How To Stay Close To God Forever

For most of my life, I was not a religious person. I was happy and pleasant to most people. Yet I do recall a yearning inside of myself for something meaningful. I yearned for goodness. I wanted peace. Despite the fact that I had nearly everything that I wanted, including good relationships and a decent looking future, it felt like something was missing.

That feeling never went away until I began a relationship with God. Now, my happiness has changed into a more permanent JOY. I do not fear death. I am at peace. I feel more in touch with reality than ever before. Even though life is not perfect, I no longer feel as though that "something" is missing from my life.

And so, God has blessed me because I feel as though I am closely joined to him. This week's readings speak of being joined to Christ. Why would any person want to be joined to Christ? A few good reasons are listed above. So do you want to be joined to Christ? Do you want to live a life in which you are close to God? If so, what does a person need to do in order to stay joined to the Lord? This week's readings offer the answer. The Mass readings are below after the commentary.

If we want to be close to God we must first be baptized so as to receive forgiveness of our sins and to be born anew. This week's commentary will focus on life AFTER baptism. The Gospel reading and the 2nd Reading talk about "remaining" in Christ. In other words, the message in the readings focus more on those who are already connected to Christ. And so, the 2 readings tell us explicitly what we must do to remain in Christ and have him remain in us.

The 2nd reading says that "Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them". So if we keep the commandments, we will remain close to God? Yes! It really is that simple. Why is it this simple?

Reasonable Requests

Many people view God's commandments as rules similar to the rules they must follow at work like "show up to work on time" and "don't use the company car for personal use". But the commandments are not like human "rules". They are more like reasonable requests and invitations made from one person to another. For example, say that I am married. My wife says to me, "I will be 100% faithful to you, please remain faithful to me. I promise to never cheat on you. Do not cheat on me. I promise to never steal from you. Do not steal anything from me. I promise to always tell you the truth. Do not lie to me."

Although her requests can be challenging, they are very reasonable. And what would happen to my relationship with my wife if I always told her the truth? What would happen to our relationship if I never looked at other women lustfully, but rather I looked at my wife with great admiration and respect? Our relationship would grow. Our relationship would strengthen. I would be a happier man. That is God's intention in his commandments.

The commandments are not like human rules. They are reasonable requests from God. Unlike humans, God is 100% faithful and honest with us. God's commandments invite us to love him and each other.

Purpose and Fulfillment

The commandments also fulfill a great longing inside of every human being. Human beings will always inevitably ask this question "what am I supposed to do with my life?" To this, God answers "follow my commandments". When we carry out and live the commandments, our desire for meaning and purpose are answered and fulfilled because when we obey the commandments we are answering a call from God himself. This is why Jesus says, "my yoke is easy, and my burden light."1 His request to us is very simple and reasonable. In our hearts, we wrestle and we dig with great pain searching for meaning and purpose. Jesus responds with great simplicity: "keep my commandments". Paul echoes this is the 2nd reading "Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them." And this is why we feel fulfilled when we obey the commandments- because in doing so, our relationship with God strengthens, and that is the desire of every man, whether he knows it or not.

Let us remember that in following God's commandments, our desire to live meaningful lives is fulfilled. Only after we are baptized and only after we follow the commandments does this feeling of "missing" something in life disappear and is replaced with peace and fulfillment.

Hell and Disconnecting Ourselves From God

Although keeping the commandments and remaining in God fills us with happiness and joy, we can still destroy our relationship with God. In the Gospel reading, Jesus says "Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned." This situation of hell is described throughout the Gospels. Usually, Jesus describes it with words like, "wailing and grinding of teeth", "burning", and descriptions of "fire" and such. In the above paragraphs, I wrote about the happiness and joy of having a relationship of faithfulness, honesty, and righteousness. This happens not because God likes us more when we follow the commandments. It happens because as we follow the commandments, WE draw closer to the Lord.

