Topic
Salvation & Last Things
How are we saved, and what happens after death? The Church's teaching on grace, faith and works, purgatory, heaven and hell — clearly explained and grounded in Scripture.
Start here
What is purgatory?
Purgatory is a final purification for those who die in God's friendship but are not yet perfectly holy. It is not a second chance or a third destination: everyone in purgatory is saved and on the way to heaven. The Church prays for them, especially at Mass.
Read the full answerQuestions about Salvation & Last Things
All Salvation & Last Things questions
What is purgatory?
Purgatory is a final purification for those who die in God's friendship but are not yet perfectly holy. It is not a second chance or a third destination: everyone in purgatory is saved and on the way to heaven. The Church prays for them, especially at Mass.
Are Catholics saved by faith or by works?
Neither faith nor works earns salvation — it is a free gift of God's grace. Catholics believe we are justified by grace through faith, and that this grace produces real charity and good works, which God rewards. The Church calls it "faith working through love."
What does the Catholic Church teach about other religions?
The Church teaches that salvation comes through Christ and his Church, while respecting whatever is true and holy in other religions. It honours the special bond with the Jewish people, recognizes that Muslims worship the one God, and holds that those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ can still be saved by God's grace if they sincerely seek God and follow their conscience.
Can Catholics be cremated?
Yes. Since 1963 the Church has permitted cremation, provided it is not chosen to deny faith in the resurrection. Burial remains preferred, and the ashes must be treated with reverence and placed in a cemetery, columbarium or other sacred place — not scattered, divided, or kept at home.
What happens when we die?
At death, the soul separates from the body and meets God in the particular judgement. Those who die in God's friendship go to heaven — directly, or after purification in purgatory. Those who die having definitively rejected God choose hell. At the end of time, Christ will return and our bodies will be raised.
Are eulogies proper at Catholic funerals?
No eulogy is to be given at a funeral Mass. The homily may include brief words of thanks for the person's life, and a relative or friend may be allowed a few short remarks at the end — but the deceased may never be described as being in heaven. Fuller tributes belong at a separate prayer service.
Why do Catholics "go to rosaries" when someone dies?
When a Catholic dies, friends and family often gather to pray the rosary together for the repose of the person's soul. "Going to a rosary" is simply shorthand for joining that gathering.
Do modern Jews believe in purgatory?
Not as a doctrine. Judaism's theology of the afterlife is not highly developed, but traditional Jews pray and hold memorials for their dead — practices in line with Catholic concern for the departed. The books of Maccabees are generally not part of the modern Jewish canon.
What is the difference between being redeemed and being saved?
Redemption is collective; salvation is individual. Christ redeemed the whole human race from slavery to sin and its debt of punishment, so every person is redeemed. Salvation is that redemption applied to an individual — and a person can reject the graces Christ won for him.
Do miscarried babies have souls? What happens to them?
Yes. Every human being from conception has a spiritual, rational soul made in God's image, so miscarried children have human souls. They share the same hope of heaven that the Church holds out for all children who die unbaptized.
Is there anyone we know for certain is in hell?
Satan and the fallen angels certainly are, or will be on the last day. Scripture implies that some human beings will not be saved, but we are not given to know who. The Church prays for all the dead and hopes for the salvation of each person.
Is the cleansing fire of purgatory a real physical fire?
The Church has not defined that. She has dogmatically taught only that there is purification after death, that it involves some pain, and that the souls can be helped by prayers, devotions and Masses. Whether it involves material fire is a matter of speculation.
Did God create hell?
In a sense, no. Hell is primarily an eternal state of separation from God for angels and humans who have permanently rejected him. God created free will, which is good; hell results from its abuse. God did not create hell — he allowed for its possibility.
Are Adam and Eve in heaven?
Christian tradition generally recognizes that Adam and Eve are in heaven. Their memorial has been celebrated in the Church on December 24.
Do Catholics believe in the Rapture?
Catholics believe that Christians still living at Christ's Second Coming will be caught up with those who died in Christ to be with the Lord forever. But they do not generally use the term "Rapture," and they do not believe in a Rapture before the Second Coming, as many Evangelicals do.
Can we fall out of heaven into hell?
No. A person's eternal destination is settled at death. There is free will in heaven, but it will not allow a saint to do what will then be impossible for him — such as rejecting God.
Must the body or cremated remains be present at a Catholic funeral?
No, but it is good for the remains to be present if possible so they can be blessed. If they are not present at a funeral Mass, the Mass offered is a memorial Mass.
Did Judas go to hell?
