We believe that those who die in the state of grace will live with God forever. “And this is eternal life, that they know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3). In God alone can we find eternal happiness.

This life is a time of testing and trial. The eternal happiness of Heaven consists essentially in the fulfillment of love. Unless we depart this world with love for God in our hearts, we will be unable to experience the happiness of Heaven. Our life upon this earth is the time which God has given us to develop and to prove our love for Him. We must prove that our love for God is greater than any of His created gifts, such as pleasure, wealth, fame, or friendship. We must prove that our love can withstand the pressure of man-made evils, such as poverty, pain, humiliation, or injustice.

The thought of these final realities—death, judgment, Purgatory, Heaven, and Hell—should fill us with Christian hope, but at the same time with an awareness of the responsibility we have to attain life everlasting.