While hell is a real place, Our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ did not suffer and die on the cross because He wants you to go there. He wants all of us to be with Him in heaven. We have seen the unspeakable horror which is hell and one might ask, "How do I avoid hell?" It is really not that difficult: repent, make good and frequent confessions, keep the sacraments and follow the teachings of the Church.
Of course, many of us do not want to give up our sins. A big one is sex. What a stumbling block for so many people. I'm not referring to the occasional lapse but to those who say emphatically that they will not give up illicit sex. Is it worth it to burn in hell?
Or, who thinks they can sin and they'll just go to confession later on so they can go to heaven? I think of the people who die unexpectedly every day. So many never have the chance to make things right with God. Surely, you do not want to be one of those people, do you?
Is it easy to remain in a state of grace? No, it is not which is why we were given the wonderful sacrament of confession. No matter how many times we fall, Jesus is ready to pick us up again. But we do have to make the effort as we were given a free will.
Heaven or hell: it's up to you.
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Sunday, December 06, 2009
Hell
I've been thinking about hell lately. I don't think a lot of people take the concept of hell seriously. I hear all the time, "Oh well, I guess I will burn in hell" but they really don't think they will.
Unfortunately, if you die in a state of mortal sin, you will burn in hell forever. Can you fathom that? For all eternity?
Yes, hell is a real place and it isn't a nice place. Here is a description from Sr. Lucia, one of the children who saw the Blessed Mother at Fatima:
"She opened Her hands once more, as She had done the two previous months. The rays [of light] appeared to penetrate the earth, and we saw, as it were, a vast sea of fire. Plunged in this fire, we saw the demons and the souls [of the damned]. The latter were like transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze, having human forms. They were floating about in that conflagration, now raised into the air by the flames which issued from within themselves, together with great clouds of smoke. Now they fell back on every side like sparks in huge fires, without weight or equilibrium, amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair, which horrified us and made us tremble with fright (it must have been this sight which caused me to cry out, as people say they heard me). The demons were distinguished [from the souls of the damned] by their terrifying and repellent likeness to frightful and unknown animals, black and transparent like burning coals."
I don't know about you but this doesn't sound like Club Med to me. Frankly, it scares me. Just thinking about this helps to keep me on the straight and narrow. What is that you say? Jesus loves us and won't send us to hell? Oh, really? Think again, my friends, think again.
Unfortunately, if you die in a state of mortal sin, you will burn in hell forever. Can you fathom that? For all eternity?
Yes, hell is a real place and it isn't a nice place. Here is a description from Sr. Lucia, one of the children who saw the Blessed Mother at Fatima:
"She opened Her hands once more, as She had done the two previous months. The rays [of light] appeared to penetrate the earth, and we saw, as it were, a vast sea of fire. Plunged in this fire, we saw the demons and the souls [of the damned]. The latter were like transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze, having human forms. They were floating about in that conflagration, now raised into the air by the flames which issued from within themselves, together with great clouds of smoke. Now they fell back on every side like sparks in huge fires, without weight or equilibrium, amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair, which horrified us and made us tremble with fright (it must have been this sight which caused me to cry out, as people say they heard me). The demons were distinguished [from the souls of the damned] by their terrifying and repellent likeness to frightful and unknown animals, black and transparent like burning coals."
I don't know about you but this doesn't sound like Club Med to me. Frankly, it scares me. Just thinking about this helps to keep me on the straight and narrow. What is that you say? Jesus loves us and won't send us to hell? Oh, really? Think again, my friends, think again.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Sh! Don't Tell Macy's
Last week I bought something in Macy's and I got this very nice shopping bag with the words "1,000,000 Reasons to Believe" printed on it. Believe is written much large and in a fancy script. Of course, they are not referring to the birth of Christ but actually it's about believing in Santa Claus, if you can imagine that.
Well, no matter. I just made a little flyer on which I put "Jesus is the Reason for the Season" with a picture of the Nativity. I made it just the right size so it fits nicely on the bag and put one on each side. When I go shopping, I'll carry the bag around with me. I wonder what kind of reaction I would get if I went into Macy's?
Well, no matter. I just made a little flyer on which I put "Jesus is the Reason for the Season" with a picture of the Nativity. I made it just the right size so it fits nicely on the bag and put one on each side. When I go shopping, I'll carry the bag around with me. I wonder what kind of reaction I would get if I went into Macy's?
