The Four Last Things: Journey of a Soul
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Are You Ready for Eternity?
Do you ever think about life after death? What will it be like? Will the things you did in this life follow you into eternity? What are the souls of your departed loved ones experiencing right now? Far from being morbid, reflecting on what will happen to our souls at the moment of our death is not only fascinating, it also does us much good. When we contemplate the life that awaits us, it will help us to increase our faith, our hope, our love for God, and our desire to be with Him forever. It is a means by which we can learn more about our Savior and marvel at the greatness of how He has redeemed our fallen world. All of this is encapsulated in the Church’s teaching on The Four Last Things.
What Are The Four Last Things?
Every human soul will experience the same thing at the end of their earthly life: the soul will be separated from the body and immediately face the justice of God. After we give Him an account of our lives, the soul will receive one of two destinies: either blissful union with God forever, or painful separation from Him forever. The Church calls this The Four Last Things: Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell.
Many people have mistaken ideas about life after death, and believing what is false can put our souls in danger. In fact, there is no other subject that is more important to learn the truth about. And there is no other authority to which we can turn to tell us the truth about our eternal life than the visible Church founded by God Himself, Jesus Christ.
The Catholic Church teaches us everything we need to know about the meaning of life, what happens to us when we die, and what we will experience in eternity. There’s no subject more fascinating to learn about. Reflecting on these amazing truths will allow us to live in the light of God’s truth about who we are and where we’re heading.
Why Join This Series?
The Four Last Things: Journey of a Soul is a 40-day journey through the Church’s teachings on The Four Last Things. In this series you will learn how God has created the world and the human soul, the journey of the soul as it transitions from this world to the next, and the final destiny that awaits the good and the bad. Through the detailed explanations in this series you will begin to see life as God sees it, and gain a better understanding of the great importance of your every thought, word, and deed.
What will your eternal destiny be? God leaves the choice up to you. There is no better time than now to prepare your soul for eternity by studying the awesome truth that God has revealed to us through His Church.
Series Contributors
Father Timothy Reid
Fr. Timothy Reid, a convert to the Catholic Faith, earned his B.S. in Marketing from Indiana University, but later changed his focus to pursue the study of Philosophy at the Catholic University of America. After attaining an M.A. in Philosophy in 1996, he took a job with the Migration and Refugee Services of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Following his Theology studies at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception, earning an M.A. in Theology and a Masters of Divinity, Fr. Reid was ordained in 2004. In 2007 he was made Pastor of St. Ann Catholic Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he continues to serve today. Fr. Reid is a Third Order Carmelite and serves as the Spiritual Director of the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Secular Carmelite group in Charlotte.
Gretchen Filz, O.P.
Gretchen Filz, O.P., is a Catholic content writer with an M.A. in Christian Apologetics. As a result of her studies in theology and philosophy at an Evangelical seminary, she discovered the truth of Catholicism and entered into full communion with the Catholic Church in 2011. A passionate convert and Lay Dominican, Gretchen lives out her vocation through prayer, study, teaching, writing, and engaging in a variety of apostolates. Her articles have provided catechesis and inspiration for Catholics around the world. She currently works in the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina.
80 Reviews
I have loved this series, I have loved the discussion, the material and the spiritual friendships that have formed here!
This was one of the most meaningful Lenten experiences I have had. It was so very well presented and reached deep into my soul. Thank you.
Thank you Good Catholic for presenting this Series on the Four Last Things, I see it is already bearing much fruit. Our Spiritual family’s honesty is so refreshing and encouraging to take heart. Praying for all of us to keep the Faith during challenging times and Gratitude for our Blessings. In God’s Mercy and Love
I am sad that this series is over and I hope another Is right behind it. It keeps our eyes on the narrow entrance to Heaven !
Congratulations to Gretchen Filz for her illuminating articles and Fr Reid for his consise reflections!
This series helped me through this Lenten season. I gave up four of my favorite things and was so filled with the thoughtful presentation of “The four last things”. Thank you
What an incredible journey through a perfect condensed story of our catholic faith! Thank you Good Catholic.
Well done teachers. I hope the jewels in your crowns are magnificent. Thank you thank you.
This study was so inspiring….and life changing. It caused me to reflect on my life and several times just put head down in prayer, asking for forgiveness in sorrow for having hurt our wonder God through sin. I learned so much about God’s mercy.
I would like to thank first Ms. Gretchen Filz for all the wonderful writings, [and] Fr. Reid for all the inspiring reflections… It has been an amazing 40 days of Lent. I read every single reflection at 5:15am. each morning. I got nervous when one morning the reflection wasn’t there…I can’t believe we have just started Holy Week; that’s how interesting this Lent was for me. I will evangelize the importance of taking the commandments seriously, that even though God is very merciful, He is also justice and will punish wrongdoing and indifference…I will continue to try to live the best I can ~~it is so hard to be a good Christian!! I will try to focus on the cross where our wonderful God gave Himself for all of us. I feel empowered to be a Soldier of Christ, using His weapons of love, understanding, patience (this one is very hard for me), forgiveness (another hard one), service, etc.
This journey inspired me to repent, go to confession and abstain from some really bad practices that had become habitual in my life. I’ve overcome them completely through God’s mercy and daily prayer. I even convinced my godparents to both go to confession after quite a long absence!
A life changing 40 days; may God bless us all and continue to find ways to bring us closer to Him