“…it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment.” Hebrews 9:27
In both of the first two readings we see a reminder of the faith that we as Christians are called to have in The Word of God revealed to us in the Person of Christ Jesus. Indeed, Our Lord reminds us in the Gospel that we should have a responsive faith that stores up for ourselves “…an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach, nor moth destroy”, as opposed to a passing, temporary treasure on earth. With all this in mind we still fail to act. Why then do we fail to act, or act wrongly? Perhaps it is because the human person as a social animal tends to follow the herd mentality. Peer pressure and human respect can be a great force in causing us to act, or refrain from acting, when faced with a hard virtuous choice. Indeed, man is not merely a private individual but also a relational being who seeks a societal solace in not being alone. Of course, the age-old bandwagon excuse of ‘everybody else is doing it’ makes us think that we have a certain ‘safety in numbers’, that we can’t go wrong (This did not work out so well for Sodom and Gomorrah however).
As Christians, however, we have a different calling. We are called to a singular vocation away from, and above, the herd of natural existence in this world to the eternal life of the next world, heaven. In this, we proceed by faith. As Christians moreover, the words of Our Lord in the gospel today [Lk 12:48] apply precisely and particularly, “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more." Because we have received the fullness of Divine Revelation in our Catholic Faith, more will be demanded of us, who have received more from God. We are neither pagans, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, nor any other merely cultural religion, i.e. those servants who were ignorant of their master's will.
There is another consideration in the society of the blessed Christian, that of ‘The Communion of Saints’ that we belong to through our new birth in baptism. So just as the worldly person without faith has a society here on earth, so we Christians have a heavenly society that spurs us on: the angels and the saints of heaven (The Church Triumphant), the souls in purgatory (The Church Suffering) who offer their sufferings for us here on earth (the Church Militant). We have a faith community and are by no means alone in our struggle to obtain heaven.
The Communion of Saints is a certain peer pressure that each person will experience at the time of the resurrection on the last day, when, as we say in the Creed, Christ “…will come again in Glory to judge the living and the dead.” That all people who ever walked this earth will be present at the general resurrection we have an assurance in Our Lord words: "The men of Nineveh shall arise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it." [Mt 12:41]. And again, it is written: "They that have done good things shall come forth unto the resurrection of life, but they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment" [Jn 5:29]. Therefore, at the end of the world, after the general resurrection of our bodies, there will be a general judgment [CCC 1038] that follows upon the particular judgment [CCC 1021] that we all personally receive at the moment of death. It will be the same judgement, but applied in the society of all creation, of angels and men [I Cor 4:5].
Consequently, it is necessary that there should be another, and that a general judgment in order that, the world will receive its ultimate compliment, by each one receiving finally his own personal due within a social context. Hence, at this general judgment the Divine Justice will be made manifest in all things to all people. This general judgment, however, will complement – not contradict – the particular judgment of each individual at the moment of their death. The particular judgment’s sentence does not take full effect at once, since even the good will receive an increase of reward after the general judgment, both from the added glory of the resurrected body, and from the completion of the number of the saints. The wicked also will receive an increase of torment from the added punishment of the body and from the completion of the number of the damned to be punished in everlasting shame.
At the general judgment, all people throughout the entire world’s history will be present as testified by scripture: "Behold He comes with the clouds, and every eye shall see Him" [Rev 1:7]. And again, Christ "was appointed by God to be judge of the living and of the dead" [Acts 10:42; Rom 2:16]. Further, as human judgment is to external evidence, so is the Divine Judgment to the witness of the conscience, according to [I Sam 16:7], "Man sees those things that appear, but the Lord beholds the heart." Now man cannot pass a perfect judgment on a matter unless evidence is taken on all the points that need to be judged. Therefore, since the Divine Judgment is most perfect, it is necessary for the person’s conscience to witness to everything that has to be judged. But all works, both good and evil, will have to be judged: "We must all be manifested before the judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive the proper things of the body, according as he hath done, whether it be good or evil." [I Cor 5:10]. Therefore, each one's conscience must retain all the works he has done, whether good or evil [I Cor 4:5].