We cannot say with certainty. Jesus' words — "woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had never been born" — imply that Judas was lost, but we cannot know whether he repented before he died.
Can a soul be delivered from hell through our prayers?
No. Like heaven, hell is eternal, so prayers cannot help the souls there. Souls in heaven need no prayers either; only those in purgatory are helped by our prayers for the dead.
Does Acts 2:47 prove eternal security?
No. The verse says people "were being saved" — not that they were saved and need not fear hell, nor even that they were saved. "Being saved" describes something ongoing, just as the Church teaches.
How can we be happy in heaven if someone we love goes to hell?
The question thinks of heaven "inside the box," as an earth-like place with clouds added. Heaven is about God — literally. God is infinite goodness and unlimited love, beyond anything we can now imagine.
What will our resurrected bodies be like?
The bodies of the just will be transformed on the pattern of the risen Christ: in their prime, incapable of suffering, spiritual (though not pure spirit), agile in obeying the soul, free of deformity, and reflecting God's beauty as our souls do.
Is it the pope's private opinion that Muslims worship the same God?
No. The Second Vatican Council taught that Muslims adore the one God — living, merciful, all-powerful, Creator of heaven and earth, who has spoken to humanity — and strive to submit to his decrees as Abraham did.
Is the Catholic Church Arminian rather than Calvinist?
Neither label fits: the Church came before Arminianism and isn't a product of it. Better to say Calvinism and Arminianism each agree with Catholicism on some points and differ on others.
Was this Jehovah's Witness right about hell?
No. Scripture describes hell as fire to convey the intensity of its suffering — it is worse than fire. God doesn't send people there; they choose it by turning from him. Christ's agonizing death shows how grave sin is before God's infinite goodness, so the punishment fits the crime.
Do the dead who have no Masses said for them miss out on graces?
No. All the dead are prayed for at every Mass — Eucharistic Prayer IV, for instance, prays for all the departed. God is just and merciful; no one goes wanting for his mercy.
Do those who die in mortal sin get a second chance to repent?
Repentance may be possible at the very last moment, but some people die too suddenly to have that moment. Whoever dies as God's enemy, which is what mortal sin makes us, goes to hell by his own choice.
Was it presumption for Sts. John and Paul to write that they were heaven-bound?
No. We lack absolute assurance of salvation but have a moral assurance: we will be saved if we die in a state of grace, free of unforgiven mortal sin. That explains the apostles' confidence. Presumption is something else.
Does a soul that dies in mortal sin go straight to hell, or does God offer mercy one last time?
God's mercy depends on whether a person wants it. The Church has always taught that whoever repents, even in the last moments of life, receives God's mercy and is forgiven.
How are prayers distributed among the souls in purgatory?
That is God's domain. We can only pray for souls we believe may need prayer and trust God to apply the graces justly and mercifully.
Should Catholics attend parties celebrating the dead?
No Church document forbids it. Going may help honor a friend's last wishes; if the atmosphere seems inappropriate, offer your sympathy and leave quietly. You may also have Masses said for the deceased.
Why is turning cremated remains into a diamond wrong?
The Church permits cremation but insists the remains be treated with respect: not scattered, but committed to the earth or sea in a suitable container or placed in a mausoleum.
Are there different levels of heaven and hell?
"Levels" reflects Dante's imagery more than the Church's language; the proper term is "degrees." The blessed see God more or less perfectly according to their merits, and the damned suffer unequally according to their guilt.
Where does Jesus say he is going to prepare a place for us?
In John 14:3: "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself." For the question of going to heaven at death, Luke 23:43 is more to the point: "today you will be with me in Paradise."
Are people who die while excommunicated damned?
Not necessarily. Excommunication mainly cuts a person off from the sacraments; it is not a sentence to hell but a medicine meant to bring repentance. One who dies before formal reconciliation can be saved if he truly repents of all his mortal sins before death.
What happens to us immediately after we die?
The body dies but the soul does not. At death the soul separates from the body, is judged at once, and enters heaven (directly or through purgatory) or hell. Each soul is reunited with its risen body at the Last Judgment when Christ returns.
Did all the people who died before Jesus go to hell?
Before Christ opened heaven, all the dead went to "hell" in the sense of Sheol, the abode of the dead. But the just were comforted in "Abraham's bosom," apart from the damned, and Christ descended to free them.
Why is hell eternal?
Because the souls in hell are immortal, and because their final choice to separate themselves from God is eternal.
How should a Catholic answer, "Have you been saved?"
Answer as the Bible does: I have been saved, I am being saved, and I hope to be saved, working out my salvation in fear and trembling with confident hope in Christ's promises.
