DEATH, JUDGEMENT, HEAVEN, AND HELL : sayings of the fathers of the church

Catholic University of America Press is proud to present the second volume in its new Sayings of the Fathers of the Church Series. Featuring a wide range of scholars compiling material from our acclaimed Fathers of the Church volumes, each title will be devoted to a few specific areas of theology. The inaugural volume covered The Seven Deadly Sins, and future volumes are planned to focus on Angels and Demons, the Mass, and Mary. Nothing has the power to inspire, or terrify us like the unknown. Life after death is the perhaps the greatest unknown that confronts mankind. But the wisdom of the Church, especially in the teachings of the Church Fathers, reminds us that we know a great deal about what awaits us at the end of life. What the Church knows about the four last things―death judgment, heaven, and hell―is essential for helping on the way of the pilgrimage of life. The teachings of the Fathers, far from sating our curiosity, serve to increase the power of heaven to inspire us, and of hell to terrify. In this volume, canon lawyer and writer Edward Condon compiles a book full of wisdom and compelling insights. More than anything, the Fathers warn us that our life is short, and the reckoning for how we have lived it eternal. The urgency of the Church's message, brought to life in the sayings of the Fathers, comes to remind us of our true calling and inheritance in baptism, and of the richness of the heavenly reward, which is not so much the fruit of our efforts on Earth but the fulfillment of God's promise of love to us. The terror of hell is not the threat of the dictator, but a dire warning of the true scope of our freedom as children of God. This book, rich with the traditional teachings of the church, will guide and inspire readers as they continue their life journeys, which have a beginning but no end. About the Author Edward Condon is a practicing canon lawyer and an editor for The Catholic News Agency. C.C. Pecknold is associate professor of systematic theology at The Catholic University of America. Foreword by C. C. Pecknold vii Editor’s Note xi 1. Death 1 Beginning 1 / The Origin of Death 2 / Christ Conquered Death 3 / All Men Must Die 6 / Fear of Death 8 / Preparing for Death 11 / Dying 13 / Martyrdom 16 / The Faithful Departed 18 / Rest and Freedom from Sin 20 / The Resurrection of the Body 22 / The Death of the Unbeliever 23 / Life after Death 24 / Ending 25 2. Judgment 26 Beginning 26 / God Delays His Judgment 26 / All Will Be Judged 27 / Judgment after Death 28 / The Last Judgment and the Resurrection 29 / Faith and Judgment 31 / Preparing for Judgment 33 / How We Are to Be Judged 39 / The Mercy of God 44 / The Justice of God 46 / The Sentence Passed 48 / Ending 50 vi Contents 3. Heaven 51 Beginning 51 / Desiring Heaven 51 / Heaven Open to Us 53 / Gaining Entry to Heaven 55 / The Reward of the Saints 59 / Almsgiving and Heaven 60 / Describing Heaven 64 / Heaven Is Physical 66 / Our Heavenly Bodies 66 / Who Is in Heaven 68 / The Heavenly Life 70 / Free Will without Sin 71 / The Eternity of Heaven 72 / Those in Heaven Know of Hell 73 / Ending 74 4. Hell 75 Beginning 75 / What Is Hell? 75 / Why Hell Was Made 76 / The Justice of Hell 76 / Fear of Hell 80 / Deliverance from Hell 83 / The Road to Hell 84 / Those Condemned 87 / The Fires of Hell 91 / Greater and Lesser Suffering 93 / Longing for Heaven and the Father 95 / The Second Death 96 / The Eternity of Hell 96 / Ending 99 Bibliography 101 Index of Fathers 109 Subject Index 111 CONTENTS