CCCXLVI – Notes On Hell

More people go there than we are comfortable with.

Not everyone we think is going there will end up there.

Accusing or believing someone is destined for hell is a sin–salvation is always possible for everyone.

A natural outcome of sin is hell–pointing this out is different from accusing someone of being destined for hell.

The Church goes out of its way to not assign anyone the fate of hell, but of all people Judas is the only person the Church may begrudgingly acknowledge might be there.

The path to salvation must be open to all men as long as they live.

For the path to salvation to be open, there must be a real danger of hell.

The danger of hell is caused by sin. The reason we must avoid sin is not only, not merely, because they are bad things, but because if you do them you are going to hell.

A good man who commits one unrepented mortal sin is going to hell. That is a hard truth.

A bad man who repents in the last moment of his life is going to heaven. that is a hard truth too.

The solution to the problem of sin is sacramental confession. Contrition, Repentance, and Resolution. I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you. I’ll never do it again.

Avoiding sin is hard. Obviously. We love sin. We have favorite sins. Sin is easy. Sin demands nothing from us.

Contrition is hard, because it sucks to admit to being wrong.

Repentance is hard because it sucks to do something someone else tells us to do as a consequence for being wrong. It sucks to eat crow.

Resolution is hard because we know we are weak and we know the dog wants to return to its vomit. But we have to really really really do our utmost not to.

Forgiveness is God saying he doesn’t harbor a grudge.

Absolution is God saying He doesn’t remember what we did to offend him anyway.

Purgation is the work we will do to heal our souls in the afterlife.

Mercy is that sacramental confession is available to us as a resource at all.

O Lord, Jesus Christ, Have Mercy Upon Me, A Sinner.

CCCXXI – Meet Them Where They Are

In a comment elsewhere, it occurred to me the way to unravel the phrase that God “meets people where they are“. I have tried to reconcile this phrase with orthodoxy by supposing that it means God speaks to people in the way best suited to them. A bad hallucination might prompt a drug addict to turn to God–an experience in prison might change the heart of a seasoned criminal–unconditional forgiveness might end a generational feud and convert the beneficiary. Drug addiction is not good because God can speak through it, but God speaking is good even if it is done through a hallucination.

But how are we supposed to do this, in an evangelical perspective? How are we supposed to meet people where they are? In the one sense, we ought to, you know, go to the people where they are. Let’s not cloister ourselves in the Church and wait for all the pagans to show up and ask about Jesus. We have to go out. But to relate to a drug addict, must we be drug addicts ourselves?

CCCIX – Reflections on Luke 22:61

I have been reading through a little pocket Bible which includes the New Testament (Gospels, Acts, epistles, Apocalypse) plus Proverbs and Psalms plugged in at the end. It was this project which took me to a closer reading of Matthew earlier, and I have been putting off finishing Luke because the crucifixion is a spiritually and emotionally difficult scripture to read. Today (the day I write this, a little before I publish this article), I got through it, and Luke 22:61 stuck out to me.

And the Lord turning looked on Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, as he had said: Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.

Particularly what struck me was the beginning: “And the Lord turning looked on Peter.” The scene is set where Christ is being judged before the crowd and Peter follows a ways off to watch the proceedings. In my mind, I imagined something like a small stadium or amphitheater where Christ is at the Center and Peter is in the back row, trying to be inconspicuous. And yet, when the crowd turns on Peter and he denies Christ, even from a distance away Christ knows where to look to catch Peter’s eye.

The reason this stuck out to me is because it can be hard to pick out individuals from a crowd. Yet–when you are the one on the field and your parents, your spouse, your children, your friends are the ones in the crowd, cheering you on, you know exactly how to pick them out. You’ll find them even if you don’t know beforehand where they are going to be–to you, the people you love are instantly recognizable, even from a distance, by their silhouette and body movements and clothes. This is true enough to become a trope in movies–little Johnny looking into the stands and drawing inspiration for the climactic final play from his dad who finally showed up to the big game.

Christ knows each and every person in the crowd, personally. He knows their names, the names of their family. He knows where they live, he knows what they do. Of course He does–He created them. But there are few He called His friends, and Peter was one of those gracious few. Christ could name everyone in the mob that accused Him, but Peter He could pick out from the crowd. And when the cock crew, Christ knew what Peter had done, and found him in the crowd, as one can only find ones loved ones, and made eye contact.