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Celebrate Every Day
One thing I love about being a Roman Catholic is that every day we have something to celebrate. By celebrate I mean to remember and honor some event or someone notable in church history. I have to admit that I am learning about a lot of these feasts now. I am not sure why my religious education did not talk much about them unless they did and it just didn't sink in.
Today, we celebrated the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Mother. Almost every day on my religious calendar there is a saint to honor. I like to see whose feast day it is and say a little prayer to them. If it is a saint with whom I am not familiar, I try to learn about them.
While some days are solemn and serious such as Holy Thursday and Good Friday, there are many others which are joyous. Almost everyone in the world celebrates Christmas whether they are believers or not such is the great joy associated with the memorial of Christ's birth. And what about Easter!!! Christ rises from the dead and now we know that we can have life forever. How can you top that?
Let's not give the Holy Spirit short shrift either. Pentecost is the birthday of the church. Advent starts our liturgical year next Sunday. I could go on for hundreds of words.
Why does the Church encourage us to recognize all these days? To keep us focused on our faith and the hope it gives us. We remember that this is just our temporary home until we go to our eternal reward.
Today, we celebrated the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Mother. Almost every day on my religious calendar there is a saint to honor. I like to see whose feast day it is and say a little prayer to them. If it is a saint with whom I am not familiar, I try to learn about them.
While some days are solemn and serious such as Holy Thursday and Good Friday, there are many others which are joyous. Almost everyone in the world celebrates Christmas whether they are believers or not such is the great joy associated with the memorial of Christ's birth. And what about Easter!!! Christ rises from the dead and now we know that we can have life forever. How can you top that?
Let's not give the Holy Spirit short shrift either. Pentecost is the birthday of the church. Advent starts our liturgical year next Sunday. I could go on for hundreds of words.
Why does the Church encourage us to recognize all these days? To keep us focused on our faith and the hope it gives us. We remember that this is just our temporary home until we go to our eternal reward.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Bishops & Healthcare
I understand that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is supporting healthcare reform as long as it does not contain and provisions contrary to our faith. I am a bit confused about this.
Anyone who knows anything about communism knows that the goal of the communist is for the state to replace the Church. In supporting a form of universal healthcare run by the government, the bishops are turning the work of the church over to the government. It is our duty as Christians to take care of the sick and the poor. Indeed, the Catholic Church has more hospitals, schools and other programs than any other private institution (private meaning not run by the state). Is the Church now willing to abdicate its role in these matters?
I believe this is very harmful. As more and more people become secularists, this will reinforce their belief that faith is not necessary. Who needs a religious entity when the state does it all? This, in turn, erodes our freedom.
Communism was not successful in Soviet Russia. Why would anyone think it would work here? I really question what the USCCB is thinking.
Anyone who knows anything about communism knows that the goal of the communist is for the state to replace the Church. In supporting a form of universal healthcare run by the government, the bishops are turning the work of the church over to the government. It is our duty as Christians to take care of the sick and the poor. Indeed, the Catholic Church has more hospitals, schools and other programs than any other private institution (private meaning not run by the state). Is the Church now willing to abdicate its role in these matters?
I believe this is very harmful. As more and more people become secularists, this will reinforce their belief that faith is not necessary. Who needs a religious entity when the state does it all? This, in turn, erodes our freedom.
Communism was not successful in Soviet Russia. Why would anyone think it would work here? I really question what the USCCB is thinking.
Sunday, November 01, 2009
On Being A Met Fan
Yesterday morning, radio personality Mark Simone was poking fun at Met fans. He was asking why we would root for the Mets when the "greatest franchise in baseball history" was here. He even mocked our anthem, "Meet the Mets".
That started me to thinking. Why the Mets and why not the Yankees?
The Mets had very humble beginnings. They were an expansion team who got the dregs of the other teams. The 1962 Mets lost 120 games and they were beyond bad. But what did they have? They had heart.
I think people were drawn to them because they were just regular folks not the vaunted "lords of the manor" Yankees. They were fun. I don't think anyone brought banners to games until Met fans started this practice. As a matter of fact, the Yankees banned banners for quite a while because they didn't want to be looked on as "common" like those lowly Mets. But banners were so important to Met fans that there was even the annual Banner Day which gave the fans a chance to show their love for the team and have fun.
