Saint Gertrude Parish - Lasne

22. Another reality linked to eternal life is God's judgment, both at the end of our existence and at the end of time. Art has often attempted to represent it—think of Michelangelo's masterpiece in the Sistine Chapel—by adopting the theological conception of the time and conveying a sense of awe to the viewer. While it is right to prepare ourselves with full awareness and seriousness for the moment that recapitulates existence, we must at the same time always do so within the dimension of hope, a theological virtue that sustains life and allows us not to succumb to fear. God's judgment, which is love (cf. 1 Jn 4:8, 16), can only be based on love, especially on how we have or have not practiced it toward the most needy, in whom Christ, the Judge himself, is present (cf. Mt 25:31-46). This is therefore a judgment different from that of men and earthly courts. It must be understood as a relationship of truth with God-love and with oneself in the unfathomable mystery of divine mercy. Sacred Scripture affirms in this regard: “By your example you taught your people that the righteous must be humane; to your children you gave a beautiful hope: after sin you grant conversion […] and [we rely] on your mercy when we are judged” (Wis 12:19, 22). As Benedict XVI wrote: “At the moment of Judgment, we experience and welcome this dominion of his love over all evil in the world and within us. The suffering of love becomes our salvation and our joy.” [17]

The judgment, therefore, concerns the salvation we hope for and which Jesus obtained for us through his death and resurrection. It is thus intended to open us to the ultimate encounter with Him. And since, in this context, we cannot believe that the evil committed remains hidden, it needs to be purified to allow the definitive passage into God's love. In this sense, we understand the necessity of praying for those who have completed their earthly journey, the solidarity in prayerful intercession that draws its efficacy from the communion of saints, from the common bond that unites us in Christ, the firstborn of creation. Thus, the Jubilee Indulgence, by virtue of prayer, is specially intended for those who have gone before us so that they may obtain full mercy.