“I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.”
That last line from the Apostle’s Creed sums up in a few words what we believe about eternal life. The Catechism of the Catholic Church further explains this last article of the creed:
“We believe that the souls of all who die in Christ’s grace … are the People of God beyond death. On the day of resurrection, death will be definitively conquered, when these souls are reunited to their bodies.” ~ Blessed Pope Paul VI in the Creed of the People of God (1052)
“We believe that the multitude of those gathered around Jesus and Mary in Paradise forms the Church of heaven, where in eternal blessedness they see God as he is and where they are also, to various degrees, associated with the holy angels in the divine governance exercised by Christ in glory, by interceding for us and helping our weakness by their fraternal concern.” ~ Blessed Pope Paul VI in the Creed of the People of God (1053)
Those who die in God’s grace and friendship imperfectly purified, although they are assured of their eternal salvation, undergo a purification after death, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of God. (1054)
By virtue of the “communion of saints,” the Church commends the dead to God’s mercy and offers her prayers, especially the Holy Sacrifice of the Eucharist, on their behalf. (1055)