Can atheists be saved just by acting charitably?
No one saves himself, but God can save someone who in conscience cannot believe God exists yet lives as well as he knows how. His culpability may be lessened where others made belief hard for him, and Christ counts service to the least as service to him.
Read in depth
Assurance of Salvation?
Many Evangelicals believe that once a person accepts Christ, salvation is absolutely assured regardless of how he lives. Scripture teaches that final salvation depends on the soul's state at death and that grace can be lost. Catholics can have real confidence of salvation, but not infallible certitude.
What the Early Church Believed: Faith and Works
Protestants claim we are justified by faith apart from works. The Church teaches our actions have a part in justification. The Fathers recognized the role of both faith and works in salvation.
What the Early Church Believed: Reward and Merit
God will repay each according to his works, giving eternal life to those who persevere in doing good (Romans 2:6-11). "Merit" and "reward" are two sides of one coin. Nothing before justification merits it; only Christ merits strictly; but under grace Christians do acts God has promised to reward. The Fathers taught reward and merit as gifts of grace.
What the Early Church Believed: Salvation Outside the Church
The Church is "the universal sacrament of salvation" (CCC 774-776). Being Catholic is normatively necessary for salvation, yet some not fully initiated can be saved. Those who knowingly and deliberately commit heresy or schism cannot be saved unless they repent. The Fathers held both truths.
The Sinner's Prayer
The "sinner's prayer," popular among Evangelicals, expresses sorrow for sin and trust in Christ and is viewed as the moment of salvation. God hears every contrite prayer, and such a prayer can be a good beginning. But no single prayer guarantees salvation: it should lead to baptism and a lifelong sacramental life of conversion.
In Scripture
- 1 Corinthians 3:13-15
- 2 Maccabees 12:43-46
- Revelation 21:27
- Matthew 12:32
- Ephesians 2:8-10
- James 2:24
- Galatians 5:6
- Romans 3:28
- Philippians 2:12-13
- Acts 4:12
- 1 Timothy 2:4
- Romans 2:14-16
- Acts 17:22-28
- 1 Corinthians 15:42-44
- John 11:25
- Hebrews 9:27
- Luke 23:43
- 2 Corinthians 5:8
- 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17
- Matthew 7:13-14
- 1 Timothy 2:3-4
- 1 Corinthians 3:15
- 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
- Matthew 26:24
- Acts 2:47
- Matthew 16:27
- 1 Corinthians 3:8
- 2 Corinthians 9:6
- 1 Corinthians 15:41
- Matthew 11:22
- Luke 20:47
- John 14:3
- Luke 16:22
- Philippians 1:23
- Luke 16:19-31
- Romans 8:24
- Ephesians 2:5-8
- 1 Corinthians 1:18
- 2 Corinthians 2:15
- Philippians 2:12
- Romans 5:9-10
- 1 Corinthians 3:12-15
- Romans 5:2
- 2 Timothy 2:11-13
- Matthew 22:39
- Matthew 25:37-40
- Matthew 24:13
- Matthew 25:31-46
- 1 Timothy 2:6
- 1 Timothy 4:10
- 1 John 2:2
- Romans 11:17-24
- Romans 11:22
- Hebrews 10:26-29
- 2 Peter 2:20-21
- 1 John 5:13
- Matthew 7:21
- 1 John 3:10
- 1 John 4:20
- 1 John 5:3
- Philippians 1:6
- Philippians 1:7
- 2 Timothy 4:7-8
- 1 Corinthians 4:4
- 1 Corinthians 9:27
- Matthew 7:22-23
- Luke 8:13
- Romans 2:6-11
- Galatians 6:6-10
- Romans 11:6
- 2 Timothy 2:14
- Romans 2:7
- 1 Corinthians 2:9
- Romans 2:8
- Proverbs 19:17
- Romans 13:3-4
- Matthew 7:21-23
- John 1:9
- Deuteronomy 17:12
- 1 Peter 3:20-21
- Acts 10:44-48
- Acts 8:13-19
- Titus 3:10
- Romans 10:9-10
- John 3:3-5
- Acts 22:16
- Matthew 10:32
- Romans 2:6-8
- Matthew 7:7-8
- Matthew 28:18-20
- Acts 2:37-42
- John 20:21-23
- Luke 22:19-20
- John 6:51-58
- 1 Corinthians 10:14-22
- Matthew 16:24-26
- James 2:17
- Romans 5:12
- John 3:16-17
- 1 Timothy 2:5-6
Key terms
- Purgatory
- The final purification of those who die in God's friendship but are not yet fully purified, before they enter heaven.