How We May Be Judged On The Last Day

How We May Be Judged On The Last Day

Eileen Renders                         January 2024

   It is natural as Catholics we may have contemplated how we may be judged by God on that final day. Although we all may have perceived thoughts on how that might occur, I would like to share my thoughts with you.

   For many years I have loved Jesus and placed Him above all else in my life. Prayed and talked to Him almost every day, sharing all that I wanted to say. However, to be honest, it was not until I had prayed for many years for Jesus to remove my fear of dying that I finally felt free of that fear. Truly a blessing. Being the curious person that I am, my thoughts turned to how we will be judged in the last days.

   Jesus sometimes speaks to us in a dream as He often did with His prophets, the writers, and messengers of God. And I knew my fear of death would not return after a dream I had in which God showed exactly how we are accepted into heaven by our actions in life, and our trust in Him. In this dream, I was following Jesus over a very narrow bridge. Though I could not see His face, only the back of His white robe and sandals, I knew it was Jesus. He was leading me. But on either side of this narrow bridge that led to Paradise, there was darkness on either side. In that darkness, I could see tortured faces and hands trying to reach up and touch me either for help or to pull me down into that dark abyss. Yet although I was sad for them, I felt no fear as Jesus was leading and protecting me, and I trusted in Him.  

  Certainly, my thoughts on our final judgment seem to indicate that we will not all be hearing about every little wrong thought, word, or deed that we said, or did in our lifetime. Once again, the grace to understand that God is all love and mercy, my heart realized that love and mercy is exactly how God wants us to behave on this earth toward one another. Therefore, it becomes clearer to me that this is exactly how we will be judged: based on how we have given love and mercy to others in need.