When we disobey God's commandments (sin), we separate ourselves from him. When we commit serious sin (mortal) we willfully disconnect from God completely.2 Let's go back to this analogy of me and my wife. Suppose I cheat on my wife. This act by its very nature destroys our relationship. The act is a serious offense against my wife. If I persist in cheating, no kind deed will make up for it. It doesn't matter if I buy her flowers, take out the trash, and write happy songs about her. And so, this is what is meant by Jesus in the Gospel reading. This situation of serious sin against God is described in the Gospel where Jesus says, "without me you can do nothing." Mortal sin separates us from God completely and often causes the worst heartbreak a person can feel.

Fortunately, God offers us forgiveness. All we have to do is ask for it and stop sinning, just like the man who stops cheating on his wife. For Catholics, we must go to confession in order to receive forgiveness for our mortal (serious) sins, and fortunately, confession is free of charge.

There is a very popular notion these days that if you are a good person that's all that matters. But make no mistake about it. If I feed the poor, go to Church, and I'm nice most of the time, while committing serious (mortal) sin without an intention to quit, my soul is lost, and no pleasure in the world will make up for it.

Heartbreak

Now most people know the feeling of heartbreak. People have been writing songs about heartbreak since writing started. That's because heartbreak hurts so much and it's unforgettable. THE WORST HEATBREAK THAT A PERSON CAN FEEL IS WHEN A PERSON DIVORCES HIMSELF FROM GOD.God is the perfect spouse. The Bible describes Jesus as the bridegroom and the Church (you and me) as the bride. Nothing is worse than being separated from this perfect bridegroom (God). Nothing that a man does to bring himself happiness will make up for this, the highest form of heartbreak.

God is the perfect spouse. He is perfectly honest and perfectly faithful. He invites us to have a perfect relationship with him. He is the vine, we are the branches. All we have to do is follow his very reasonable commandments. God reveals himself through his commandments. He reveals his desire for us. He desires that we love him and each other for eternity- with happiness and joy.

God loves us!

1- Matthew 11:30
2- CCC 1861

P.S. One of the most common mortal sins I can think of is the sin of premarital sex. Please read about this in the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 2390. If you had sex outside of marriage and have not confessed, I beg you to go to confession right now, and vow to never do it again until marriage. No fleeting physical pleasure is worth an eternity without our beloved God- the only true BEST FRIEND we have.

Reading II
1 Jn 3:18-24

Children, let us love not in word or speech
but in deed and truth.
Now this is how we shall know that we belong to the truth
and reassure our hearts before him
in whatever our hearts condemn,
for God is greater than our hearts and knows everything.
Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us,
we have confidence in God
and receive from him whatever we ask,
because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.
And his commandment is this:
we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ,
and love one another just as he commanded us.
Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them,
and the way we know that he remains in us
is from the Spirit he gave us.


Gospel
Jn 15:1-8

Jesus said to his disciples:
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.
He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit,
and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.
You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.
Remain in me, as I remain in you.
Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own
unless it remains on the vine,
so neither can you unless you remain in me.
I am the vine, you are the branches.
Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit,
because without me you can do nothing.
Anyone who does not remain in me
will be thrown out like a branch and wither;
people will gather them and throw them into a fire
and they will be burned.
If you remain in me and my words remain in you,
ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.
By this is my Father glorified,
that you bear much fruit and become my disciples."

Reading 1
Acts 9:26-31

When Saul arrived in Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples,
but they were all afraid of him,
not believing that he was a disciple.
Then Barnabas took charge of him and brought him to the apostles,
and he reported to them how he had seen the Lord,
and that he had spoken to him,
and how in Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus.
He moved about freely with them in Jerusalem,
and spoke out boldly in the name of the Lord.
He also spoke and debated with the Hellenists,
but they tried to kill him.
And when the brothers learned of this,
they took him down to Caesarea
and sent him on his way to Tarsus.

