A Catholic believes that a human being is composed of two parts: a body and a soul. At the moment of conception, God creates a zygote, a single-celled organism formed from the union of the mother's egg and the father's sperm. Into this new creation, God breathes an immortal soul.
In time, the zygote becomes an embryo, and then a foetus. The unborn child lives and grows inside its mother's womb for approximately nine months, after which time it is born and begins its own life.
The child's human body, the legacy of its natural parents, is mortal. It consists of earthly elements which are subject to deterioration, death and decay. The soul infused by God, the baby's heavenly Father, will live forever.
Each person will spend a limited period of time on earth, whether long or short, no one knows. How that time is spent is important. The Bible tells us that, while on earth, we are to love God with our whole heart, our whole soul, our whole strength and with our whole mind, and love our neighbor as ourselves. (Luke 10:27)
What is death?
When a person has completed his or her allotted life span on earth, the body and soul will separate. This is what we call death. Then, the body begins the natural process of decay and decomposition, while the soul, which is the essence of the person, proceeds to the particular judgement. Each person is judged individually on how he or she spent their time on earth.
Since the soul is immortal, it cannot die. The souls of those who died in the state of mortal sin, without repentance, will go to hell. The souls who have died in the state of grace, having received the Sacrament of the Sick, will go straight to Heaven. Those who died with venial (less serious) sins on their soul, will go to a place of purification, known as Purgatory.
Purgatory is a place or state of temporary suffering, wherein all traces of sin and attachment to sin are removed. It lacks the terrible sense of despair suffered by souls in hell, who know their punishment will never end. Catholics pray for the souls in Purgatory, thereby shortening their stay and speeding their entry into Heaven.
The Sacrament of the Sick
This sacrament is a priceless gift at the end of life. It may be received by any baptized person in danger of death from sickness, accident or old age, or to a patient before surgery.
The effects of this sacrament are forgiveness of all sin, of any punishment due to sin, and healing of the body, if it is God's will. This is why a priest should be called to the bedside of any seriously ill Catholic. The sacrament can be administered even if the person is unconscious, but it will not be given after death.
"Is any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church, and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven" (James 5:14–15).
Death, then, to a Catholic, is the moment when the soul escapes the weighty encumbrance of the body and proceeds to receive its eternal reward, or punishment, according to how the person spent his or her time on earth.
It is vital to stress to the loved ones of a Catholic in danger of death that a priest be summoned to the bedside to administer the Sacrament of the Sick. It may effect a cure, and if not, it is very much like a free ticket into heaven.
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