I am not so naive as to think I am incapable of the sin of Peter–but I do hope I am capable of the contrition of Peter. When Christ catches my eye in the crowd, will He see a loved one, who gives him strength–or a denier, who disappoints Him in His hour of need?

O Lord, Jesus Christ, have mercy upon me, a sinner.

AMDG

CCCVIII – Course Correction

I’ve written before about how sometimes I like think of God as a bright point on an infinite plane, and we all position ourselves around this point. It helps me visualize the etymology of the word “Convert” which is something like “To turn around”.

Figure 1

I was talking about this idea to Hambone and illustrated a new wrinkle to this idea. In Figure 1, person A and B are at about the same place in their faith life, and have oriented themselves towards God. Person A and Person B have very similar beliefs, but person B is only slightly wrong on a certain doctrinal matter.

Figure 2

This can be a very subtle error, and person A and person B can grow in their faith just fine, each trying to get closer to God. In Figure 2, you can see that they might actually both succeed in getting closer to God.

Despite this, person B still bears a false belief, perhaps borne honestly. Introspection, fraternal correction, or otherwise some force is required to encourage person B to correct course. Person A remains aligned towards God, and so gets closer to Him. Person B is close but is aligned just a little bit away–if they persevere in this error, they will find themselves in the position of Figure 3.

Figure 3

In Figure 3, we can see that Person A is as close as possible to God but person B has maintained course and is now facing away from God. Person A and Person B started at the same point, but Person B was only off by a little bit. Now person B needs to convert and turn back towards God, their small, minor error becoming magnified by time and habit into a major falsehood.

This is why Heresies through the ages have been so effective. They very much resemble truth, and seem sensible. When followed through to their conclusion, they can only lead people away from God. It takes a constant effort of correction and evaluation to make sure one is still as closely aligned with God as possible. The trial of faith is one that takes our whole lives, unless God gives us a choice to face the trial of a lifetime all at once.

This is a hard teaching, even for me. This post is not so much an admonishment as a reminder to myself that the work of faith is never complete–sin and error are constant dangers.

AMDG

CCCVII – Harsh Doctrines

A harsh doctrine practiced with kindness: this is not a formula for hypocrisy, but the secret of all ancient, rich, and mature civilizations.
-Nicolás Gómez Dávila (Don Colacho)

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48 I am the bread of life. (…) 52 If any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever; and the bread that I will give, is my flesh, for the life of the world.

53 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying: How can this man give us his flesh to eat?

54 Then Jesus said to them: Amen, amen I say unto you: Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you. 55 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life: and I will raise him up in the last day. 56 For my flesh is meat indeed: and my blood is drink indeed.(…) 59 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead. He that eateth this bread, shall live for ever.

60 These things he said, teaching in the synagogue, in Capharnaum. 61 Many therefore of his disciples, hearing it, said: This saying is hard, and who can hear it?

62 But Jesus, knowing in himself, that his disciples murmured at this, said to them: Doth this scandalize you? (…) 64 It is the spirit that quickeneth: the flesh profiteth nothing. The words that I have spoken to you, are spirit and life. 65 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning, who they were that did not believe, and who he was, that would betray him. 66 And he said: Therefore did I say to you, that no man can come to me, unless it be given him by my Father.

67 After this many of his disciples went back; and walked no more with him.
– John 6:48-67

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18:20 And the Lord said: The cry of Sodom and Gomorrha is multiplied, and their sin is become exceedingly grievous. 22 (…) but Abraham as yet stood before the Lord. 23 And drawing nigh he said: Wilt thou destroy the just with the wicked? 24 If there be fifty just men in the city, shall they perish withal? and wilt thou not spare that place for the sake of the fifty just, if they be therein?

(…) 26 And the Lord said to him: If I find in Sodom fifty just within the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.

(…) 31 Seeing, saith he, I have once begun, I will speak to my Lord. What if twenty be found there? He said: I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.

32 I beseech thee, saith he, be not angry, Lord, if I speak yet once more: What if ten should be found there? And he said: I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.

19:24 And the Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrha brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven. 25 And he destroyed these cities, and all the country about, all the inhabitants of the cities, and all things that spring from the earth. 27 And Abraham got up early in the morning and in the place where he had stood before with the Lord, 28 He looked towards Sodom and Gomorrha, and the whole land of that country: and he saw the ashes rise up from the earth as the smoke of a furnace.

