Heaven or Hell???

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i’m always mad at Him. maybe i just don’t understand things. but that makes me mad too.
 
I’m setting my sights on Heaven and if I should miss I hope to at least make it to Purgatory.

With all the sacraments and opportunities for full indulgences, I believe skipping Purgatory is possible. It may not be very likely, but I’m hoping and praying that I may get lucky.

I want to spend my Purgatory here. I’m not much for the pain and suffering, BUT IF I can get most of the purging done now, then my time in Purgatory may be minimized.

I’m not perfect my any means but I’m working on my faults and maybe when my time comes, I’ll be close enough to skim over the purge by fire part.

I’ve mofified the St Francis prayer to say “save us all for the fire of Hell AND Purgatory…”.
 
The one capital sin that I struggle the most with is sloth. I think it is partly due to the fact that I am disabled and I have a lot of time on my hands. I hate that this is a sin I struggle with. Believe me, I am not proud of it. I wish I could get rid of my habitual slothfulness.
 
Interesting thread. I know as a Catholic you’re supposed to be knowledgeable about the circumstances of heaven and hell, but truthfully I don’t think about it a lot. There’s no fear there, and I don’t fear God either. Is that…unusual?
 
In_Training said:
Interesting thread. I know as a Catholic you’re supposed to be knowledgeable about the circumstances of heaven and hell, but truthfully I don’t think about it a lot. There’s no fear there, and I don’t fear God either. Is that…unusual?
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As you can see there are plenty of Catholics with some pretty elementary questions here. I’ve posted a few myself. We should always be learning, I think. Were not going to know it all all our lives.

You’re asking about fear of the Lord, I take it. Its not exactly a shaking in your boots kind of fear. The best example of it, I think, is when, at Jesus’ arrest, as soon as He said “I Am” all present fell to the ground.
 
littlenothing said:
The best example of it, I think, is when, at Jesus’ arrest, as soon as He said “I Am” all present fell to the ground.
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🙂

Growing up in Catholic schools (and yet not really getting much Catholic education, but that’s a different issue…) I’ve heard many people talk about fear of hell, desire for heaven, and fear of God. Example, “good, God-fearing people.” So if you don’t fear God, you’re not good? I never understood that. Honestly, I do have a lot of fear in that area, but it’s not a fear of God, it’s just fear in terms of, I don’t trust myself so I can’t expect God to either, and that has to change. I’ve never been afraid of hell…I try to do things right for the sake of doing them right and pleasing God, not because I’m afraid of punishment. I know I haven’t exactly been a good example, so if God holds me accountable for that, I’m okay with that. Is that weird? I’ve never thought of hell as a real place, but more as an illustration used to try to teach people to follow the rules. Is that disrespectful/blasphemous?
 
In_Training said:
🙂

Growing up in Catholic schools (and yet not really getting much Catholic education, but that’s a different issue…) I’ve heard many people talk about fear of hell, desire for heaven, and fear of God. Example, “good, God-fearing people.” So if you don’t fear God, you’re not good? I never understood that. Honestly, I do have a lot of fear in that area, but it’s not a fear of God, it’s just fear in terms of, I don’t trust myself so I can’t expect God to either, and that has to change. I’ve never been afraid of hell…I try to do things right for the sake of doing them right and pleasing God, not because I’m afraid of punishment. I know I haven’t exactly been a good example, so if God holds me accountable for that, I’m okay with that. Is that weird? I’ve never thought of hell as a real place, but more as an illustration used to try to teach people to follow the rules. Is that disrespectful/blasphemous?
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Well, Hell is real, my friend, Mary says so and shows it to the visionaries at Fatima. To really be able to grasp it, through, in terms of a place is difficult. I think fear of the Lord, which the Bible says is the beginning of wisdom, is really more of an awe. I think He doesn’t want fear of either Him or Hell to be what guides us, but simply love for Him. Its OK not to fear Hell, but we should have a horror for it. Think of your greatest fears, the things that disgust you the most, atrocities committed against innocents, hate, utter aloneness. That is a taste of Hell. While its easy to understand intellectually, its harder to actually imagine it.
 
Holly3278 said:
The one capital sin that I struggle the most with is sloth. I think it is partly due to the fact that I am disabled and I have a lot of time on my hands. I hate that this is a sin I struggle with. Believe me, I am not proud of it. I wish I could get rid of my habitual slothfulness.
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I can sense that you are a determined person. If there’s a will, there’s always a way…God bless friend. 🙂
 
i dont think God will begin by going through a list of our sins.
i think the first questions he will ask us is:
“how many times were you merciful to others’
'how many times did you forgive those who did harm to you?”
“how many acts of charity did you perform?”
“did you truly love me and your neighbor?”

i think he will first base our sentence on those questions rather than “how many times did you have sex with that women?” or “how many times were you jealous of someone?” or “how many times did you work on sunday”?

im by no means saying that sins dont count, but i think sincere good works are far more important than blind submission and asceticism.
(although submission and asceticism can be a very holy thing too!)
 
I hope to go to heaven, and I fear hell - not a paralyzing fear, but a serious concern that I avoid going there at all costs. The way I see it, if your belief is real and not just a mental security blanket, how could you NOT worry about hell? Eternity is a terrible thought… terribly wonderful or terribly awful. This is worth reiterating: eternity is real. We will all live forever - forever happy or forever damned. Heaven and hell should be the great concern of our lives, every day.

I really want to go to heaven. The thought alone makes me happy. :heaven: Getting to see all the saints, learning the mysteries of God, seeing Jesus and His Mother, being perfectly happy… we’re so shortsighted to be satisfied with earthly goods!
 
fredms3 said:
We may not know when God will say to us: Your time is up…

Question: Do we know where we are going to ----- heaven or hell?

Just remember the 7 Capital Sins:
  1. Pride
  2. Lust
  3. Avarice
  4. Anger
  5. Sloth
  6. Envy
  7. Gluttony
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Nobody knows in advance if they will be saved or going to Hell.
 
In_Training said:
🙂

Growing up in Catholic schools (and yet not really getting much Catholic education, but that’s a different issue…) I’ve heard many people talk about fear of hell, desire for heaven, and fear of God. Example, “good, God-fearing people.” So if you don’t fear God, you’re not good? I never understood that. Honestly, I do have a lot of fear in that area, but it’s not a fear of God, it’s just fear in terms of, I don’t trust myself so I can’t expect God to either, and that has to change. I’ve never been afraid of hell…I try to do things right for the sake of doing them right and pleasing God, not because I’m afraid of punishment. I know I haven’t exactly been a good example, so if God holds me accountable for that, I’m okay with that. Is that weird? I’ve never thought of hell as a real place, but more as an illustration used to try to teach people to follow the rules. Is that disrespectful/blasphemous?
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I believe the “God-fearing” statement doesnt really mean to be afraid of him, but to respect his power and to stay humble.
 
fredms3 said:
That’s correct. It’s really a great loss if hell became our final destination.
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That’s true but those who go to Hell go there through their own free choice. We should pray that we and everyone make the right choice.
 
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