1.

Death and Judgment

��it is appointed unto men to die, and after this the judgment� (Heb.9:27).
Adam and Eve were created in a state of perfect happiness. They
lived in the Garden of Eden where they enjoyed the preternatural gifts of
infused knowledge, and freedom from sickness, suffering, death, and
concupiscence (the tendency to sin). However, the Church also teaches
that they were given another, greater gift, the supernatural gift of
Sanctifying Grace which made them children of God and gave them a
right to Heaven. When Adam sinned, he lost all these gifts. And he lost
them not only for himself, but for all his descendents (i.e. the entire
human race) since one cannot give what one does not possess. Therefore
every child of Adam comes into this world deprived of all these wonderful
gifts, including Sanctifying Grace, which it is necessary to possess in
order to enter into Heaven.
Fortunately, God sent his Son, Jesus (born of the Virgin Mary), into
the world to suffer and die for us, which opened the way to Heaven again.
One of the gifts that Our Saviour Jesus obtained for the Church through
his suffering and death is the Sacrament of Baptism. Baptism washes
away Original Sin inherited from Adam (and all actual sins) and restores
Sanctifying Grace (our �ticket to Heaven�) making us adopted children of
God. Therefore, through baptism, we regain our right to Heaven.
But we can again lose this �ticket to Heaven.� Sanctifying Grace is
lost by committing just one mortal sin. Fortunately, Our Saviour Jesus
also obtained for the Church the gift of the Sacrament of Penance. By
making a worthy confession (See Section 8), Sanctifying Grace is
restored and thus one regains his �ticket to Heaven.�
As Scripture teaches, you must die one day, and immediately after
you will be judged. As you have seen, if you die without Sanctifying
Grace, without your �ticket to Heaven,� you will go to Hell for all
eternity. If you die possessing Sanctifying Grace, since you possess your
�ticket to Heaven,� you are guaranteed to go to Heaven for all eternity
(even if you are temporarily detained in Purgatory).
Therefore, what is of key importance for a happy judgment and thus
a happy eternity is to possess Sanctifying Grace at the moment of death.
Since death can come upon you any time �as a thief in the night� (1Thes. 5:2),
and since �of that day or the hour no man knoweth� (Mk. 13:32), if you are
wise, you will strive to remain habitually in the possession of Sanctifying
Grace. This is best done by striving to love God above all things, which
means keeping the Commandments and developing a healthy relationship
with God through regular prayer. Frequently receiving the Sacraments
with proper dispositions is an indispensable aid as well.
�Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the
hour of our death. Amen.