The pastor of St. Patrick Parish of Erie shared a lesson on the time when our experiences with life end on Earth and eternal life begins.

On the Feast of Christ, parishioners heard in the first reading and the gospel about the certainty of a final judgment in which the faithful will learn of their eternal destiny, Monsignor Henry A. Kriegel said, the church bulletin reported.

Christians rest their faith and hope on Jesus being raised from the dead, Paul teaches us, Kriegel said. Adam as the first man represents all humanity in Paul’s teachings. The last man is Christ.

“The first man died while the last man rose from the dead,” he said in the bulletin. The ruler sits on his throne with his enemies’ heads as his foot stool, Psalm 110 says. “The risen Christ will reign until all his enemies are under his feet, the last being death,” Kriegel said, quoting from the Psalm.

The difficulty that people have in understanding Jesus’ point on how we treat the “least ones” is shown by how he repeats the corporal works of mercy four times in a parable on the judgment of nations.