The tenth and eleventh articles of the Apostles’ Creed are: the forgiveness of sins, and the resurrection of the body.

The Catholic Church possesses the power to forgive sins, for the Church is the channel of divine grace. The Sacraments of Baptism, Penance, and Anointing of the Sick are the divinely-instituted means of forgiving sins.

The eleventh article of the Apostles’ Creed—-the resurrection of the body—-reminds us of the reality of death and judgment. The four last things to be ever remembered are: death, judgment, hell, and heaven.

Passing from this earth

What happens at death? At death the soul is separated from the body.

As long as the soul has not been separated from the body, the person is not dead. Therefore, Bishop Louis LaRavoire Morrow in his book, My Catholic Faith, wrote, “In case of sudden or unexpected death, a priest should be called always, because absolution and Anointing of the Sick can be given conditionally for some time after apparent death.”

“If a person is apparently dead and has not received the Last Sacraments, we should immediately call the priest. A person may continue to live two or three hours after death apparently taken place, especially if it is sudden, In that case Anointing of the Sick will avail his soul.”

The soul is the animating principle of the body. The different parts of the body are working as one, because all parts are animated by the same soul. But after the soul has separated from the body, the different parts of the body also fall apart from one another. Hence, the decomposition of the body is the sure sign of death.

Particular judgment

The judgment which will be passed on each one of us immediately after death is called the particular judgment.

Jesus Christ is the Judge at the particular judgment. The sentence which will be passed by Christ is final and will never be reversed.

The rewards or punishments appointed for each person after the particular judgment are heaven, purgatory, or hell.

Those are rewarded in heaven who have died in their baptismal innocence, or after having fully satisfied for all the sins committed.

Those are punished for a time in purgatory who have died in the state of grace but are guilty of venial sin, or have not fully satisfied for the temporal punishment due to their sins.

Those are punished in hell who have died in unrepented mortal sin.

General judgment

The Baltimore Catechism states: By “the resurrection of the body” is meant that at the end of the world the bodies of all men will rise from the earth and be united again to their souls nevermore to be separated.

Death is the separation of the soul and the body, and resurrection is the reunion of the soul and the body.

The judgment which will be passed on all men immediately after the general resurrection is called the general judgment.

The Baltimore Catechism states: Although everyone is judged immediately after death, it is fitting that there be a general judgment in order that the justice, wisdom, and mercy of God may be glorified in the presence of all.

A priest explained that “the general judgment is not really a new trial, but a judgment, that is, a public declaration and manifestation of the sentences or rewards already given or made in the particular judgment.”

At the general judgment the body will be made to share in the reward or punishment of the soul with which it shared good or evil on earth.

“At the end of our life, we shall all be judged by charity,” St. John of the Cross said.

「宗徒信經」的第十及第十一項當信道理是：「我信罪之赦，我信肉身之復活」。

天主教教會擁有赦罪的權柄，她是聖寵的渠道。而聖洗、告解及病人傅油聖事，均是天主制定的赦罪工具。

「肉身的復活」喚醒我們「萬民四末」的「死亡、審判、天堂、地獄」真實存在。

死亡

「死亡」是靈魂與肉身分離。只要一個人的靈魂還沒有與肉身分離，那個人還沒有死去。

類斯.莫隆主教在「我的天主教信仰」一書內強調：「遇見意外或猝然的死亡，仍應該立即通知神父，因為在一個人乎已死去後的一段時間內，神父給予赦罪和病人傅油聖事仍然可能有效。」

「若有人似乎已死去而又未接受臨終聖事，我們要馬上請神父來。那人有可能在似乎死亡後仍活着二至三個小時，尤其是在突發的死亡個案中。說不定靈魂與肉身尚未分離，病人傅油聖事能幫助那人的靈魂。」

靈魂結合肉身，付予肉身生氣，令肉身各部份一體地運作；當靈魂與肉身分離，體內各部失去生氣，等於各自分離，引致肉身的腐朽。腐朽是死亡已來臨的最確實標記。

私審判

每個人的靈魂離開肉身後，便要各自接受基督的審判。私審判的定案是永恆的,絕對不可推翻。

私審判的獎罰是 : 天堂、煉獄、或地獄。

完全純潔的靈魂，或滿全了補贖的靈魂，將被賞給天堂永恆的福樂。

帶有小罪的靈魂，或尚未滿全補贖的靈魂，會被遣到煉獄接受暫罰，直至靈魂被煉淨，始可永享天福。

死時仍有大罪而不肯悔改的靈魂，要在地獄接受永罰。

公審判

死亡既是靈魂與肉身分離，復活則指靈魂與肉身重新結合在一起。

博迪模要理手冊詮釋：「肉身的復活」是指世界末日時，一總亡者的靈魂會與肉身結合，復活過來，且永不再會死亡。屆時，萬民都要接受耶穌基督的公審判。

博迪模要理手冊續解釋：雖然每個人在死亡後均接受了私審判，但公審判使天主的公義、上智和慈悲，被公開彰顯和光榮。

一位神父解釋: 公審判不是新的審訊，而是公開宣明和彰顯出已在私審判時給予的判詞和賞罰。

公審判時，肉身偕同靈魂一起接受既定的賞或罰，因為生時之善惡，靈魂和肉身同以一體行之，應接受同一公義的判條。

聖十字架若望說：「在我們生命終結時，我們將被愛所審斷。」