The church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria was at peace.
It was being built up and walked in the fear of the Lord,
and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit it grew in numbers


Responsorial Psalm
Ps 22:26-27, 28, 30, 31-32

R. (26a) I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will fulfill my vows before those who fear the LORD.
The lowly shall eat their fill;
they who seek the LORD shall praise him:
"May your hearts live forever!"
R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
All the ends of the earth
shall remember and turn to the LORD;
all the families of the nations
shall bow down before him.
R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
To him alone shall bow down
all who sleep in the earth;
before him shall bend
all who go down into the dust.
R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
And to him my soul shall live;
my descendants shall serve him.
Let the coming generation be told of the LORD
that they may proclaim to a people yet to be born
the justice he has shown.
R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.
or:
R. Alleluia.

"What Are You Wearing?" Mass- Nov 2, 2008

This week is the feast of all souls. And so the theme of the readings revolves around life, death, and baptism. The first reading speaks of how the "just are in the hands of God", which means that we can rest easy knowing that we belong to God and our hope is in God. The 2nd reading speaks of baptism, which is the means by which we are put into the hands of God in the first place. Finally, the gospel tell us that God will give this gift of salvation to anyone who comes to him, because this is why Jesus came to Earth in the first place- to save everyone who comes to him.

In order to keep the commentary reasonably short, the commentary will focus on baptism. You will read here about how we are all wearing "Christ", something that no clothing maker can promise. Commentary follows the 2nd reading. The rest of the readings and the responsorial psalm are after the commentary.


Rom 6:3-9

Brothers and sisters:
Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus
were baptized into his death?
We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death,
so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead
by the glory of the Father,
we too might live in newness of life.

For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his,
we shall also be united with him in the resurrection.
We know that our old self was crucified with him,
so that our sinful body might be done away with,
that we might no longer be in slavery to sin.
For a dead person has been absolved from sin.
If, then, we have died with Christ,
we believe that we shall also live with him.
We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more;
death no longer has power over him.

What is Baptism?

"Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit, and the door which gives access to the other sacraments."5 I always thought that baptism was this cool little party where everyone gets together and the priest pours water on a baby and everyone claps, followed by some congratulations and photos. But baptism is not some meaningless ceremony. It is the foundational, and most important event of our spiritual lives. Our baptismal day is the day when we become God's children.

Paul speaks of "dying and rising" in this reading and of "growing in union" with Jesus through baptism. But what is he talking about? How is that we are baptized into Jesus' death? First of all, let's recall that Baptism is our entrance into the Church. Baptism joins us to Jesus. God saves our souls at baptism and forgives all of our sins.

Yet, without the death of Jesus, there would be no Church to enter. Without Jesus' crucifixion, we cannot experience eternal life, nor can we be joined to Jesus . In other words, Jesus' suffering and death "opened to all men the fountain of baptism".1 Our baptism is rooted in Jesus' suffering and death for us. This is what Paul means by being "baptized into his death". Jesus' death allows us to have baptism. Only through his death are we able to be saved.

Effects of Baptism

In baptism, we are forgiven ALL of our sins. We are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. We are given grace from God the Father, we are given grace through the merits of Jesus' suffering and death, and we are given grace as the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us at baptism. Truly, we become temples of the Holy Spirit2 because the Trinity comes to dwell within us.

In baptism, "the two principal effects are purification from sins and new birth in the Holy Spirit."6 Paul says in this reading that in baptism, we die with Christ and are raised with Christ. This means that in baptism, we are forgiven all of our sins and we die to sin. If Jesus is so good to die on the cross for us, then we join in that death and we say "no" to sin once and forever. This is why at Easter Vigil we remind ourselves of our baptismal promises ("do you reject Satan, sin," etc) and say "no" to sin again and again. We rise with Christ in the sense that if we say no to sin, our lives are different and we are "raised" new persons.

In this reading, Paul talks about living "in newness of life". Here, he is describing this "new birth in the Holy Spirit." A few of the major effects of baptism are:

* forgiveness of sins
* we become new creatures- The Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us. The Holy Spirit helps us to operate under his inspiration, through the gifts of the Holy Spirit.3
* the Holy Spirit enables us to believe in God, hope in God, and to love God.4
* there are other effects as well.


