What do catholics believe happen when you die?

Answer 1

Catholics believe that when people die, their soul is judged based on their doings into the world and then they are granted heaven or hell. St Peter has the keys to Heaven and he is the one who judges a person based on the sins committed.

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Answer 2

Catholic Answer

Catholics believe that when they die, they come before God for the particular Judgment. At that judgment they are judged worthy of heaven or hell. Those who have rejected God and His Commandments and His Love during Life are immediately thrust into hell by their own choice. Those that are perfect, have lived a good life, and died in a state of grace with no venial sin or penance to yet do are admitted to the sight of Almighty God. Those who have died in a state of grace (with no mortal sin on their soul) but are still imperfect cast themselves into purgatory to purify themselves from the last effects of already forgiven sin, and venial sin. The state of purgatory is part of the limitless love and mercy of Almighty God. Anything that is less than perfect can not enter heaven without being totally annihilated, purgatory is God's love "cleaning" the soul up so that it is perfect and can enter heaven.

Answer 3

Most Catholics believe that when you die, you go into Purgatory. This is a time where you wait to enter the Kingdom of Heaven (or Hell, but not usually). They believe that the people back on Earth should pray for the person, as it will help them get into Heaven. Whilst you are in Purgatory, your sins are judged by God and cleansed or you go into Hell. By the way, Hell isn't supposed to be full of Demons and stuff like that. Its originally a "Place without God".

Answer 4

A:

The Catholic view is that anyone can go to heaven if they die perfect, believing in Jesus and repenting of their sins. On this view, non-Catholics have a much harder time of it, as they are without the sacraments, particularly the sacrament of penance, wherein their sins are forgiven, and the sacrament of the Eucharist, wherein Our Blessed Lord gives them the grace and strength through His Own Body, to make our way through this life.

The Catholic view would seem to rule out any possibility of non-Christians, especially atheists and agnostics of entering heaven. However, Cardinal Pell, one of the most senior figures in the Catholic Church, recently expressed the view that even atheists will go to heaven if they have led good lives. Since atheists neither believe in Jesus nor seek forgiveness of their sins, this is a major change of direction if formally adopted by the Catholic Church. Of course, atheists have no expectation of going to either heaven or hell, as they believe heaven and hell do not exist.

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Catholic Answer

The teaching of the Church has always been Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus" (Outside the church, no salvation). This has been widely misunderstood, and widely abused over the centuries. It was never meant, and should never be understood to mean that no one can be saved outside the Church, only that if they are saved, they are saved through the meditation of the Church. Because, in the final analysis, the Church is the Mystical Body of Christ, She is Christ on earth, and all of the grace, salvation, etc. that comes to men, comes from God, through Christ, and through His Body, the Church.

Catholics know that all of mankind has a final destiny, every single one of us has been created by God for eternal happiness in that state known as heaven. We are on this earth for a very short period of time for one purpose, and one purpose only, to follow God, to love Him, and to be perfect, so that when we die - when we finish this "travail in the valley of tears" we will fulfill our destiny and enter into the joy and happiness of eternal life.

Thus every single person who has ever lived has died or will die, and will face their judgment before God as to whether or not they have ended their lives loving God. It doesn't matter if the individual person has been a Catholic or not, they were created by God to live forever, and they will be judged by Him at the end of their lives, and rewarded according to what they have done. This is spelled out in the second half of the 25th chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel (Matthew 25:31-46).

Thus Catholics believe that non-Catholics, right along with Catholics, will be judged and will either enter heaven or hell. Heaven if they have died perfect, hell if they have died rejecting God, and His love. Most people, however, who are going to heaven (they die loving God and trying to do His Will) end up in purgatory, being purged of the detritus of their sins, so that they can enter heaven.

For a complete discussion of this, along with all the relevant history and Church documents, and pronouncements concerning the fate of non-Catholics, please read Rev. Peter M.J. Stravinskas book, Salvation Outside the Church? (see links below). The important things to remember are two:

1) People outside the Catholic Church have exactly the same destiny as Catholics - every one of us is going to be judged and enter eternal life for an eternity of happiness or an eternity of misery.

2) People outside the Catholic Church have a much more difficult time of attaining salvation for the simple reason that they are born with a fallen nature, and that to overcome their sinful nature without the grace and helps available to them through the Church is a monumentally difficult task - NOT impossible, but very difficult.

When looking at this subject, keep in mind a couple things:

3) To keep this all in perspective, the vast majority of people do NOT attain salvation (go to heaven), including Catholics. Being a Catholic is NOT an automatic guarantee that you will attain salvation. It is much easier because you have the directions and the grace and help you need to do this, but the vast majority of Catholics, for the most part, don't realize this, and don't seem to care.

4) But it is even more difficult for those outside the Church as they have neither the directions nor the sacraments.

Bottom line? Anyone who reorders their life completely for love of God and lives that way has a good chance at salvation, but not a guarantee. Salvation is not something that you just drop dead believing in Jesus and wake up that night in heaven. The way is difficult and few people find it, and those outside the Church have an even harder, howbeit, not impossible job. Read St. Matthew 7:13-14:

"Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few."

from The Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, English translation 1994

169 Salvation comes from God alone; but because we receive the life of faith through the Church, she is our mother: "We believe the Church as the mother of our new birth, and not in the Church as if she were the author of our salvation. (Faustus of Riez, De Spiritu Sancto 1, 2: J.P. Migne, ed., Patrologia Graeca {Paris: 1841-1855} 62, 11) Because she is our mother, she is also our teacher in the faith.

851 . . . Indeed, God 'desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth"; (1 Tim 2:4 that is, God wills the salvation of everyone through the knowledge of the truth. Salvation is found in the truth. Those who obey the prompting of the Spirit of truth are already on the way of salvation. But the Church, to whom this truth has been entrusted, must go out to meet their desire, so as to bring them the truth. Because she believes in God's universal plan of salvation, the Church must be missionary.