29 Now when God destroyed the cities of that country, remembering Abraham, he delivered Lot out of the destruction of the cities wherein he had dwelt.
–Genesis 18:20 to 19:29

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7 But increase you and multiply, and go upon the earth, and fill it.

8 Thus also said God to Noe, and to his sons with him, 9 Behold I will establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you: 10 And with every living soul that is with you, as well in all birds as in cattle and beasts of the earth, that are come forth out of the ark, and in all the beasts of the earth. 11 I will establish my covenant with you, and all flesh shall be no more destroyed with the waters of a flood, neither shall there be from henceforth a flood to waste the earth. 12 And God said: This is the sign of the covenant which I give between me and you, and to every living soul that is with you, for perpetual generations. 13 I will set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be the sign of a covenant between me, and between the earth. 14 And when I shall cover the sky with clouds, my bow shall appear in the clouds: 15 And I will remember my covenant with you, and with every living soul that beareth flesh: and there shall no more be waters of a flood to destroy all flesh.
–Genesis 9:7-15

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14. Certainly many remarkable authors, adherents of the true philosophy, have taken pains to attack and crush this strange view. But the matter is so self-evident that it is superfluous to give additional arguments. It is impossible for the most true God, who is Truth Itself, the best, the wisest Provider, and the Rewarder of good men, to approve all sects who profess false teachings which are often inconsistent with one another and contradictory, and to confer eternal rewards on their members. For we have a surer word of the prophet, and in writing to you We speak wisdom among the perfect; not the wisdom of this world but the wisdom of God in a mystery. By it we are taught, and by divine faith we hold one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and that no other name under heaven is given to men except the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth in which we must be saved. This is why we profess that there is no salvation outside the Church.
–Ubi Primum, Pope Leo XII, 1824

AMDG

(Previously)

(r) – I’m Not Going To Write About Ukraine Anymore

I’ve had a nice flurry of posts but I have to remember that I am a peasant and have no influence over this. It’s sucked me in to reading the news again, which is something I don’t enjoy and doesn’t help me get to heaven. Yes the world is messed up; yes the headlines make me think of snappy one-liners and hot takes; fundamentally we all have to get through the day and find a way to love God in the process, whatever circumstances He sends us. I wrote a while ago that we shouldn’t live as if each day were our last day but rather we should live as if each day were our only day. We have been deployed to the Earth for 24 hours and have whatever circumstances we have. How can we make the most of it and report back to base what we have done? For me, reading news about Ukraine is not helping me.

So these will be my parting snappy one-liners about the Ukraine situation, and then I’m done.

President Biden Claps For Ukraine – Still refuses to consider no fly zone.
Prime Minister Johnson Claps for Ukraine – Still not sending troops.
Human Rights Council Claps for Ukraine – Still not doing anything.
Corporations Need Diplomats – When Apple can execute an embargo on Russia independent of the United States, something is wrong.
Who Cares About Sports – Various sports leagues are forcing Russia to compete as neutral. Meanwhile, Russia is bombing the heck out of Kharkov. One of these things is an act of war, one of these things is not.
Using Children As Political Pawns Is Wrong – Children were arrested in Russia for holding anti-war signage; Ukrainian highschool kids posted videos asking for the world to stop the war. Using children in this way is wrong.
Globalism Is Dead – Isn’t it funny how quickly the nations and companies of the world can act to isolate a rogue actor? Peer pressure at its finest. “Join us or die”. We are forcing Russia to be stronger by forcing them to be self reliant.

That’s it. I commend to God the fate of the conflict and I resolve to not get invested in the outcome. God’s will be done.

For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us, and on the whole world.

AMDG

CCXCIII – Joel Osteen and the BLA: A Study in Contrasts

This morning I went to Mass at a different parish than I usually attend, and was met during the homily by the same homily every mass at every parish around the diocese received today, and that is the Bishop’s Lenten Appeal (BLA). The last several weeks have been spent professing the virtues of the BLA but this week we received the step by step instructions on how to fill out the form and make a pledge.