Since we are forgiven our sins, made anew with the presence and help of the holy spirit, and have confidence in Jesus, we will certainly have what it takes to live "in newness of life" as described in this reading. Yet, despite what God has given us, he also gives us the freedom to oppose, refuse, resent, and even renounce what he has given us. So, baptism is a great gift, but we must take good care of what God has given us. Every day, we must declare to God that we are not "slaves of sin".

Seeing God's Grace

So, back to the baptisms we see in church. Because we are measey little humans, we cannot truly see the fullness of God's grace, but we do get a beautiful sneak peak. God wants us to know what he has done for us so we see the following at baptisms:

* The sign of the cross- the baptized person now belongs to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
* The baptismal water- Water springing forth from the ground symbolizes life. We are given life, and that life comes from God.
* Holy Oil-makes known the grace that the person has received from the Holy Spirit
* White garment- symbolizes that the person has "put on Christ" and has been washed clean by the blood of Christ


We must remember that there are spiritual realities that we can only get a glimpse of. For instance, the blood and water that flowed from Jesus are forms of baptism. It is a sign of the spiritual reality of Jesus' sacrifice and the outpouring of grace upon all of mankind. Just the same, we are able to see these things at baptisms, as signs of a spiritual reality that is deep, real, and incredibly beautiful. The next time we attend a baptism, we must remember what God is doing for the baptized and what he has already done for us.

The Eyes of God

So we have an idea of how God sees us. He sees us marked with a sign that we belong to him. He sees us full of life which came from him. He sees us anointed with his grace. He sees us pure and beautiful-wearing the white robe of baptism (which HE bought us : )). THe next time we look at a person lustfully, let's try to see them wearing the beautiful white robe of baptism. The next time we get angry at someone in traffic, let's notice that holy oil upon their heads. We live in a country where almost everyone is baptized. And so, when I am in danger of looking at a woman lustfully, do I really want to stain the white garment that God has clothed her with? When I am angry with someone, do I really want to hurt someone who is anointed with holy oil and full of the Holy Spirit?

What about when I sin in general? Do I want to stain the white garment which God has given me? No I do not. I belong to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I must respect myself. I must not let anything enter my eyes, ears, or mouth which is incompatible with the Holy Spirit which dwells within me.

The first reading says: "The souls of the just are in the hand of God". "they are in peace." ...."because grace and mercy are with his holy ones"

God loves us so much that he has given EVERYTHING to us. Because of his death, we are offered baptism, and we are beautiful baptized children of God. Because of God, we wear white robes and we belong to him forever. The good news gets even better in this week's Gospel. In it, Jesus says "I will not reject anyone who comes to me". God loves us!


1-CCC 1225
2-1 Corinthians 12:13
3-CCC 1266
4-CCC 1266
5-CCC 1213
6-Acts 2:38


Reading 1
Wis 3:1-9

The souls of the just are in the hand of God,
and no torment shall touch them.
They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead;
and their passing away was thought an affliction
and their going forth from us, utter destruction.
But they are in peace.
For if before men, indeed, they be punished,
yet is their hope full of immortality;
chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed,
because God tried them
and found them worthy of himself.
As gold in the furnace, he proved them,
and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself.
In the time of their visitation they shall shine,
and shall dart about as sparks through stubble;
they shall judge nations and rule over peoples,
and the LORD shall be their King forever.
Those who trust in him shall understand truth,
and the faithful shall abide with him in love:
because grace and mercy are with his holy ones,
and his care is with his elect.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6

R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
He guides me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
with your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.

Gospel
Jn 6:37-40

Jesus said to the crowds:
“Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.
And this is the will of the one who sent me,
that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,
but that I should raise it on the last day.
For this is the will of my Father,
that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him
may have eternal life,
and I shall raise him on the last day.”