St. Thomas states that, "In the day when God shall judge" [Rom 2:15,16], each one's conscience will bear witness to him, and his thoughts will accuse or defend him. Since in every judicial hearing, the witness, the accuser, and the defendant need to be acquainted with the facts on which judgment has to be pronounced; and since at the general judgment all the works of men will be submitted to judgment; it will therefore be necessary for every man to be aware of all his works and the works of others! Wherefore each man's conscience will be as a ‘book’ containing his deeds on which judgment will be pronounced, even as in the human court of law we make use of records. Of these books it is written: "The books were opened: and another Book was opened, which is The Book of Life; and the dead were judged by those things which were written in the books, according to their works." [Rev 20:12].
Furthermore, at the last and general judgment it is necessary that the Divine Justice, which now is in many ways hidden, must then appear evidently to all [II Thes 1:5–10]. Now the sentence of one who condemns or rewards cannot be just, unless it be delivered according to merits and demerits. Therefore, just as it behooves both judge and jury to know the merits of a case, in order to deliver a just verdict, so is it necessary, in order that the sentence appear to be just, that all who know the sentence should be acquainted with the merits or demerits of each person. Hence, since everyone will know of his reward or condemnation, so will everyone else know of it, and consequently as each one will recall his own merits or demerits, so will he be cognizant of those of others [see CCC #678].
One may say that each person will see all merits and demerits, both one's own and those of others, at the same time in an instant. This is easily credible with regard to the blessed, since they will see all things in The Word: and consequently, it is not unreasonable that they should see several things at the same time. But with regard to the damned, a difficulty presents itself, since their intellect is not raised so that they can see God and all else in Him. Hence, we may hold that they will consider each sin not instantaneously, but in a very short time, the Divine power coming to their aid. This agrees with the saying of Augustine that "they will be discerned with wondrous rapidity." Nor is this impossible, since in a space of time, however short, is potentially an infinite number of instants.
We can thus understand Our Lord’s words in the gospel today, that is, why one servant who knew his master's will is punished severely; and another servant who was ignorant of his master's will is punished only lightly. Every person being judged by his conscience, with the understanding that “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much (knowledge), and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more (gifts) [Lk 12:48; James 3:1]".
And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne . . .
And the sea gave up the dead in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead in them,
and all were judged by what they had done.
Rev 20:12–13
In both of the first two readings we see a reminder of the faith that we as Christians are called to have in The Word of God revealed to us in the Person of Christ Jesus. Indeed, Our Lord reminds us in the Gospel that we should have a responsive faith that stores up for ourselves “…an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach, nor moth destroy”, as opposed to a passing, temporary treasure on earth. With all this in mind we still fail to act. Why then do we fail to act, or act wrongly? Perhaps it is because the human person as a social animal tends to follow the herd mentality. Peer pressure and human respect can be a great force in causing us to act, or refrain from acting, when faced with a hard virtuous choice. Indeed, man is not merely a private individual but also a relational being who seeks a societal solace in not being alone. Of course, the age-old bandwagon excuse of ‘everybody else is doing it’ makes us think that we have a certain ‘safety in numbers’, that we can’t go wrong (This did not work out so well for Sodom and Gomorrah however).
As Christians, however, we have a different calling. We are called to a singular vocation away from, and above, the herd of natural existence in this world to the eternal life of the next world, heaven. In this, we proceed by faith. As Christians moreover, the words of Our Lord in the gospel today [Lk 12:48] apply precisely and particularly, “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more." Because we have received the fullness of Divine Revelation in our Catholic Faith, more will be demanded of us, who have received more from God. We are neither pagans, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, nor any other merely cultural religion, i.e. those servants who were ignorant of their master's will.
There is another consideration in the society of the blessed Christian, that of ‘The Communion of Saints’ that we belong to through our new birth in baptism. So just as the worldly person without faith has a society here on earth, so we Christians have a heavenly society that spurs us on: the angels and the saints of heaven (The Church Triumphant), the souls in purgatory (The Church Suffering) who offer their sufferings for us here on earth (the Church Militant). We have a faith community and are by no means alone in our struggle to obtain heaven.
