The most important moment of life on earth

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The most important moment of life on earth

Author: Fr. Mieczysław Piotrowski S.Chr.,
"Love One Another!" 38/2017
Eternal life

In the Holy Scriptures the Lord God makes us aware that we only have one earthly life: “it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this the judgment” (Heb 9:27). Death is the most important moment of life on earth.

The most important moment of life on earth

“Do not forget, there is no coming back” (Sir 38:21; comp. Job 16:22)

The Lord God makes us aware that we have but one life, and that it can’t be repeated. A person dies only once. In contrast, belief in the existence of reincarnation is a deceitful temptation of an evil spirit who wants people to start to trivialize the consequences of their sins and cease believing in the truth revealed by God of the unrepeatable nature of human life on earth. What Jesus teaches through the Church on the subject of reincarnation is unmistakable: “When ‘the single course of our earthly life’, is completed (Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium, 48), we shall not return to other earthly lives: “it is appointed for men to die once.” (Heb 9:27); “There is no ‘reincarnation’ after death” (CCC 1013). Anyone who believes in reincarnation displays his naivety and religious ignorance, and above all, ceases to be a Christian, as he rejects Christ’s teaching. He follows “philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ” (Col 2:8). The Lord God wants our one and only unrepeatable earthly life to be a time of maturity in love, and to move towards heaven. During life on earth we take part in the dramatic struggle of good and evil. We can choose good or evil, and declare ourselves to be with Jesus or against Him. These choices determine whether after death a person will achieve eternal happiness in heaven, or a horrifying eternity in hell.

The culminating moment of our lives on earth is death. At that moment our eternity will be determined: salvation or damnation

There will be a judgement

The culminating moment of our lives on earth is death. At that moment our eternity will be determined: salvation or damnation. For each of us, our death will be its own kind of end of the world. At that time, we meet Jesus face to face and our judgement will be pronounced upon us. In the light of God’s boundless love we will confront the entire truth about ourselves, all our good and evil actions. The only criterion of the judgement at the death of the person is love. We will hear the words of Jesus: “just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me. […] just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me. And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Mt 25:40, 45-46). This will be the moment of indescribable joy for the people who followed the path of love for God and neighbor. In contrast, horror will overwhelm those who disdained love for God and neighbor, and chose egoism, living as though God did not exist. The Scripture warns: “Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit.” (Gal 6:7-8). The Lord Jesus says: “The one who rejects me and does not receive my word has a judge; on the last day the word that I have spoken will serve as judge” (John 12:48).

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Source: https://loamagazine.org/archive/2017/2017-38/the-most-important-moment-of-life-on-earth

The article was published with the permission from "Love One Another!" in April 2021.