I’d like to point out what the Virgin herself said of God and His Mercy at the Annunciation. She said, “And His mercy is from generation to generations, TO THEM THAT FEAR HIM.” God’s mercy is infinite and its depths can not be plumbed. However, because mercy is, by definition, grief at the distress of evils experienced by another, both undeserved and deserved, if a person does not find the evil they are experiencing repugnant, but rather actively wills that the evil continue, refuses to acknowledge the evil they have committed, and even luxuriate in it and demand that others NOT grieve but rather ratify and celebrate the evil, that person is completely INELIGIBLE for mercy. To not grieve at the sin of another, but rather ignore it, ratify it, or celebrate it, is itself grave sin, the diametrical opposite of Charity – indifference. To paint indifference as mercy is nothing less than diabolical. If you are not sorry for your sin, if you are not ashamed, if you have no intention of trying to cease the evil, sinful activity, then God simply cannot extend His mercy to you, because He holds your free will sacred. Sins are those behavioral choices that, for lack of a better term, break God’s Heart. The Law is simply God, in His unfathomable love for us, telling us explicitly what we must do and not do in order to not break His Heart. Filial Fear of the Lord is not wanting to break God’s Heart. People who knowingly sin with no sorrow, no guilt, no shame and no intention of stopping have no filial fear of God, and may even be guilty of the worst sin there is: Presuming upon His Mercy – that is, sinning boldly without compunction because “Christ HAS to forgive me, so I might as well do whatever I want. If He wants to hang on the Cross and take my sins, I’ll do what I damn-well please, and then hold Him to the contract.” This is the essence and pinnacle of psychopathy. -Ann Barnhardt
It could be for everyone that accepts God's mercy as you say but we already know this sadly is not the case: Mathew 7: [7] Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you. [8] For every one that asketh, receiveth: and he that seeketh, findeth: and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened. [9] Or what man is there among you, of whom if his son shall ask bread, will he reach him a stone? [10] Or if he shall ask him a fish, will he reach him a serpent? [11] If you then being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children: how much more will your Father who is in heaven, give good things to them that ask him? [12] All things therefore whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do you also to them. For this is the law and the prophets. [13] Enter ye in at the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there are who go in thereat. [14] How narrow is the gate, and strait is the way that leadeth to life: and few there are that find it!
How backwards our world has become. People NOW believe broad is the way to heaven and most go there; narrow is the way to hell and few go there.
In fact I think most, 'Christians', sadly no longer believe in hell. When was the last time you heard a sermon on hell, or even where hell was mentioned, even in passing?
Hi Little Me, Now I don't want to come across as a pedant but mercy is not "by definition, grief at the distress of evils experienced by another". That would be pity. God's mercy I would think is inseparable from his love and justice. That person is merciful who has it within his power to punish those deserving punishment but relents out of love/compassion/pity etc for those who are contrite of heart. On the other hand punishment itself can be an act of mercy. It is always however bound up with God's justice and love. His mercy is truly unfathomable. I think that just as we can say that Christ merits salvation for the human race by His death on the cross and His resurrection unto life everlasting thus too can we say that God's mercy is without limit but one must be humble enough to seek it out and to ask for it. God will not be outdone in generosity.
In my unlearned opinion we should NEVER assume any soul is lost! My favorite Devotion is that of The Divine Mercy and the message that Jesus reaches out to every soul at the moment of death ... repeatedly to the recalcitrant ... and why, for centuries, we pray for the dead! JESUS! PLEASE SAVE ALL HUMANITY LIVING AND DEAD. AMEN!!!
Mercy for everyone? Nope. This is why Our Lady said more souls go to hell because no one prays for them. I don't know why God demands this and how exactly it saves a soul. I just know he extends His Mercy when we ask on behalf of another. It will be so wonderful when we are finally shown God's plan and all the intricacies and how they work. I can't wait to go "Oh! Now I see!". Presuming purgatory is not too long! God Bless!