The Communion of Saints is a certain peer pressure that each person will experience at the time of the resurrection on the last day, when, as we say in the Creed, Christ “…will come again in Glory to judge the living and the dead.” That all people who ever walked this earth will be present at the general resurrection we have an assurance in Our Lord words: "The men of Nineveh shall arise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it." [Mt 12:41]. And again, it is written: "They that have done good things shall come forth unto the resurrection of life, but they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment" [Jn 5:29]. Therefore, at the end of the world, after the general resurrection of our bodies, there will be a general judgment [CCC 1038] that follows upon the particular judgment [CCC 1021] that we all personally receive at the moment of death. It will be the same judgement, but applied in the society of all creation, of angels and men [I Cor 4:5].
Consequently, it is necessary that there should be another, and that a general judgment in order that, the world will receive its ultimate compliment, by each one receiving finally his own personal due within a social context. Hence, at this general judgment the Divine Justice will be made manifest in all things to all people. This general judgment, however, will complement – not contradict – the particular judgment of each individual at the moment of their death. The particular judgment’s sentence does not take full effect at once, since even the good will receive an increase of reward after the general judgment, both from the added glory of the resurrected body, and from the completion of the number of the saints. The wicked also will receive an increase of torment from the added punishment of the body and from the completion of the number of the damned to be punished in everlasting shame.
At the general judgment, all people throughout the entire world’s history will be present as testified by scripture: "Behold He comes with the clouds, and every eye shall see Him" [Rev 1:7]. And again, Christ "was appointed by God to be judge of the living and of the dead" [Acts 10:42; Rom 2:16]. Further, as human judgment is to external evidence, so is the Divine Judgment to the witness of the conscience, according to [I Sam 16:7], "Man sees those things that appear, but the Lord beholds the heart." Now man cannot pass a perfect judgment on a matter unless evidence is taken on all the points that need to be judged. Therefore, since the Divine Judgment is most perfect, it is necessary for the person’s conscience to witness to everything that has to be judged. But all works, both good and evil, will have to be judged: "We must all be manifested before the judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive the proper things of the body, according as he hath done, whether it be good or evil." [I Cor 5:10]. Therefore, each one's conscience must retain all the works he has done, whether good or evil [I Cor 4:5].
St. Thomas states that, "In the day when God shall judge" [Rom 2:15,16], each one's conscience will bear witness to him, and his thoughts will accuse or defend him. Since in every judicial hearing, the witness, the accuser, and the defendant need to be acquainted with the facts on which judgment has to be pronounced; and since at the general judgment all the works of men will be submitted to judgment; it will therefore be necessary for every man to be aware of all his works and the works of others! Wherefore each man's conscience will be as a ‘book’ containing his deeds on which judgment will be pronounced, even as in the human court of law we make use of records. Of these books it is written: "The books were opened: and another Book was opened, which is The Book of Life; and the dead were judged by those things which were written in the books, according to their works." [Rev 20:12].
Furthermore, at the last and general judgment it is necessary that the Divine Justice, which now is in many ways hidden, must then appear evidently to all [II Thes 1:5–10]. Now the sentence of one who condemns or rewards cannot be just, unless it be delivered according to merits and demerits. Therefore, just as it behooves both judge and jury to know the merits of a case, in order to deliver a just verdict, so is it necessary, in order that the sentence appear to be just, that all who know the sentence should be acquainted with the merits or demerits of each person. Hence, since everyone will know of his reward or condemnation, so will everyone else know of it, and consequently as each one will recall his own merits or demerits, so will he be cognizant of those of others [see CCC #678].
One may say that each person will see all merits and demerits, both one's own and those of others, at the same time in an instant. This is easily credible with regard to the blessed, since they will see all things in The Word: and consequently, it is not unreasonable that they should see several things at the same time. But with regard to the damned, a difficulty presents itself, since their intellect is not raised so that they can see God and all else in Him. Hence, we may hold that they will consider each sin not instantaneously, but in a very short time, the Divine power coming to their aid. This agrees with the saying of Augustine that "they will be discerned with wondrous rapidity." Nor is this impossible, since in a space of time, however short, is potentially an infinite number of instants.
We can thus understand Our Lord’s words in the gospel today, that is, why one servant who knew his master's will is punished severely; and another servant who was ignorant of his master's will is punished only lightly. Every person being judged by his conscience, with the understanding that “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much (knowledge), and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more (gifts) [Lk 12:48; James 3:1]".
And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne . . .
And the sea gave up the dead in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead in them,
and all were judged by what they had done.
Rev 20:12–13