Are these the 3 steps to Heaven?

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PeaceBeWithYou

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Step 1: Do not commit evil
Step 2: Repent in the event you commit evil
Step 3: Do good works
 
PeaceBeWithYou said:
Step 1: Do not commit evil
Step 2: Repent in the event you commit evil
Step 3: Do good works
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I think looking at it in steps is what irks me here. Personally, if we do good works, ie. live good and holy lives, we are less disposed to sin (commit evil). Same thing if we go to confession often. Humans are basically unable to not commit evil. But we are also able to love God and through that love, we repent.
 
There are also sins of omission as well as those of commission. And, for Catholics, partaking of the Sacraments is important, if not essential, too, such as repenting of mortal sins, as is believing in the grace which is afforded only by Gd.

In general, I don’t believe it’s really that simple like a checklist. What you wrote sounds like part of a Reader’s Guide to Achieving Heaven. I think that doing good should be something you want to do for its own sake and, more important perhaps, because Gd commands you to do good. The good you do in this world should be sincere, not mainly as a means for achieving heaven. If you’re looking for some guideline, however, “faith, hope, and charity” is probably a good one.
 
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But avoiding evil isn’t just a matter of choosing mechanically between not-kicking-puppies, not-killing-people, not-robbing-banks, but otherwise being lukewarm human beings…

Rather than don’t-do-evil, you’re supposed to do good— give food to the hungry, water to the thirsty, visit the sick and imprisoned, console the sorrowful, counsel the doubtful, and so on.

So rather than being a bunch of negatives, it’s a bunch of positives. But without love underscoring your motivation— love of God, love of neighbor— it’s all emptiness, as Paul very famously said.

There was a bit from St. Brendan, who asked St. Ita-- “What are the three things God loves best?” And the answer came back, “True faith in God and a pure heart; a simple life with a religious spirit; and open-handedness inspired by charity.”

And then St. Brendan went further, and asked what are the three things God hates the most? And the answer came back, “A mouth that hates people; a heart harboring resentments; and confidence in wealth.”
 
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“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” - John 13:34-35
 
I would say that the 3 steps to Heaven are:
  1. Love God.
  2. Love God.
  3. Love God.
 
How so? Most of us love God and sin on a daily basis. If you don’t repent for your sins love alone for Him is not enough in my opinion.
 
St. Bernard would maybe expand upon your list in this way:
  1. Love God as your most beneficial discovery for yourself that you have found in your life, so far!
  2. Love God as the most good reality Who Is - God is good in Himself! - and besides, He is also still the most-good-for-yourself that you have ever found.
  3. Love God as He IS ALL-GOOD. He is GOODNESS itself, in Himself, and anything else and all-else is loved only IN HIM. Even myself - I love myself and what is good for me, only IN HIM and because of Him. Whether I live, or whether I die, God is all.
 
PeaceBeWithYou said:
How so? Most of us love God and sin on a daily basis. If you don’t repent for your sins love alone for Him is not enough in my opinion.
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If you love God, you will repent from sin. If you totally love God, you will not sin at all.
 
Asked and answered
Matt 19:16-30
Well, and Matt 22:34-40 and Matt 25:31-46
The picture is pretty clear from that.
 
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Is there a human on earth that does not commit sin? I can’t imagine there is.
 
Ok…and obviously Christ and Mary are not physically on earth anymore as they are in Heaven. I fail to see how loving God alone translates to entering Heaven. To use your words, no one perfectly loves God (you commit sins), so if you don’t repent, imperfect love for God isn’t enough to reach Heaven.
 
Yes, but also showing love of Gd by means of how we treat one another, how we help one another when in need, and so on. Otherwise, can we really say that we love Gd?
 
The journey to holiness, to perfect love for God, is a journey - not of one step but of many steps; and in a sense not of one repentance, one conversion, but of many, and in Catholic spirituality it can be said it is a journey of three major conversions. These three are reflected in the three “steps” or “degrees” of holy charity that I paraphrased and briefly described above:
St. Bernard would maybe expand upon your list in this way:
  1. Love God as your most beneficial discovery for yourself that you have found in your life, so far!
  2. Love God as the most good reality Who Is - God is good in Himself ! - and besides, He is also still the most-good-for-yourself that you have ever found.
  3. Love God as He IS ALL-GOOD. He is GOODNESS itself, in Himself, and anything else and all-else is loved only IN HIM. Even myself - I love myself and what is good for me, only IN HIM and because of Him. Whether I live, or whether I die, God is all.
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Step (1), following a first, initial conversion, when a soul first begins to believe in God, describes the imperfect love for God (or, the imperfect/mercenary) love for God that is in the shadow, so to speak, of practically dominant self-love. “I love God because He benefits me greatly.”
Step (2), following a “second conversion”, after the soul begins to know God much better and sees the greatness and glory, beauty and merciful goodness of God as He is in Himself, completely independent of “me,” my self-centeredness, my self-love and self-concerns - and the good He does for “me”. BUT - but - the soul also realizes that btw God also will repay me greatly for my faith and good works and faithfulness!!!
Step (3), following a profoundly deep and transforming “third conversion”, the soul has been greatly purified and purged of all, or almost all, the self-centeredness that has rendered his love for God “imperfect” all of his life so far. Here, the soul has attained great purity and simplicity before God - has achieved much of God’s perfect intention for him and for all souls: to love God with ALL one’s heart and soul and mind and strength, and one’s neighbor as oneself. Here, the soul has attained what we hunger for, and what God made us for:
“Therefore be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
 
Those are elements, yes. But, we must also persevere to the end, run the race as if to win, work out our salvation with fear and trembling, receive the applicable Sacraments, keep the commandments of Christ: believe and be baptized - yet in addition, there is the highest moral law of love, which controls all else.

Remember also that the three theological virtues are:
  1. Faith
  2. Hope
  3. Love
If any belief is held; any action is taken; any good that is done is not founded on all three of the above, it will not bode well for a soul at judgment. Add to the foregoing additional virtues and practices which have been deemed necessary for the salvation of that individual.
 
PeaceBeWithYou said:
Ok…and obviously Christ and Mary are not physically on earth anymore as they are in Heaven. I fail to see how loving God alone translates to entering Heaven. To use your words, no one perfectly loves God (you commit sins), so if you don’t repent, imperfect love for God isn’t enough to reach Heaven.
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To love God means doing the will of God. If I love Him more than myself, I will always repent of sin and avoid it. Love is an act of the will, in this case to obey God. If you obey God for the right reasons (also covered in love) you will reach Heaven.
 
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