The Warning: Seeing Our Soul as God Does

The word “judgment,” more often than not, carries a negative connotation today. Judgment is almost always bad and opposed to the secular virtue of acceptance of everything. However, judgment is an inescapable fact of death. It happens in life of course, but according to the Catholic faith, there are two types of judgment that await us: the particular and final judgments. The thought of being judged may not be a pleasant one, but it is incredibly important to consider. When taken in its proper perspective, the judgment of our souls should inform how we live. We have all sorts of resources at our disposal to prepare for judgment, including the testimonies of some that have experienced it.

Particular vs. Final Judgment

Whether or not we escape the judgment of men in this life does not deter God: at death, judgment awaits on how we lived our lives. This is the particular judgment.

“Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ: either entrance into the blessedness of heaven-through a purification or immediately, — or immediate and everlasting damnation.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church #1022)

Then, at Jesus’ Second Coming, the final judgment will take place. First, the resurrection of the body will happen and then every person who ever lived will face judgment. Jesus Himself will be there and will separate the righteous from the wicked as a farmer separates sheep and goats (Matthew 25:31-46). After Our Lord separates the righteous and the wicked, St. Peter fills in the blanks on what happens next. It is almost too fantastic to imagine: “then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10, RSVCE). On that happy note, let’s shift back to what our particular judgment might very well look like.

The Particular Judgment and “The Warning”

What if some had a preview of their particular judgment before death? Their testimony would be an invaluable asset, sort of like getting the answers to the test before the exam. What was it like, how did they respond, and how did it affect them? Christine Watkins recorded the stories of eleven people who had this very experience in her book The Warning.

I don’t mean to do a bait-and-switch with the topic. In both the Warning and our particular judgment, every person would see their souls as God does. Jesus said in Luke’s Gospel that “nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed upon the housetops” (12:2-3, RSVCE).

Tackling the “Warning,” which has contemporary connections with as-yet-approved apparitions of Our Lady at Garabandal and Medugorje. Both have controversy surrounding them and evoke strong reactions on the affirmative and negative sides of the aisle. Discussing those apparitions is the subject of many books already, and not the point of this article. On one hand, the Warning belongs to the realm of private revelation and not the deposit of faith. That does not mean we discount accounts of the Warning. The faithful need to weigh the evidence, give it an honest take and discern with the Holy Spirit’s assistance. By doing so, we follow the advice of St. Paul: “do not quench the Spirit, do not despise prophesying, but test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:19-21, RSVCE).

Experiencing the Warning

Again, I think learning from the Warning holds a key to understanding what the particular judgment will be like. Supernatural events will accompany the Warning. There will be fewer fireworks at death but the soul will finally “see” the spiritual world that was previously veiled during life. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive good or evil, according to what he has done in the body” (2 Corinthians 5:10, RSVCE).

Those that described their experience of the illumination of their conscience in The Warning provide very moving details. Every sin from their entire life, from the smallest venial to the worst mortal, was on display with all of its implications. A harsh word to a coworker exacerbated a hard day. Promiscuity harmed both parties for years after, sometimes involved abortions, and always inflicted deep wounds in both souls. These eleven people who experienced an illumination of conscience saw every ripple effect of every sin-without excuses, being able to justify themselves, or being able to escape the appalling nature of sin. All this as only the all-knowing, all-powerful God can.

O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. – Psalm 139:1-4 (ESV)

Intervention of Mercy

The illumination for each of the eleven people was excruciating to the extent that some were surprised to survive the intense stress and anguish. Each of them agreed that the just punishment for their lives was hell; only the mercy of Jesus held that back. And despite that available mercy, some of them had a difficult time accepting it! Here is one very important lesson that St. Paul noted to the Romans: “do you presume upon the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not know that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” (2:4, RSVCE)

There is a train of thought that no decent person, upon seeing God at death, would possibly refuse the Lord’s offer of mercy. If we habitually choose against God in life, why would it be suddenly different at the particular judgment?

Conversion

The final point, and the point of the Warning itself, is conversion. For the eleven people that experienced an illumination of conscience in The Warning, their lives were never the same. They turned away from harmful lifestyles, returned to the sacraments, and grace restored their souls.

In that light, imagine a wave of conversions, turning away from sin, and restored relationships with God that swept the world. It is an amazing thought–what if it started now? Our particular judgment awaits on a day we do not know, warning or not. With testimonies in hand of those that have had an illumination, the question is, why wait to turn back to God?

Commit to a deeper, stronger faith life now. Repent of sin now. Grow deep roots in the Word of God and the sacramental life of the Church. Follow Our Lord’s commandments and the teachings of the Church. Just as sin can have a ripple effect on others, holiness does as well, with an even greater effect. Saints change the world- be one!