Chapter XIII — On the twelfth article

1. What does the last article — "Life everlasting" — teach us?

The last article of the Creed teaches us that after this present life there is another life, either eternally blessed for the elect in heaven, or eternally unhappy for the damned in hell.

2. Can we comprehend the happiness of heaven?

No, we cannot comprehend the happiness of heaven, because it surpasses the knowledge of our limited mind, and because the goods of heaven cannot be compared with the goods of this world.

3. In what does the happiness of the elect consist?

The happiness of the elect consists in seeing, loving, and possessing forever God, the source of every good.

4. In what does the unhappiness of the damned consist?

The unhappiness of the damned consists in being forever deprived of the sight of God and punished with eternal torments in hell.

5. Are the goods of heaven and the evils of hell only for the souls?

The goods of heaven and the evils of hell are at present only for the souls, because only the souls are now in heaven or in hell; but after the resurrection of the body, men, in the fullness of their nature, that is, in soul and body, shall be either happy or tormented forever.

6. Shall the goods of heaven be equal for the blessed, and the evils of hell equal for the damned?

The goods of heaven for the blessed, and the evils of hell for the damned, shall be equal in substance and in eternal duration; but in measure, that is, in degree, they shall be greater or less, according to the merits or demerits of each.

7. What does the word Amen at the end of the Creed mean?

The word Amen at the end of prayers means: So be it; at the end of the Creed it means: So it is; that is to say: I believe to be most true all that is contained in these twelve articles, and I am more certain of it than if I saw it with my own eyes.