OJ Simpson: Death, Judgment and the Ultimate Verdict

OJ's Story

During the most watched criminal trial in history, including a wild bronco chase and fascinating courtroom drama, millions of people finally tuned in for the verdict. Like the whole trial, it was televised for all to see. On a gloomy October day in 1995, O.J. Simpson the one time NFL Great stood before a judge and jury hoping for a ‘miracle’.  To the astonishment and dismay of the majority of viewers,  O.J. breathed a visible sigh of relief as he heard the court reporter stumble over the words, “Not Guilty”. 

Perhaps the most bewildered person was judge Lance Ito who faced criticism for allowing the trial to go on too long and for allowing the defendant to handle the key piece of evidence, the bloody gloves.

In this fallen world sometimes justice is illusive. We know this because in our human legal system "If it doesn't fit you must acquit”. Today, thirty years after he walked away as a free man, O.J. Simpson succumbed to cancer and passed away.

Now OJ will meet the real Judge.

According to our Catholic faith what will follow? What will happen next?

Death and Judgment

Death marks a transition into the after-life. Whether one is holy or wicked, death will one day call.  At the moment of death, time is over. There is no more chance to change your mind, repent or amend your life. All of that must happen before death. Death is not just part of nature, it is a result of the Fall and Original sin. In that sin humanity lost the gift of immortality. Death is not caused by God but by sin in general. Both sin and death have been conquered by Christ. 

The supernatural virtue of hope guards us from both despair and presumption of salvation. We hope and pray that we will see the light of heaven but we do not take it for granted. We pray for the dead because of our belief in judgment and purgatory. For Catholics that prayer is structured through a rosary, a funeral Mass, and burial rite.

In Catholic eschatology, there are two kinds of judgment,  Immediate Judgment and Final Judgment. Immediately at death the soul leaves the body and meets Christ, the Just Judge. We Catholics believe that Mary and our Guardian Angel are our advocates before Jesus the Judge. Prayers from others may be helpful and efficacious as well. Satan's role is to make the case that you are not worthy of heaven due to your sins. In the great courtroom of the afterlife, he is truly ‘the Accuser’. 

As St. John of the Cross said, “At the evening of our life we shall be judged on our love.” In the Final Judgment, at the end of time, all the good and all the bad that we have done will be shown to all. We will know why we are either saved or not. No one goes to hell by accident. We will know that Jesus does not send us to hell but that through our choices in life we ultimately chose hell especially because we refused to repent and amend our life. 

Heaven

Jesus promised his disciples eternal life. On the night before he died, Jesus told his Apostles that he was going to prepare a place for them in the afterlife. He said, “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” (Jn 14:2-4) 

In the Bible, heaven is described as a kingdom, a mansion, a banquet, a new creation,  a celestial paradise and our true home.  In heaven we will be joined to the company of the holy angels and the communion of Saints such as Mary, Joseph, the Apostles as well as holy people we have known.

Our deepest desire for union with God, who is the source of love, beauty and truth will be finally satiated. We will see God face to face. In a state of total happiness, we will realize that we have been perfected by him and are now like him forever (CCC 1023). We should set our sights on heaven, hope for it and think about it often. 

Purgatory is a state of spiritual purification as a preparation for heaven. While purgatory is a powerful sign of Jesus’ mercy, it is not a second chance for those who have seriously rejected his mercy in this life.  

All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven (CCC 1030). 

This is why the book of Revelation says about Heaven, “Nothing unclean can enter it” (Rev 21:27). When we attend someone's funeral or hear that someone has died, because we have hope, we pray for the dead. Because the Church is a supernatural family, our prayers and small sacrifices can benefit those in purgatory.

Hell

For those who choose against God through serious sin and fail to repent for that sin have ultimately chosen eternal separation from God. Although God is all merciful he respects our free will to reject that gift that he earned for us on the cross. This state of eternal separation from God is called hell. Jesus warned that the road to hell was wide and many have chosen to take that path. “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it” (Mt 7:13). 

It’s important to realize that those who end up in hell have sent themselves there through their own choices. God desires that all people be saved from hell but he does to force salvation on anyone. By rejecting grace in this life, one already judges oneself, receives according to one's works, and can even condemn oneself for all eternity by rejecting the Spirit of love. CCC 679.

Pope Francis recently came out with a statement that he hopes hell is empty. We can pray for that. But in the minds of many, like the Browns and the Goldmans, who still desire justice, the population in hell just went up by one.

We, as Catholics, can see his death as a reminder to remember the 'last things'. We should reflect on our own readiness for death. Have we reconciled with those we have sinned against? Have we been honest, remorseful and forgiving? Are we ready to meet the Just Judge before our time runs out?