"There IS a Hell and It's Not Empty!" #21

This weeks' reading speak of judgment, hell, and forgiveness. There is commentary following the 1st Reading AND the Gospel.

Reading 1
Wis 12:13, 16-19

There is no god besides you who have the care of all,
that you need show you have not unjustly condemned.
For your might is the source of justice;
your mastery over all things makes you lenient to all.
For you show your might when the perfection of your power is disbelieved;
and in those who know you, you rebuke temerity.
But though you are master of might, you judge with clemency,
and with much lenience you govern us;
for power, whenever you will, attends you.
And you taught your people, by these deeds,
that those who are just must be kind;
and you gave your children good ground for hope
that you would permit repentance for their sins.


1st Reading and Psalm -The Just Judge

The first reading describes God as lenient and talks about how he judges with lenience. Let's go through an exercise for a moment. Think of 3 really bad sins you have committed. Please do this now.

Example sins just to refresh your memory:

• Renouncing God, cursing God, involvement in other religions, denying your faith
• Sins against your parents
• Abortion, assault
• Sexual sin, adultery, pornography
• Stealing, lying

Right now, think of 3 really bad sins you have committed during your life.

Those sins were terrible weren't they? You probably don't want to commit them any more. Now after committing those sins, did God kill you? Probably not, since you are reading this. We should remember that at any time during our sins, God could have lost patience with us and just erased us from existence or sent us to hell. Yet, he hasn't done this yet. He hasn't done it yet, because he judges with leniency. As this week's Psalm says, God is "slow to anger".

The first reading reminds us that God has taught us by his deeds. God teaches us by example. He gives life to us despite that he has nothing to gain from it, rather he only wishes to share. By God's example of generosity, we know to help the poor man on the street even though we have very little to gain from it. God offers us forgiveness for our sins, and in doing so, he teaches us to forgive our friends, family, and even the biggest enemies of God.

Our Hope, His Loyalty, Our Prayers

The reading goes on to say that we have a reason for hope. Our hope is that we turn away from our sins. What this means is that although God is the almighty judge and he does punish sinfulness, he gives us easy access to hope. We can give up our sins and live in peace and love with him and the entire family of believers. Our hope is that we turn away from our sins and to God instead.

In this week's Psalm, David says that God is "abounding in fidelity". That means that God is loyal. How do we know that he is loyal? Again, we can look at the sins that we committed and the fact that God has not abandoned us. Like a faithful spouse of an faithful spouse, he wants us to remain together forever even though we offended him terribly. His mercy and generosity shows that he IS LOYAL forever.

This Psalm says that God is good and forgiving. David then asks God to hear (hearken) his prayer. Remember that our hope is that we repent (turn away) from our sins. When we do this, we must turn towards the Lord, because he is good and forgiving. Many of us turn to our friends when we screw up instead of God. We ask our friends to hear our stories in hope that they will agree with OUR side of the story. Instead of asking for forgiveness from God, we ask for sympathy from our pals and in doing so, we wallow in our sins and we ARE NOT forgiven. Instead of doing this, let's take our sins to God the way David did and receive the forgiveness that we need and hope in.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 86:5-6, 9-10, 15-16

R. (5a) Lord, you are good and forgiving.
You, O LORD, are good and forgiving,
abounding in kindness to all who call upon you.
Hearken, O LORD, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my pleading.
R. Lord, you are good and forgiving.
All the nations you have made shall come
and worship you, O LORD,
and glorify your name.
For you are great, and you do wondrous deeds;
you alone are God.
R. Lord, you are good and forgiving.
You, O LORD, are a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in kindness and fidelity.
Turn toward me, and have pity on me;
give your strength to your servant.
R. Lord, you are good and forgiving.

Reading II
Rom 8:26-27

Brothers and sisters:
The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness;
for we do not know how to pray as we ought,
but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.
And the one who searches hearts
knows what is the intention of the Spirit,
because he intercedes for the holy ones
according to God's will.

