Karma is a central belief in various religions and philosophies of Eastern origin, such as Hinduism and Buddhism. According to this idea, a person’s actions in past lives determine their situation and destiny in future reincarnations.
In Catholicism, the teaching is different. The Catholic faith maintains that each person has a single earthly life, and after death, the soul is judged by God and directed towards heaven, purgatory, or hell, based on the fate of that soul. Those who die in God’s grace go to purgatory to be sanctified before entering the kingdom of heaven, while those who die in mortal sin go to hell. Heaven and hell are eternal destinations. There is no room for reincarnation or karma in Catholic theology.
Scriptures support the Catholic teaching on judgment after death, as found in Hebrews 9:27: “Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” This verse emphasizes the uniqueness of earthly life and the prospect of divine judgment after death, rather than the idea of reincarnation based on karma.”
Priscilla Locke