Heaven and Hell My favorite topic. You can't have one without the other. And because God the Father is all Just (Divine Justice). He cannot allow everyone to go to heaven. Even-though He sent His only Son to bridge the gap. Divine Justice cannot allow everyone to enter the kingdom of God. Each individual soul must make a choice to be with or without God. Conversion is always possible and Gods divine mercy enters into the equation. But the soul needs to make a human effort to follow Our Lord Jesus Christ. While some souls find Gods will and follow the path. Some souls are so dark and lost they reject God and His Divine mercy. The soul has two choices... to follow the path or get lost in the dark. Each journey leads you to Heaven or Hell. May Gods Will be Done
I think you cannot go to hell without effectively having spat in the face of God. This is not an easy thing to do, I think , since in order to spit in His Face you must look straight into it . So you are right Jimmy it is hard to believe that anyone might do such a thing. Sst Paul speaks of a 'Mystery of iniquity' and it is really a mystery, I am not going to try and pretend to understand it or claim I can explain it. However one thing I have noticed about pure and unadulterated evil (and we have to be guity of this to qualify for hell) is that at the end of the day it has a certin glamour. By glamour evilness for evilness sake, pure evil to stand up to God and to go into full Eternal Rebellion does have a glamour ,an attraction. I just don't know how to explain it otherwise. But I felt it strongly myself. I think , just as we have a path to follow in order to get to heaven so there is a raod we must follow in order to get to hell. Or to put it another way we ave to work at being evil to reach the point we can spit in God's face. That in a sense just as people can struggle to become siants in a good sense, so people can struggle to become 'Black saints'. I think judas was a bit like that. A black saint. He had both Mary and jesus as his living teachers and examples yet turned his back on them. Now that is pure , pure evil. I think that is what biblical scholars do not understand when tehy try to understand Judas, that judas had reached a point of pure evil where evil for evil's sake, th glamour of the thing was what drew him. If you look at others liek, say Joe stalin , Adolph Hitler of Mao Tse tung. They had given themselves to evil heart and soul. They were so evil they rejoiced in evil for the sake of evil itself. It is hard to explain to anyone who has never felt this draw, theis glamour.
Pride was the cause of lucifer's fall and condemnation , demons don't understand God's love and mercy. Because there is not a single drop of love in their existence, they just can't ask for forgiveness. A soul walking in sin becomes like a demon, same characteristics, same sentiments, a proud soul will not accept his weakness at the end of his life, this soul will be so far away to the light that after seeing his life's review he will rejects God's mercy, will not believe that he can be forgiven, and he might think it was all God's fault. I think rejecting God's love and mercy is the sin against the Holy Spirit that can't be forgiven. Yes, we're saved by grace , sin can't stop God's mercy, but when the light shines upon you, your soul will be exposed and whatever you have in your heart at that moment will turn agaist you. Free will, my desicion.
Not sure if this fits in this thread, but I read it and it resonated with me as a CCD teacher. It's sad and I think this good priest is onto the right questions I just don't know the answers. It's interesting in that I had a conversation recently with the Deacon in my parish on this subject. I think I shocked him when I said, we should scrap the entire CCD program. I felt it was useless to try and reach the kids when the parents themselves are not catechized. I would rather see us go after that group and then start all over. I know, probably not realistic - they don't come to Sunday Mass, do how would yiu get them to come to adult CCD? It's like the priest said - just sad. http://www.aleteia.org/en/religion/...s-from-their-children-5889249563901952?page=2
I was taught ,every time we commit a venial sin ,we slap Our Lords face. Every mortal sin we crucify Him. This is true?
The Scripture I was taught for understanidng a mortal sin comes from St John (who distinguishes between a Mortal Sin and a venial sin; "If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly, he should pray to God and he will give him life. This is only for those whose sin is not deadly. There is such a thing as deadly sin, about which I do not say that you should pray. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly." (1 John 5:16-17). I was taught that a Mortal sin is the killing off of God's life in the soul. So I would say that to say, 'Every mortal sin we crucify Him' is not a bad way of puting it. http://www.saintaquinas.com/mortal_sin.html I think sometimes we Catholics think of things as a Mortal sin that are not really and sometimes confuse that which is mortal to being venial. The reason why is that, I suspect we have too mechanistic a view of God's working in our souls. Looking at it like a couple that are married is not a bad way, I think. all couples have rows, you look at that as venial. But if tjhey stop ptalking for a long epriod of time,say several years that is mortal to the relationship. In other words the relationship has broken down. I think a person who thinks he is going back time after time to tell a 'mortal sin' over and over is not being realistic about what a mortal sin is.
