In Heaven, our soul will enjoy being in contact with God and, after the
resurrection of the bodies, we will also enjoy with a body, although it will be a
a different body, a glorious body that will no longer be limited by space and time,
like that of the resurrected Jesus, who could appear and disappear anywhere.
St. Paul speaks of this in I Cor 15, 40 ss.: The trumpet will sound and the dead
they will rise incorruptible and we shall be transformed. For it is necessary that
that this corruptible being may be clothed with incorruptibility and that this mortal being may be clothed

of immortality.

HOW CAN I BE HAPPY IF SOME OF THE PEOPLE I LOVE

ARE THEY IN HELL?

Of course this is a mystery, but the happiness you will receive in Heaven will be overwhelming.
all your needs and nothing will limit it.
You will have perfect knowledge and absolute clarity about the intentions of
the others, you will realize that the condemned are not receiving a punishment
unfair, but they themselves have chosen it freely and willingly. Their suffering
it will not affect your full happiness.

Are there different types or levels of happiness in heaven?

Yes, but this is not because Heaven is different, but because the people who
Those who arrive at it are different. Happiness will be complete for everyone who reaches Heaven. It is not

that some will be happier than others, everyone will be completely happy in intimacy with
God, for they will all be completely filled with God. The difference is that, thus
just as there are large glasses that can hold more water than smaller ones, from the
In the same way, there are some souls that are holier and others that are less so, according to their capacity.

each one developed throughout their life.

WHAT JESUS TOLD US ABOUT HEAVEN

Jesus speaks to us in the Gospel very many times about Heaven and explains it to us in
a language that we can understand:
He spoke to the hungry about bread, to the Samaritan woman about a water that satisfies.

definitely thirst (Jn 4:1 ff). He was talking about precious pearls (Mt 13:45), about ounces
of gold, of a lost and recovered sheep. It speaks to us of a banquet, of a party of
weddings, of nets filled with fish, of a treasure hidden in the countryside.
All these symbols that Jesus Christ uses can give us an idea of the happiness that
we will have in Heaven, since earthly happiness is an image of happiness
celestial

SOME TESTIMONIES OF THOSE WHO HAVE SEEN WHAT HEAVEN IS

There have been many saints to whom God has granted the grace to see it.
what is Heaven. Here are some of its testimonies, with which they have tried to
explain to us with earthly words what awaits us in Heaven:

San Pablo: God is able to do exceedingly more than we ask or

we imagine (Eph 3:20).

Nothing are the sufferings of the present life, compared to the glory that awaits us.
wait in Heaven (2 Cor 4:17).

Teresa of Jesus: I could see Jesus in His Holy Humanity completely. I was given...
she appeared with an incomparable beauty and majesty. I do not hesitate to say that, although not
we had another show to delight our sight in the Sky, it would already be a glory
immense. (Life of Saint Teresa).

Saint Augustine: It is easier to say what things are not in heaven than to say what things are there.
In Heaven we will contemplate and rest, we will rest and praise,
we shall praisey we will love, we will lovey we will contemplate. (Confessions).

Saint John of the Cross: So great is the delight of the sight of your being and beauty that it does not
My soul can suffer, but I have to die seeing it, kill me with your gaze and beauty.
Spiritual Canticle.

Saint Francis of Assisi: The good that I hope for is so great that all sorrow is taken away from me.
turn into pleasure.

WHAT SHOULD I DO TO REACH HEAVEN?

Jesus speaks to us in the Gospel about the path to follow:
Enter through the narrow gate (Mt 7:13).
Take up the cross.
Sell everything you have and give it to the poor.
Leave your father and your mother.
Take the plow and do not look back.

It sounds very loud! It seems very difficult! However, if you read the testimonies again
of the saints who have been able to see it, you will realize that it's worth it and that no
Suffering is too great to stop us from fighting for it.

Wanting to gain Heaven means trying to have it from now on, and that, as we have already seen, is
achieve living the Beatitudes.

To have Heaven is to have God, and to have God is to live in grace.

THE HELL

Unless we freely choose to love Him, we cannot be united with God. But not
Can we love God if we sin grievously against Him, against our neighbor or
against ourselves: "Whoever does not love remains in death. Everyone who
He who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life.
permanent in him" (1 John 3:14-15). Our Lord warns us that we will be
separated from Him if we neglect to help the serious needs of the poor and the
little ones who are your brothers (cf. Mt 25:31-46). Dying in mortal sin without being
Repentance without embracing God's merciful love means remaining separated.
from Him forever by our own free choice. This state of self-exclusion
the definitive communion with God and with the blessed is what is designated by
the word 'hell'.

Jesus often speaks of 'gehenna' and the 'fire that never goes out'
(cf. Mt 5:22, 29; 13:42, 50; Mk 9:43-48) reserved for those who, until the end of their life

refuse to believe and become, and where one can lose both soul and body at the same time
(cf. Mt 10:28). Jesus announces in serious terms that 'he will send his angels [...] that
they will gather all the evildoers and throw them into the burning furnace
41-42), and that will pronounce the condemnation: "Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire!"

(Mt 25:41)

The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity.
Souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend to hell.
Immediately after death, and there they suffer the pains of hell, 'the fire'
eternal" (cf. DS 76; 409; 411; 801; 858; 1002; 1351; 1575;Creed of the People of God,
The main punishment of hell consists of the eternal separation from God in whom
only man can have the life and happiness for which he was created and to
those that one aspires to.

1036The statements of Scripture and the teachings of the Church regarding

Hell is a call to the responsibility with which man must make use of his
freedom in relation to your eternal destiny. They constitute at the same time a calling
urgent to conversion: "Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and
spacious is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter through it; but
How narrow is the door and how restrictive the path that leads to Life!; and few are those who
that they find it" (Mt 7:13-14):

"Since we do not know the day or the hour, it is necessary, according to the Lord's advice, to be"

continuously awake. So that, once the only race that is our life is finished in
we will deserve to enter with Him into the wedding and be counted among the saints and not us
send the men, like wicked and lazy servants, into the eternal fire, into the outer darkness,
where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (LG48).

God does not predestine anyone to go to hell (cf DS 397; 1567); for that to happen
a voluntary aversion to God (a mortal sin) is necessary, and to persist in it until
the end. In the Eucharistic liturgy and in the daily prayers of the faithful, the Church implores
the mercy of God, who "wants no one to perish, but all to come to the
conversion (2 P3, 9):