“after that tribulation”
Once the soul has left the body, a person’s physical actions have ended. This means that there is nothing more that a person can do for or against God. The point of death is their final opportunity to embrace and accept Christ or deny Him as Lord. Immediately upon our death, Jesus Himself will judge us. This judgment by Christ will either gain us entrance into heaven or everlasting damnation. [1] This is called “particular judgment”. Saint Paul writes, “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 Cor. 5:10)
Why does God judge us by our actions? God has blessed us with a conscience, which is at the heart of every person. [2] Our conscience helps us to reason what is morally right and wrong. [3] Since God gave us this conscience, we assume responsibility for the acts we perform. [4] God has always stated that there would be judgment based upon our actions. “Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap”. (Gal. 6:7)
Why is Jesus the one to judge? Jesus is God. He is at the center of all judgment and the Father gives everything (including judgment) to Him. Jesus says, “For judgment I came into this world” (Jn. 9:39) and “The Father…has given all judgment to the Son” (Jn. 5:22)
Is there another judgment besides particular judgment? Along with particular judgment, there will also be a final judgment. Scripture and the Catechism teach us that at the second coming of Jesus, all will rise from the dead. [5] This second coming is sometimes called “Parousia” which means “coming” [6] and at the coming of Christ the dead will rise which are closely associated to each other. [7] At the sound of Jesus’ voice, all who had fallen in sleep will rise to the resurrection of judgment. (Cf. Jn. 5:28-29) At Jesus’ coming, “Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left.... and they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." (Mt 25:31) This is what is meant in the Creed, “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end”.
This resurrection of all the dead will happen before the Last Judgment. [8] “In the presence of Christ, who is Truth itself, the truth of each man's relationship with God will be laid bare.” [9]This judgment will be done in front of all mankind.
Why would God do this? Simply, the Last Judgment is to show that He is a fair, loving, kind, and most importantly a just God. He does not hide anything from us. There was a man who used to greatly struggle with a particular sin and after confessing it multiple times, his confessor said, “Think about the Final Judgment when you are tempted. Think ‘Do I want every living soul to see this at the Final Judgment?’” Whether we like it or not, God will show everyone everything that we did in our lifetime. This should bring about a holy fear and make us more committed to do good for the Kingdom of God. [10] The other reason for the Last Judgment is because through His Son, God the Father will show us the full and ultimate meaning of His entire work of salvation. He will show us how His providence led us to the final ending of God’s ultimate triumph. [11]
How will God judge us in the Last Judgment? Thankfully, we know the answer to this question. Jesus will judge the good that we have done for others or how we failed Him by not doing good. [12] Jesus uses the parable of the sheep and the goats to illustrate how He will judge (Cf. Mt. 25:31-46) through the corporal works of mercy: feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, visit the sick, visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead. “Jesus teaches us that one enters the kingdom of heaven not by speaking words, but by doing ‘the will of my Father in heaven.’” [13]
[1] Cf. CCC 1022
[2] Cf. 1777
[3] Cf. CCC 1778
[4] Cf. CCC 1781
[5] Cf. CCC 1038
[6] Dr. Scott Hahn, Catholic Bible Dictionary pg. 674
[7] Cf. CCC 1001
[8] Cf. CCC 1038
[9] CCC 1039
[10] Cf. CCC 1041
[11] Cf. CCC 1040
[12] Cf. CCC 1039
[13] CCC 2826