Liguori + Final Judgment

St. Alphonsus Liguori died 232 years ago today. His body lies in the Redemptorist basilica in Pagani, Italy.

Not that we count St. Alphonsus among the pagani! The town presumably got its name from the ancient pagani of Pompei.

Reminds me of a couple I knew, in a former parish. The Pagans. Mr. and Mrs. Pagan. Devout Catholics. Not pagans.

Anyway… In His preaching and teaching, Lord Jesus clearly announced the final judgment. He left us in no doubt about it. The Catechism puts it like this:

The conduct of each individual and the secrets of hearts will be brought to light. The culpable unbelief that counted the offer of God’s grace as nothing will be condemned. Our attitude toward our neighbor will disclose acceptance or refusal of grace and divine love

To break that down:

Salvation on Judgment Day begins with: believing in God and His saving Christ. Faith in Jesus comes as a gift from the Holy Spirit. But we have a responsibility to accept that gift, and to live by our faith in the triune God.

Second: The Judge will say, “As you did to one of the least of my brothers and sisters, you did to me.” The Lord will judge us according to our co-operation with divine love, in all our interactions with our fellow human beings.

So: We will face Jesus Christ as the judge of our whole lives, He Who knows all and sees all, Who understands us better than we understand ourselves. This is a supernatural fact that God Himself has revealed to us. We believe it with utter conviction, because of the authority and trustworthiness of God Almighty, Who revealed it.

We know neither the day nor the hour. So we live with an eye to the final judgment and the life to come. In the meantime, the more fully prepared for judgment we are right now, the more deeply do we grow in friendship with God .