The eternity we enter at death begins with a judgment. God has created us to live forever because, made in his image and likeness, God calls us to share, as far as creatures can, in the life of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This happy ending to our earthly life is not, however, a foregone conclusion. All depends upon our cooperation with God’s plan for us. What we are and do in this life is heavy with eternal consequences. When we emerge from the shadows of this life into the light of God’s presence at death, what we have made of ourselves will measure itself against the truth of God for us.
Francis Cardinal George