What We Will Be Judged On: A Reflection on the Words of Christ and the Witness of the Saints

At the end of our earthly lives, each of us will face a judgment—not an arbitrary weighing of good versus bad, but a deeply personal encounter with Christ who is Truth and Mercy. The Church teaches a particular judgment at the moment of death (CCC 1021–1022), and a final judgment at the end of time (CCC 1038–1041). But on what will we be judged?

Jesus Christ, in His public ministry, gave many clear instructions about the kind of life that leads to eternal life. These teachings are not vague moral guidelines, but urgent invitations to live in Him, through Him, and for Him.

The Judgment of Love: Matthew 25

The clearest and most sobering image of final judgment comes from the Gospel of Matthew, where Jesus describes the separation of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31–46). Here, the Son of Man judges not by religious affiliation or liturgical rigor, but by acts of mercy: feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, and visiting the imprisoned.

“Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.” (Mt 25:40)

The Catechism affirms this in CCC 2447, stating that these are the corporal works of mercy, and that "giving alms to the poor is one of the chief witnesses to fraternal charity." St. John of the Cross reminds us: “In the evening of life, we will be judged on love alone.”

Thus, judgment is not primarily about what we believed intellectually or performed ritualistically, but how fully we allowed love—divine charity—to be expressed in our lives.

The Beatitudes: A Blueprint for Holiness

In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1–12), Jesus gives the Beatitudes, each of which lays out the attitude of one destined for the Kingdom: the poor in spirit, the meek, the merciful, the pure of heart, the peacemakers, and those persecuted for righteousness' sake.

The Catechism says that the Beatitudes "depict the countenance of Jesus Christ and portray his charity" (CCC 1717), forming the "heart of Jesus’ preaching" and the image of the Christian life. Saints like St. Francis of Assisi, who embraced poverty of spirit with radical joy, or St. Thérèse of Lisieux, who lived purity and humility in the "little way," show that holiness is not about grandeur, but conformed hearts.

Greatest Commandment

When asked which commandment is greatest, Jesus responds by uniting two commandments into one:

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart… and your neighbor as yourself.” (Mt 22:37–40)

These two dimensions—vertical (toward God) and horizontal (toward others)—are inseparable. As St. Augustine taught, "Love and do what you will," because love rightly ordered leads to righteous action. The Catechism affirms that charity is the "form of all the virtues" (CCC 1827), and without it, we are “nothing” (cf. 1 Cor 13).

Among the most poignant Gospel encounters is that of the rich young man who approaches Jesus with a sincere and pressing question:

Eternal Life?

Jesus first responds by directing him to the commandments—"You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal..."—the very moral foundation given to Moses. The young man replies, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” (v. 20). This question pierces to the heart of Christian discipleship.

“If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor... and come, follow me.” (v. 21) But the man went away sad, for he had many possessions.

This passage is not merely about poverty, but about detachment. Jesus acknowledges the moral law as necessary, but not sufficient if the heart remains enslaved to riches, comfort, or self-will. The Catechism teaches that “Christ calls his disciples to prefer him to everything and everyone” (CCC 2544). The saints are those who took this seriously—whether literally, like St. Anthony of Egypt, who left all to live in the desert, or like St. Elizabeth of Hungary, who used her wealth to serve the poor with heroic charity.

St. Gregory the Great interpreted this passage as a summons to radical generosity, teaching that “when we give to the poor what is necessary, we are not giving what is ours, but returning what belongs to them.” In this view, the final judgment (Mt 25) is already anticipated: the refusal to part with our riches may be the refusal to follow Christ entirely.

Moreover, the story teaches us that good intentions and moral living, though commendable, must culminate in total self-giving. Christ doesn’t simply call us to avoid sin but to become saints—to follow Him unreservedly. Our judgment will be based not only on what we avoided but on what we gave, loved, and surrendered.

Words and Deeds: What We Say and Do

Jesus warns us that "on the day of judgment, men will render account for every careless word they utter" (Mt 12:36), and "not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom... but he who does the will of my Father" (Mt 7:21). Faith must be active, not passive. As St. James writes, "faith without works is dead" (James 2:26). This is not a contradiction of grace but its fruit.

St. Teresa of Ávila cautioned her nuns to be wary of spiritual delusions that were not accompanied by a life of virtue. And St. Catherine of Siena said, "You are rewarded not according to your work or your time, but according to the measure of your love."

Keeping Holy the Sabbath—and More Than Sunday

The Third Commandment calls us to "remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy" (Ex 20:8). For Christians, this is fulfilled in the Sunday Eucharist, which the Church calls "the source and summit of the Christian life" (CCC 1324). Attendance at Sunday Mass is obligatory (CCC 2181), but the deeper call is not merely physical presence, but spiritual participation.

We are not judged by whether we attended the Latin Mass or Novus Ordo, but whether we worshiped God with reverence, obeyed His Church, and allowed the graces of the Eucharist to bear fruit in our lives. As the CCC notes, "the Sunday celebration of the Lord’s Day and his Eucharist is at the heart of the Church's life" (CCC 2177).

Forgiveness and Mercy

“Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” (Lk 6:37)

Jesus repeatedly teaches that we must forgive others if we wish to be forgiven ourselves (cf. Mt 6:14–15; Mt 18:21–35). The refusal to forgive hardens our hearts and makes us incapable of receiving mercy. Saints like Maria Goretti, who forgave her murderer, or St. John Paul II, who forgave his assassin, show the supernatural power of grace to break cycles of hatred.

Humility and Obedience

Jesus praised the humble and warned the proud. “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Lk 14:11). The Catechism affirms that humility is the foundation of prayer (CCC 2559). Saints like St. André Bessette, the humble porter of Montreal, or St. Josephine Bakhita, the former slave turned religious sister, shine in eternity because they chose the low path.

Likewise, obedience to God’s commandments (Jn 14:15) and fidelity to the Church are marks of the faithful servant. Christ does not ask for brilliance but for faithfulness.

Living the Commandments in Spirit and Truth

Jesus doesn’t abolish the Law but fulfills it. In the Sermon on the Mount, He intensifies the commandments: not just avoiding murder, but avoiding hatred; not just avoiding adultery, but avoiding lust. The judgment of God penetrates beyond actions into the heart (CCC 2054–2074).

St. John Vianney taught that “our greatest misfortune is to live and die in sin.” He spent hours hearing confessions because he knew that purity of heart was essential for eternal life.

Judgment Is Coming—But So Is Mercy

The Gospel is not meant to frighten us, but to awaken us. God is not a tyrant eager to condemn, but a Father longing to save. But He will not force our love. At the end of life, we will be judged by whether we lived in communion with Him—through faith, hope, and love—and whether we loved our neighbor in concrete acts of mercy, forgiveness, humility, and service.

As St. Faustina recorded in her diary, Christ told her: “He who refuses to pass through the door of My mercy must pass through the door of My justice.”

Let us then live lives steeped in mercy, anchored in the sacraments, aflame with love, and marked by the same humility and courage that shone in the saints. That is what we will be judged on—and that is what opens the gates of Heaven.

God Bless