How important is the incentive of Heaven in your faith journey?

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It’s honestly not that important. There’s a couple people that I’d give up my spot in heaven for (if that’s not a good thing please tell me so I can correct it!) and I’m just happy giving up to God what is rightfully His. He already suffered and died a rather painful death, so it seems kind of unfair to anticipate that I’ll get anything more. My life is enough for me, anything else is completely underserved but welcomed if that’s what He wants. Who am I to argue with the Lord?
 
This is why I have a hard time stomaching what I call “coercion doctrine.”

Once, my children were misbehaving, (OK, all but killing each other in the back seat, lol!), when we were on our way to get ice cream. In one of those forehead-slapping moments of sounding too much like my own mother, I snapped, “Knock it off, or I’m turning around and not getting you ice cream!”

They apologized frantically, “We’ll stop! We’ll stop! We’re sorry!” I replied, somewhat snarkily, “Are you ‘real sorry’ or just ‘ice cream sorry?’”

Are they into the familial peace because they truly love each other, or are they just in it for the ice cream?

I think you can see where this analogy is going . . .
 
Imperfect contrition is still enough in the confessional.

I wonder, though, what would happen if an angel came down and told the world that heaven was full and there would be no more afterlife. How many would keep the faith? It’s hard to feel like you’re perfectly contrite when there’s a reward involved.
 
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SeasideChef said:
But I do think about Heaven/after life because of the wish to be reunited with loved ones once this life is over
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Always this difficulty of detaching from the present world. It is possible that your loved ones are in hell while you, you will be in Heaven. And if so, you will be happy with this choice that Deu will have made for them and for you, because in Heaven we are happy with all the decisions of God
 
those who have a perfect charity desire Heaven because in Heaven they will love God perfectly. If there were no Heaven, those who desire a perfect charity would be sad, not because they will not enjoy the delights of Heaven, but because they can not love God perfectly.
 
Yes, but the availability of a perfect place will, at least for the time being, make me doubt the purity of my motives.
 
Only God knows what Heaven is like, and what’s inside each person’s heart. We’ll know and understand it when we get there, and I am sure we will know then and understand whom we get to reunite with and why.
 
I want a return ticket back to Earth if Heaven is full of hypocrites…like me.
 
I don’t really appreciate heaven for all it’s worth. God promised too much and I can’t even get close to deserving it!
 
Yes definitely. Heaven is not just some luxurious cruise. It’s eternity with God where you are finally allowed the beatific vision! I admit I don’t meditate on it often enough, however.
 
If I’m going to be honest, I’m at a point where heaven/fear of hell would be the main reason why I’m trying to avoid sin. I would not mind if I cease to exist or if I’m stuck in some limbo state. It’s not that I don’t love God, but I’m just very exhausted at trying and it feels like I’m forcing a relationship even though I know it’s probably the other way around blah blah blah.

I’m aware that I sound like the worst person on this thread. Let me go and hide 😞
 
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blackforest said:
They apologized frantically, “We’ll stop! We’ll stop! We’re sorry!” I replied, somewhat snarkily, “Are you ‘real sorry’ or just ‘ice cream sorry?’”

Are they into the familial peace because they truly love each other, or are they just in it for the ice cream?

I think you can see where this analogy is going
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The Christian who loves God just for heaven is not a Christian. It’s beyond me why someone would become a Christian if not out of pure love for God, but I do know there are people who just want heaven.

For your analogy, I do not think kids take the love of their parents very seriously. But then again, people do that (including myself) with God.
 
See, I love God. But, being human, I constantly question the purity of my motives because there’s a reward in doing it. I guess I’ll never really know, or at least not for a while.
 
Hey, don’t beat yourself over the head about it. Fear about damnation is normal. God forgives, remember, we are sinners. Theres no doubt about that, but the good news is that of God being so forgiving he gave us confession for this reason so that we may be cleaned! Pray to God, all prayer is about is the communication with God. I recommend praying spontaneously to God about anything, he will surely be happy.
 
misstherese said:
Yes definitely. Heaven is not just some luxurious cruise. It’s eternity with God where you are finally allowed the beatific vision! I admit I don’t meditate on it often enough, however.
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Yes, thank you! You are the first person I actually agree with on this thread.

Why should those of us who actually desire what the King made us for be made to feel as if we are less…good?

From the Baltimore Catechism:

“Why did God make us?”

“God made us to show forth His goodness and to share with us His everlasting happiness in heaven.”

And I think of that often, considering that very few of my earthly requests have been granted, never the ones I desire deep down.
 
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It’s the very reason that we have a spiritual life in the first place.
 
Our souls were created by God. It is our nature to transcend, to long for God. God is in Heaven, therefore we long to be with God in Heaven.
 
goodcatholic said:
I want a return ticket back to Earth if Heaven is full of hypocrites…like me.
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Those who enter into paradise will be purified of hypocritical notions and other impurities. And we do not get return tickets. After death comes judgment.
 
The way I behave today about the church is the same way I behaved about the church years ago. Will I get to heaven, depends upon god. I just have to do my best to take those teachings and apply them to my life.
 
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