Gospel
Mt 13:24-43 or 13:24-30

Jesus proposed another parable to the crowds, saying:
"The kingdom of heaven may be likened
to a man who sowed good seed in his field.
While everyone was asleep his enemy came
and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off.
When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well.
The slaves of the householder came to him and said,
'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field?
Where have the weeds come from?'
He answered, 'An enemy has done this.'
His slaves said to him,
'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'
He replied, 'No, if you pull up the weeds
you might uproot the wheat along with them.
Let them grow together until harvest;
then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters,
"First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning;
but gather the wheat into my barn."'"

He proposed another parable to them.
"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed
that a person took and sowed in a field.
It is the smallest of all the seeds,
yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants.
It becomes a large bush,
and the 'birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.'"

He spoke to them another parable.
"The kingdom of heaven is like yeast
that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour
until the whole batch was leavened."

All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables.
He spoke to them only in parables,
to fulfill what had been said through the prophet:
I will open my mouth in parables,
I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation
of the world.

Then, dismissing the crowds, he went into the house.
His disciples approached him and said,
"Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field."
He said in reply, "He who sows good seed is the Son of Man,
the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom.
The weeds are the children of the evil one,
and the enemy who sows them is the devil.
The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire,
so will it be at the end of the age.
The Son of Man will send his angels,
and they will collect out of his kingdom
all who cause others to sin and all evildoers.
They will throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
Then the righteous will shine like the sun
in the kingdom of their Father.
Whoever has ears ought to hear."


Judgment

This gospel is VERY simple and straight to the point. In Jesus' parable, the children of the kingdom go to heaven, and the children of the evil one go to hell for eternity. Who are the children of the evil one? Jesus describes them as, "all who cause others to sin, and evildoers". Are we evildoers? Do we cause others to sin? I remember once before, I knew a girl who was using a guy for money. I advised her to get all she could get. I caused her to sin. In another example, a friend of mine advised his buddy that because he is extremely wealthy, he should not have a girlfriend. He then suggested that his buddy could have sex with lots of girls instead of having just one girlfriend.

Some people might say, "people have their own choice". But make no mistake, our friends and family listen to what we say. As an example, do you ever see certain movies because your friends recommend them? Have you ever visited a doctor or dentist because of someone's recommendation? Of course you have. Our words are POWERFUL enough to lead someone to heaven or hell. We should be more careful about what we say to others.

We cause others to sin all of the time, especially our best friends. We tell them to watch terrible television programs. We allow our children to do whatever they want! We sing songs that glorify sin!⁴ The singers of these anti-heaven songs are causing others to sin! According to Jesus, what happens to those who cause others to sin? THEY GO TO HELL!


God the Merciful Judge

We have to remember that as Catholics, we don't believe in just certain passages of the Bible, we believe in the whole thing. The whole message of the Bible indicates that although hell exists, God is merciful. God does not want us to go to hell. He leaves it up to us. Our hope is repentance, just as in the first reading. We believe that God is slow to anger and he is forgiving. Just look at the good thief whom Jesus forgave only moments before the thief's death. This thief admitted to committing a crime that deserved death. In America, almost all men who are executed are killed because they are either murderers or rapists. This thief committed terrible crimes and Jesus forgave him because the thief was sorry for what he had done. Remember that Peter sinned terribly against God by denying that he knew Jesus. Jesus' reaction was to forgive him. It's important to remember that although we CAN choose hell, it's not the choice that God wants for us.

Jesus Warns Us

On MANY occasions, Jesus warned people about the existence of hell and the road that leads to it. Some examples include:

• Matthew 5:22 - "Fiery Gehenna"
• Matthew 5:29 - "Your whole body thrown into Gehenna"
• Matthew 10:28 - "….both body and soul in Gehenna"
• Matthew 13:42 - "They will throw them into the fiery furnace"
• Mark 10: 45: "thrown into Gehenna"
• Matthew 22:15 - "into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth."