I am a certified curmudgeon, and I have always been a little uncomfortable with how the Church executes this maneuver. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with the BLA, but something about asking for money from the pulpit feels off. It is worth noting that the Bishop is well within his authority to do this, and that supporting the BLA is a good and noble thing, and the Bishop is not requiring participation but encouraging, so the duty of obedience only extends as far as tolerating the pitch during a few Masses out of the year. If I was master of all things, I would simply say that 5 Sundays of the year–ten percent of a 52 week year–the weekly collection goes straight to the Diocese. But maybe that tells you how little wisdom I have and how blessed we are that I am not master of all things. I simply prefer the Bishop would issue commands as commands, and this busking from the pulpit feels like an underutilization of the Bishop’s lawful authority.

To the credit of this parish I attended, the choir is one of the most beautiful I have heard around the diocese, perhaps even taking the first prize. The most beautiful piece of singing I have heard was a single organist singing and playing Schubert’s Ave Maria on All Souls Day three years ago, and it moved me to tears I am not ashamed to admit. It doesn’t take much to be beautiful, and sometimes simplicity does the trick.

After Mass I went straight to the Barber because I haven’t had a haircut since before Christmas and I was beginning to look like an abandoned sheep found in the wilderness. Blessedly, I arrived just as “Meet the Press” was ending and, unfortunately, I arrived just as Joel Osteen’s television ministry was beginning. Thanks to the diligent work of my barber, I could not hear anything that Joel Osteen was saying, but I did pay attention to what message he was sending visually.

Before I elaborate, I want to point out why this is important. Communication is more than just the things we say. Everything about how we present the message, when we present the message, and where we present the message is important. As it happens, this ties in well with todays readings at Mass. I don’t watch a lot of TV these days, but when I did I used to think sometimes about how I would evaluate an advertisement if I was the president of an ad agency. I think the first thing I would do is watch the ad with the volume muted, to see what message I get without hearing what is said. Communicating your message visually is half of the battle, especially in advertising.

I have a half remembered anecdote from my undergraduate education. There was a marketing conference–for some reason my memory says “it was in Spain” but that’s not really relevant. During the conference, an ad was shown highlighting a new product–a sweet beverage. The ad said a lot of things about it’s nutritional benefits and how it’s part of a complete breakfast or something like that. But the ad displayed a child drinking the product. Before the conference was over, orders for the product were being called in at a high volume–the ad didn’t say anything new, but what it showed was that the sweet beverage was a children’s product, and that was an innovation at the time. They had opened a new front in the brand wars–the child market for sweet beverages.

So Joel Osteen. I was watching (and not listening) his program while I was getting my hair cut and seeing what I could absorb. First thing I noticed: There was not a single Cross on display anywhere in the program. Not behind him, not on the Bible he held up, not anywhere in the football-stadium crowd of people when they panned over the audience. Not a single cross anywhere. The name Joel Osteen was visible on the TV Screen many times–every 5 seconds there would be a blurb on the bottom of the screen, “Buy this book! Pre-order that book! Subscribe to social media! Listen to the Podcast! Contribute now, call this number!”

The Joel Osteen program exists to serve Joel Osteen. I thought about–well, there is a football stadium full of Christians, can that be so bad? The answer is that I can’t say–not that I don’t have an opinion, but that it’s not for me to say. God may be working on the hearts of some people in that stadium–and certainly, a friend of Christ is a friend of mine. But do they understand properly? Isn’t protestantism heresy?

The contrast just stuck with me today. The BLA, while discomfiting to me, is at least executed in the context of worshiping and honoring God, and providing almsgiving to the Diocese so the Diocese can serve those in need. Joel Osteen, it is hard to say his program is even Christian–where is the Cross??? Why would that be missing? Was that an oversight? Was it not important? And it’s hard to say any contributions made goes to anyone other than Joel Osteen.

Let’s pray for those sheep following false shepherds, and let’s pray that we find in our hearts to give alms to those in our lives who are in need.

AMDG

CCXC – Scriptural Forgiveness

The Gospel this past Sunday was Luke 6:27-38. Something clicked in my mind about how Christ talks about forgiveness. In the Our Father, we ask God to forgive us as we have been forgiven. In this scripture, Christ says “Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

This called to mind a recurring image that comes whenever I think of our particular judgement: Myself, small and insignificant, before Christ on the seat of judgement, with Mary standing behind him, her hand on his shoulder. Thinking of our souls being laid bare before a perfect judge makes me imagine being spiritually vivisected–Christ reviewing every moment of my life, looking up occasionally, maybe taking a note here and there.

