Another cannibalized post from my email rantings :) I've touched on it before in previous posts, here are some more thoughts.
Question: I am curious: would you be so kind to give me your answer to this question? If you were to stand before God today at the gate of heaven and He was to say to you, "Hugo, tell me why I should let you into my heaven." What would be your answer?
Hmmm . . . I'm going to reframe the question and give some context as to my reframing of the question. I think that at the moment of death we go through a purgation - we start to let go (in a psychological / spiritual sense) of our attachments to our lives here on earth and start to turn our eyes towards our future life in timelessness (in heaven). Once we are free of our attachments we stand naked before God, neither deceiving ourselves or able to be deceived any longer (we will see things clearly for the very first time in our lives, no longer seeing darkly). We will know the truth of our lives, becoming intimately re-familiar with the course our life on earth took. We will be offered God's forgiveness, mercy, love, compassion and justice. And we - not God - will decide if we are worthy of entering into heaven.
I believe that God has already made the ultimate decision - everyone gets in - everyone. As children of God, as sons and daughters of the Most High, as creatures created in the image and likeness of God, we are invited and welcomed to the ultimate banqueting table . . . and the choice then becomes ours.
My Catholic theology helps me affirm that the lives we lived here on earth will help chart the course that our lives will take in the hereafter. If we practiced giving and accepting forgiveness while alive here, we will be able to accept God's justice and mercy when we stand in judgment. If, however, we lived an obstinate life, never shedding our hearts of stone, never giving and accepting forgiveness . . . well, there's no telling if we'll be able to do it from one moment to eternity - if we never practiced here on earth, we'll fail in the real test.
So I don't conceive of God asking me why I should get it . . . I conceive of God throwing the doors wide open and inviting me in. Them, in an eternal moment, as I weigh my actions, my thoughts, my desires, my attachments, my cravings, my very heart and soul, I will decide to either accept or deny God's invitation.
I will either exist in the timelessness of heaven basking in the Presence of my Creator, or I will linger on, knowing that I have turned my back on the One who could love me . . . still loves me . . . but cannot have his love reciprocated because of my hardness of heart.
Blessings & Peace,
Hugo
Question: I am curious: would you be so kind to give me your answer to this question? If you were to stand before God today at the gate of heaven and He was to say to you, "Hugo, tell me why I should let you into my heaven." What would be your answer?
Hmmm . . . I'm going to reframe the question and give some context as to my reframing of the question. I think that at the moment of death we go through a purgation - we start to let go (in a psychological / spiritual sense) of our attachments to our lives here on earth and start to turn our eyes towards our future life in timelessness (in heaven). Once we are free of our attachments we stand naked before God, neither deceiving ourselves or able to be deceived any longer (we will see things clearly for the very first time in our lives, no longer seeing darkly). We will know the truth of our lives, becoming intimately re-familiar with the course our life on earth took. We will be offered God's forgiveness, mercy, love, compassion and justice. And we - not God - will decide if we are worthy of entering into heaven.
I believe that God has already made the ultimate decision - everyone gets in - everyone. As children of God, as sons and daughters of the Most High, as creatures created in the image and likeness of God, we are invited and welcomed to the ultimate banqueting table . . . and the choice then becomes ours.
My Catholic theology helps me affirm that the lives we lived here on earth will help chart the course that our lives will take in the hereafter. If we practiced giving and accepting forgiveness while alive here, we will be able to accept God's justice and mercy when we stand in judgment. If, however, we lived an obstinate life, never shedding our hearts of stone, never giving and accepting forgiveness . . . well, there's no telling if we'll be able to do it from one moment to eternity - if we never practiced here on earth, we'll fail in the real test.
So I don't conceive of God asking me why I should get it . . . I conceive of God throwing the doors wide open and inviting me in. Them, in an eternal moment, as I weigh my actions, my thoughts, my desires, my attachments, my cravings, my very heart and soul, I will decide to either accept or deny God's invitation.
I will either exist in the timelessness of heaven basking in the Presence of my Creator, or I will linger on, knowing that I have turned my back on the One who could love me . . . still loves me . . . but cannot have his love reciprocated because of my hardness of heart.
Blessings & Peace,
Hugo
2 comments:
I’ve always appreciated these windows into your mind. ;-) I’ll try to be careful and not poke around too hard (hehe).
Hugo how do you see Jesus fit in to this?
lol - it's probably good not to dwell here too long :)
As for your question - Jesus, through the Paschal Mystery (his incarnation, life, ministry, passion, death, resurrection, and ascencion) is the one who redeems the universe and each person in it. Without Jesus' grace there is no salvation, no way to get into heaven. Of course, this is redemption for every place and age - both before and after Jesus, and salvation for everyone in Jesus (whether they know Jesus or not). It then becomes our task to practice accepting this salvation (working out our salvation in fear and trembling, to quote Paul) while here on earth.
Blessings & Peace,
Hugo
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