Going to Heaven, Alone?

[dessert]

Not sure if this should be listed in this forum but they can move it if they want.

I heard a statement the other day that no one goes to heaven alone.

This brought some questions to my mind.

For instance.

Do I as a woman need a man to lead me to heaven?
example ; Jesus lead Mary to the faith

Does a single woman, not me, need the influence of the priest to lead her to heaven?
example widows and single women and nuns had the decons, bishops and priests to guide them in their walk and leaned on the wisdom.

I am married but not releiant on dh’s wisdom these days, not assured of going to heaven with him more dependant on fellow Catholics and priests wisdom, question does he wait for me or do I wait for him?

Can a woman be lead by another Catholic woman to heaven?
If their husband passes on, do they rely on priests or even better their son, if no sons then on a deacon or priest.

Just questions about the responsibilty, deacons don’t seem to get that involved in the lives of the parishoners I might add.

 

[davidv]

Not sure if this should be listed in this forum but they can move it if they want.

I heard a statement the other day that no one goes to heaven alone.

This brought some questions to my mind.

For instance.

Do I as a woman need a man to lead me to heaven?
example ; Jesus lead Mary to the faith

I don’t think it is required, but it sure might make it easier. I sure hope I can do that for my wife.

Does a single woman, not me, need the influence of the priest to lead her to heaven?
example widows and single women and nuns had the decons, bishops and priests to guide them in their walk and leaned on the wisdom.

I don’t think so. However, I believe God puts us with others, who’s role it is to be a guide and a help.

I am married but not releiant on dh’s wisdom these days, not assured of going to heaven with him more dependant on fellow Catholics and priests wisdom, question does he wait for me or do I wait for him?

I believe each of us has to grow spiritually at the rate the we are capable, not being delayed nor accelerated by the spiritual growth of those around us.

Can a woman be lead by another Catholic woman to heaven?

Yes

Just questions about the responsibilty, deacons don’t seem to get that involved in the lives of the parishoners I might add.

The deacons that have served in our parish have been heavily involved in the lives of parishoners.

 

[DebChris]

The version I heard of “no one goes to heaven alone” is that “there are no Lone Ranger Christians.” Often times you may hear a person talking about being saved as merely “Jesus and me.” Salvation is more about Jesus and us. We help one another on our walk with Christ. It means not turning your back on a brother or sister in need. Sometimes it means recognizing our own need for help. Our relationships are interdependent, not using another person for what we can get out of them (co-dependent) or trying do everything ourself. As Americans, we put a high value on independence. I like the definition I learned on Cursillo. Independence is another word for lonely. Recognizing our need for one another helps keep pride and self-deception at bay. Our friend, spouse, or another person that we respect (such as a priest) can give us insights into the different situations we face in life. In interdependent relationships, they help us discern God’s will while we retain responsibility for our own decisions.
What helped me during my darkest crisis period is recognizing that Jesus had Simon the Cyrene to help him carry His cross. There are two beams to the cross. The verical beam represents our relationship to God while the horizontal represents our relationship with each other. Each of us is a member of the Body of Christ, each with an important role to play.

 

[dessert]

The version I heard of “no one goes to heaven alone” is that “there are no Lone Ranger Christians.” Often times you may hear a person talking about being saved as merely “Jesus and me.” Salvation is more about Jesus and us. We help one another on our walk with Christ. It means not turning your back on a brother or sister in need. Sometimes it means recognizing our own need for help. Our relationships are interdependent, not using another person for what we can get out of them (co-dependent) or trying do everything ourself. As Americans, we put a high value on independence. I like the definition I learned on Cursillo. Independence is another word for lonely. Recognizing our need for one another helps keep pride and self-deception at bay. Our friend, spouse, or another person that we respect (such as a priest) can give us insights into the different situations we face in life. In interdependent relationships, they help us discern God’s will while we retain responsibility for our own decisions.
What helped me during my darkest crisis period is recognizing that Jesus had Simon the Cyrene to help him carry His cross. There are two beams to the cross. The verical beam represents our relationship to God while the horizontal represents our relationship with each other. Each of us is a member of the Body of Christ, each with an important role to play.

This helps me understand my own independance, thanks I wasn’t sure just how to see it. Who is Cursillo?
I have just started joining groupy things so I am learning slowly.

 

[mercygate]

Not sure if this should be listed in this forum but they can move it if they want.

I heard a statement the other day that no one goes to heaven alone.

This brought some questions to my mind.

For instance.