Some people argue that God is loving and there is no hell. This argument is completely illogical and totally wrong. Just like the teaching of the Eucharist, the passion, and forgiveness, Jesus repeats his most important teachings. This warning about hell is an important teaching to Jesus and to us as well. In an act of love, Jesus warns his friends of danger. After all, a fake friend will pass his alcoholic friend a drink, while a real friend would knock the drink out of his friend's hands and then warn him about alcoholism. Just the same, Jesus loves us. He did not come to condemn us. He came to save us.²

Hope

In Matthew chapter 20, Jesus tells the parable of the workers in the vineyard. There are complaints when those who showed up at the last minute still got a full day's pay. Part of the message of this parable is this: even though we have all sinned, it is NEVER too late to say sorry to God and to turn away from sin. As David says in the psalm, giving us permission to turn away from sin, is "good ground for hope". Let's put our faith in Jesus, who came to save us.

The Point

• Despite years of sinning, God has not killed us. He wants to forgive us
• God is a generous, lenient judge. We can see this by looking at Jesus' life
• A huge source of hope is that we can turn away from sins and receive forgiveness
• We know that God is loyal because despite all we have done to offend him, he sticks with us to the end.
• We nudge our friends and family towards the path to hell with what we say to them
• Hell exists and God wants to warns us not to choose hell
• It is never too late to turn away from sins. As Catholics we believe that in order to go to hell, we have commit mortal (serious) sin and persist in it until the end.³ So, there is always hope and always an opportunity to be saved all the way until the end of our lives.

Real Life

I have mentioned this incident before, but I would like to tell this story in more detail.

About 6 months ago, I went to a Catholic retreat. There, I saw a priest with a huge beard who gave several talks. I was very intrigued by this man as soon as I saw him. There was something special about him, and I wanted to meet him. So, I waited in a long line for confession and there were 3 priests available to hear confessions. I made sure that I got to see the guy with the huge beard.

When I sat next to him and looked into his eyes, I felt like I was looking at Jesus. It wasn't just because the guy was a priest and he had a beard. As soon as I sat down with this man, I knew that he LOVED ME. I just knew it. It was radiating from his whole being. For a very brief instant, I was a little bit scared, because I felt like he could see my bad spiritual condition. But because of his love, I almost immediately felt total peace and comfort. I felt as though I could tell him anything.

After confessing about 3 really bad sins and telling him that I was ashamed of these sins, he said, "those are pretty big sins". I raised my eyebrow at that surprising comment. He went on to say, "those sins are like drops in the ocean of God's mercy. Listen to me very carefully, God is going to forgive you now for all of the sins you have ever committed. Do you understand I said, "yes". I closed my eyes and felt a light touch on my head. It felt very strange and tingly, so I peaked through my eyes and saw that the priest was not touching me. It was literally the hand of God touching my head! During the absolution it felt as though a mountain was being lifted off of my back. While my eyes were closed, I could see the ocean of mercy that the priest spoke of. It was incredible.

Before the retreat had started, I was hoping that God would speak to me regarding my vocation and the purpose that he had for me for my whole life. Rather than reveal that to me, God granted me forgiveness. It reminded me of the story of the healing of the crippled man in Mark 2:1-12. The man wanted to be healed of his condition. Jesus didn't say to the man, "I heal you in the name of God!" No, rather he said, "your sins are forgiven". He gave the man exactly what he NEEDED, not what he wanted. Just like the crippled man, God gave me EXACTLY what I NEEDED instead of what I wanted, and soon afterwards it was easier for me to walk the path God had for me, just like this crippled man

On this particular occasion with the huge-bearded priest, God gave me exactly what I needed and exactly what he wants to give to all of us. He wants us to have real HOPE that comes through turning away from sin (repentance)

God loves us!

=======================Mass Excitement #21=====================

1- there is no #1 sorry
2 - John 3:17
3 - CCC 1037
4- I was recently at an abortion "clinic" and one of the visitors drove off listening to a popular song called "promiscuous girl" in which the singers celebrate promiscuity.