Who Gets to Heaven?
The Catholic Church teaches that those who die in friendship with God will live with him forever. Some enter heaven at death. Others first undergo purgatory, where God completes their purification. Everyone in purgatory is already assured of heaven. Heaven means seeing God face to face and sharing his life with all who belong to Christ. Catechism 1023–1024 · Catechism 1030–1031
How do we respond to God’s invitation?
Salvation is a gift made possible by the death and resurrection of Jesus. God takes the first step. His grace enables us to believe, repent, and love. Baptism is the ordinary way we enter this new life. Saint Paul explains that we are saved by grace through faith and that God created us to do good. Feeding someone who is hungry or caring for a sick neighbor gives that faith a concrete expression. Ephesians 2:4–10 · Catechism 1257–1260
What if I have turned away from God?
Think of the criminal crucified beside Jesus. With little time left, he acknowledged his wrongdoing and asked Jesus to remember him. Jesus promised him paradise. Catholics who have fallen into serious sin can turn back to God and seek forgiveness in the sacrament of Reconciliation. The Church teaches that God desires everyone’s salvation and that a person can freely persist in rejecting him until death. Luke 23:39–43 · Catechism 1033, 1037
Can someone who is not Catholic reach heaven?
Yes. The Church teaches that all salvation comes through Christ. People who, through no fault of their own, have never come to know his Gospel or his Church can also be saved if they sincerely seek God and, moved by his grace, try to do his will as they understand it through conscience. When we wonder about a particular loved one, we can entrust that person to God, who knows their heart. Catechism 846–848