How to inherit heaven

[dcharles]

I searched this Catholic Answers site for a clear answer of how to inherit heaven, and I read alls sorts of answers confusing salvation with going to heaven, etc. etc.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church makes it very clear how to get to heaven.
IV. Hell
1033 We cannot be united with God unless we freely choose to love him. But we cannot love God if we sin gravely against him, against our neighbor or against ourselves: "He who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him."610 Our Lord warns us that we shall be separated from him if we fail to meet the serious needs of the poor and the little ones who are his brethren.611 To die in mortal sin without repenting and accepting God’s merciful love means remaining separated from him for ever by our own free choice. This state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called “hell.”

Thus to enter heaven we must repent. We do not earn heaven by repenting. Heaven is already our inheritance.
But if we do not repent, then we will will choose hell when we die.
The bible is full of references to this teaching of the Church. One of them is: Matt 25:34 “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’”
Thus those who repented and turned back to love of God and neighbor would “inherit” heaven, not earn heaven, as Luther falsely claimed the Church taught. But those who do not repent, will not inherit heaven, but will chose hell.
We should always pray for sinners so they will repent.

 

[Trishie]

Jesus said it best, and as Judge of souls Himself, He’s the ultimate authority.

The basic answer is fulfilling the command of Jesus, to love God above all and others as yourself’
(Treat others as you would want to be treated.
In loving others with practical love, Jesus tells us, we love Him…and we must live lives of practical love for others in as much as we can

Matthew 35 verses 31-46

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations* will be assembled before him.
And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right,

‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’

Then the righteous* will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’

And He will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’

Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’ He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’

And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

 

[fhansen]

As the Catechism teaches, quoting St John of the Cross, “At the evening of life we shall be judged on our love.” Not on our faith, BTW, but on our love.

 

[Vico]

…
Thus those who repented and turned back to love of God and neighbor would “inherit” heaven, not earn heaven, as Luther falsely claimed the Church taught. But those who do not repent, will not inherit heaven, but will chose hell.
We should always pray for sinners so they will repent.

And also that those inheriting will do good works through which accrues merit with resulting greater glory in heaven:

“The reward given for good works is not won by reason of actions which precede grace, but grace, which is unmerited, precedes actions in order that they may be performed meritoriously” (II Council of Orange, Denzinger 388).

“And that the souls of those, who after the reception of baptism have incurred no stain of sin at all, and also those, who after the contraction of the stain of sin whether in their bodies, or when released from the same bodies, as we have said before, are purged, are immediately received into heaven, and see clearly the one and triune God Himself just as He is, yet according to the diversity of merits, one more perfectly than another.”. (Council of Florence, Denzinger 693)

http://patristica.net/denzinger/

And we join our prayers with others:

2682 Because of Mary’s singular cooperation with the action of the Holy Spirit, the Church loves to pray in communion with the Virgin Mary, to magnify with her the great things the Lord has done for her, and to entrust supplications and praises to her.