Do I as a woman need a man to lead me to heaven?
example ; Jesus lead Mary to the faith

Does a single woman, not me, need the influence of the priest to lead her to heaven?
example widows and single women and nuns had the decons, bishops and priests to guide them in their walk and leaned on the wisdom.

I am married but not releiant on dh’s wisdom these days, not assured of going to heaven with him more dependant on fellow Catholics and priests wisdom, question does he wait for me or do I wait for him?

Can a woman be lead by another Catholic woman to heaven?
If their husband passes on, do they rely on priests or even better their son, if no sons then on a deacon or priest.

Just questions about the responsibilty, deacons don’t seem to get that involved in the lives of the parishoners I might add.

I don’t think any of this is about direct hands-on guidance. It is about the broad picture of a well-lived Christian life. A good Christian life will bring people to Christ.

At the last judgment, we WILL stand alone before the Throne. But a life of spiritual isolation is not a Christian life. We are a brotherhood, a fellowship, a family.

 

[MarcoPolo]

I heard Father Corapi state this, and in the context he was speaking I understand it to mean this: Our penance is for the Body of Christ. Remember, when one member suffers we all suffer, and when one rejoices we all rejoice. Your conquering of sin helps others as they are of the same Body. Think of all the examples in Scripture where person B benefits from the action of person A (like the centurian or the guys who carried the paralytic to Jesus).

 

[DebChris]

This helps me understand my own independance, thanks I wasn’t sure just how to see it. Who is Cursillo?
I have just started joining groupy things so I am learning slowly.

In the early part of the twentieth century, some lay men in Spain got together in response to insufficient cathecesis. Cursillo actually means short course. It is a weekend course in Christianity. Making a Cursillo involves going on a 3 day retreat. The fourth day is the rest of your life during which cursillitas meet weekly providing feedback regarding our progress in Christian living. Because of WWII, the first Cursillo was not held until after the war. In the beginning only men were involved but now there are separate groups for women. It remains important that the group remain segregated by gender because men and women respond differently in relationships. Men can be more open with each other when there are no women around and vice versa. A Cursillo weekend has a spiritual director, a priest to say daily Mass and provide for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Cursillo itself is primarily a lay movement within the Catholic Church.
There is a statue of Christ in Germany that was damaged in the bombing. Both arms were blown off. Somebody put a sign on the statue with the words, “He has no arms but yours.”
It is a humbling experience to realize that Christ needs us as we need Him.
To make a Cursillo, you will need a sponsor, somebody who made Cursillo at least a year ago. One of the questions you will be asked is whether or not your spouse, if applicable, supports your decision. Consent also comes from your pastor. I will try to find the website and add it in a separate post for anybody who may want more information.

 

[nkbeth]

Surely the best way to help others to heaven is prayer!
(I’m not sure if that was mentioned yet in this thread)

Of course we are also commanded to help each other, by love and example, in our daily lives - and even to help those we do not know. Even Carmelite nuns, who see little of the world, show this daily love to each other (see the wonderful St. Therese movie), and help all the world by their prayer.

Jesus lead Mary to heaven, and only He can lead us there too. Still He works through us: we are meant to see Jesus in others, and to keep Him alive in our hearts.

 

[Leopard]

…I heard a statement the other day that no one goes to heaven alone…

I think this may be true. For example, if I get to Heaven, I think it will largely be because my wife prays for me. When my wife gets to heaven, on the other hand, I think it will largely be because I was her cross.

 

[DebChris]

Surely the best way to help others to heaven is prayer!
(I’m not sure if that was mentioned yet in this thread)

Of course we are also commanded to help each other, by love and example, in our daily lives - and even to help those we do not know. Even Carmelite nuns, who see little of the world, show this daily love to each other (see the wonderful St. Therese movie), and help all the world by their prayer.

Jesus lead Mary to heaven, and only He can lead us there too. Still He works through us: we are meant to see Jesus in others, and to keep Him alive in our hearts.

I don’t think the specifics of how we help one another (prayer, acts of mercy) were mentioned. We need to share our unique gifts with one another. As St. Paul says, if everybody were an eye where would the hearing be?
When I tried the link for Cursillo, it was not working. cusillo.org. Somebody else may have better luck.

 

[dessert]

I don’t think the specifics of how we help one another (prayer, acts of mercy) were mentioned. We need to share our unique gifts with one another. As St. Paul says, if everybody were an eye where would the hearing be?
When I tried the link for Cursillo, it was not working. cusillo.org. Somebody else may have better luck.

I just put in Cursillo and ended up finding one in Milwaukee so got t lot of info from that site thanks.