When I think about this, I tend to get defensive. I imagine myself trying to explain to Christ like Adam and Eve did–I imagine myself making excuses. Christ, of course, knows all the exculpatory evidence and also much more damning evidence than I’m sure I realize exists.

The excuses don’t matter, though. As I forgive, so shall I be forgiven. If I extend to others the mercy of God through forgiveness, God will extend His mercy to me.

It would feel easy if it weren’t so hard. Forgiveness is one of the more challenging–in a subtle way–doctrines of the Church. But it’s something we can keep in our tool-chest to help prepare ourselves to meet our creator. Probably the best “get out of jail free” cards we have is recourse to Our Blessed Mother. Second best is this.

So if you are worried about your soul and want Christ to listen to your excuses, contemplate forgiveness, and how you can be more forgiving. It might sound easy until you start trying to do it.

AMDG

CCLXXXI – Matthew 24

Please go read Matthew 24 before reading this article. I’ve mentioned it twice and it’s really stuck in my brain.

It is a very visual passage. I do not have a theology degree, and surely some of this chapter is a discussion of what Christ is immediately about to experience, but there is surely some description of the End here.

And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven shall be moved: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all tribes of the earth mourn: and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with much power and majesty. And he shall send his angels with a trumpet, and a great voice: and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the farthest parts of the heavens to the utmost bounds of them. And from the fig tree learn a parable: When the branch thereof is now tender, and the leaves come forth, you know that summer is nigh. So you also, when you shall see all these things, know ye that it is nigh, even at the doors.

Matthew 24:29-33

This makes me think that Christ will be seen approaching from the Heavens, and the stars will fall from the sky–I imagine a great swirling cloud in space and time shrouding the stars as the angels announce the coming of the Creator to take his seat here on Earth. So there will be a period of time between seeing these signs and his actual arrival–keep lots of oil handy for your lamps!

The part that really rocked my world is this:

But of that day and hour no one knoweth, not the angels of heaven, but the Father alone. And as in the days of Noe, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, even till that day in which Noe entered into the ark, And they knew not till the flood came, and took them all away; so also shall the coming of the Son of man be.

Matthew 24:36-39

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the Flood. Part of the reason for this is the seeming violence of it: What if there were innocent babies? What if there were righteous people in some far flung reach of the world? The only way I could square it is in this way: The innocents would go to heaven regardless, the rest must have deserved it. It must truly have been a wicked generation.

Looking around it is easy to imagine that same situation. The really shocking thing to me was this bit: The wicked generation was eating, drinking, and getting married even up until the rain started. A flooding rain is not exactly a subtle thing–yet Christ’s return will be like this. The stars falling from the sky, or rolling up like a scroll–is that subtle? Yet for a wicked generation, perhaps it will be too subtle. Christ himself fulfilled all the prophesies and still some didn’t believe. Christ rose from the dead and some still didn’t believe.

But let’s not let the thought of the Last Day bring us down. It is important to end on a hopeful note! Christ gave us the sacraments so that we can work out our salvation all the time. We are never far from it. All this talk of the End is just a reminder that we should take care of our souls with urgency, with frequent recourse to Reconciliation and Eucharist. And if anything, Christ coming is a joyful event–the trials and tribulations of this world, all the nonsense, all the incoherence, everything that ever vexed us about the world and any suffering that was ever incomprehensible to us–it will pass away, and be glorified and resurrected.

And God willing, we will get to be there to see it all, and glorify God in his glorified and resurrected creation, his Kingdom.

AMDG

(m) – Win by an Inch or a Mile

It is better to accidentally get to Heaven than with determination and focus march purposefully into hell.

I was thinking this the other day during a bout of worry about my soul, brought on by my musings on Matthew 24. I realized that worrying about one’s soul is a good sign. How many people don’t worry about their souls and hope for the best? It is worry that helps us to make sure our lamp is trimmed and the narrow path is beneath us. This, I believe, is what it means to figure out our salvation with fear and trembling.

I hope to see you all there, in Heaven, someday, and we can laugh about how much we worried, and pray for those souls still worrying on Earth.

AMDG