Fun. That might be the key word. The Mets were just fun. The Yankees were serious business. The Mets bonded with their fans while the Yankees expected worship from their fans. Going to a Met game was like going to your corner bar while a Yankee games was dinner at a fancy restaurant where you'd better not use the wrong fork.
Fans could relate to the Mets and fell in love. Win or lose, they were always interesting. Even this past horror of a season had interesting games here and there. Plus, there was always the excitement of seeing if the Mets could get through a game without a player getting hurt.
Being a Met fan builds character. Life is not a bowl of cherries and being a Met fan helps you to learn to deal with adversity. I often say when something does not go my way, "That's okay. I'm used to disappointment; I'm a Met fan" and I get on with my life.
Yes, the Mets have only won the World Series twice but what exciting seasons they were! They were not the robotic wins that the Yankees produce. Every game holds the possibility of new thrills and/or disappointment. When they do win, man, how sweet it is!
That started me to thinking. Why the Mets and why not the Yankees?
The Mets had very humble beginnings. They were an expansion team who got the dregs of the other teams. The 1962 Mets lost 120 games and they were beyond bad. But what did they have? They had heart.
I think people were drawn to them because they were just regular folks not the vaunted "lords of the manor" Yankees. They were fun. I don't think anyone brought banners to games until Met fans started this practice. As a matter of fact, the Yankees banned banners for quite a while because they didn't want to be looked on as "common" like those lowly Mets. But banners were so important to Met fans that there was even the annual Banner Day which gave the fans a chance to show their love for the team and have fun.
Fun. That might be the key word. The Mets were just fun. The Yankees were serious business. The Mets bonded with their fans while the Yankees expected worship from their fans. Going to a Met game was like going to your corner bar while a Yankee games was dinner at a fancy restaurant where you'd better not use the wrong fork.
Fans could relate to the Mets and fell in love. Win or lose, they were always interesting. Even this past horror of a season had interesting games here and there. Plus, there was always the excitement of seeing if the Mets could get through a game without a player getting hurt.
Being a Met fan builds character. Life is not a bowl of cherries and being a Met fan helps you to learn to deal with adversity. I often say when something does not go my way, "That's okay. I'm used to disappointment; I'm a Met fan" and I get on with my life.
Yes, the Mets have only won the World Series twice but what exciting seasons they were! They were not the robotic wins that the Yankees produce. Every game holds the possibility of new thrills and/or disappointment. When they do win, man, how sweet it is!
Monday, October 26, 2009
Today's Excitement
Several months ago, I was driving down the NJ Turnpike and I saw an old cement truck on fire. "That was exciting", I thought to myself. That served as an inspiration to start a daily email "Today's Excitement". I find something quirky, or sometimes actually exciting, about the day and send it to friends and family. And to make it a bit more interesting, I add little comments in my signature to keep everyone on their toes. One time I wrote, "I wonder how many people delete this email without reading it" and one of my brothers replied, "I do".
I really started this as a joke and to annoy certain people who always forward emails over and over again. Well, now the joke is on me because people actually enjoy getting this email and look forward to it! I've only had one person ask to be removed from the copy list and I think it goes to about 50 recipients.
I was telling my son this story about how this person came to be added to the copy list. He laughed and said that one day I would be quoted on some big website. So, I decided that I want Matt Drudge to notice me and add me to his website. You know, down on the bottom where he lists all the columnists. It will simply be called "Mary's Excitement" and anyone in the world would be able to click on it and see my "excitement".
Might even get me the Nobel Peace Prize.
I really started this as a joke and to annoy certain people who always forward emails over and over again. Well, now the joke is on me because people actually enjoy getting this email and look forward to it! I've only had one person ask to be removed from the copy list and I think it goes to about 50 recipients.
I was telling my son this story about how this person came to be added to the copy list. He laughed and said that one day I would be quoted on some big website. So, I decided that I want Matt Drudge to notice me and add me to his website. You know, down on the bottom where he lists all the columnists. It will simply be called "Mary's Excitement" and anyone in the world would be able to click on it and see my "excitement".
Might even get me the Nobel Peace Prize.
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