Pure desperation. The Scriptural Lord's return in Scripture is yet to come, (1Cor. 4:5; 2Tim. 4:1,8; Rev.11:18; Mt. 25:31-46; 1Pt. 1:7; 5:4) and is not at death.
To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.
Indeed, and shall forever be, (1Thes. 4:17) and the Lord's return and subsequent judgment seat of Christ is when these souls come with Him, with the actual sentencing according to their degree of guilt following. (Jude 1:14-15; cf. Mal. 3:18; Mt 16:27; 19:28; Mt 24:30,31; 25:31; Lk. 22:20; 2Th 1:7,8; Re 1:7; 5:10; 19:6-20; 20:4)
Yes, the parousia (return) of the Messiah is yet to come and is not at one's death.
However, I do not find it persuasive to insist this parable is an allegorical tale that has not happened yet, nor am I persuaded the Apostle Paul did not write definitively and truthfully here about what it means to die. I find that the Messiah's many warnings to watch and be ready are for every generation, not only the generation to whom He will appear when He returns to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end. Each person should view those types of warnings as applicable in one's lifetime, whether the Lord returns before one's physical death or not.
This a a Catholic priest's explanation.
And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. We are Christ's Ambassadors Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.
What do Catholics believe happens to a person after death ? Question from Maria on 12/30/2001:
What do Catholics believe happens to a person after death ?
Answer by Fr. John Echert on 12/31/2001:
Based upon Sacred Scripture and the teaching of the Church, we can say the following about death and what follows. At the moment of death, the soul is separated from the body and no longer sustains order within the natural body; as a result, the body begins to corrupt and left to its own will decompose. The soul, however, is immortal and never ceases to exist, once created. Immediately upon death, the soul of each person is judged by the Lord, either to eternal life or the damnation of hell. For those damned to hell, such a soul immediately experiences hell thereafter. For a soul judged to heaven, if the soul is truly holy then it may immediately experience the fullness of heaven. We call such souls “the saints.” For those who are judged to eternal life yet still have some attachment to sin or there is some temporal punishment due for sin, such a soul experiences purgatory in the manner that God determines. Purgatory is really a blessing, for not only does the soul know that it is destined for heaven but purgatory purges anything from the soul which would limit the vision and enjoyment of God in heaven. Eventually, when the end of the world comes about, there will be a resurrection of the bodies of all the dead and final judgment of all souls and the angels in which we will all see the justice and mercy of God. Our bodies will be resurrected and body and soul will be rejoined, for to be a human person means to have both body and soul. This is true both for the saved and the damned, and both will experience either eternal happiness or eternal suffering in both body and soul.
Luke, Catholic chapter twelve, Protestant verses sixteen to twenty one,
Luke, Catholic chapter twelve, Protestant verses sixteen to twenty one,
Second Corinthians, Catholic chapter five, Protestant verses one to eleven,
as authorized, but not authored, by King James
boldness mine