Hypothetical: What's your obligation to God?

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fencersmother

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Just a hypothetical pondering:

If one might suspect, or even know, that one will not spend eternity with God in heaven (maybe not Hell, but not heaven either), what then would be your obligation to God? Would your obligation to God change?

I am thinking about Moses… he doubted, and at the end, was denied the Promised Land. Would he have acted differently had he known that would happen? Probably, yes, he wouldn’t have despaired/doubted - but would he have acted as zealously for the Lord if he’d known he would doubt at the end?

For us as Christians, let’s say we, at the end of our lives looking backward, realize that well, just maybe, though the mercy of Christ would allow us access to heaven, we doubt at the end and are denied. Does our obligation to God change during our lifetime?

Looks like my mind has some spare time today.
 
Firstly the story of moses is not intended to be “History” in the way that a video camera would record events. it is the interpreted retelling of events with the aim of revealing a Divine truth in the telling.

Moses was denied entering the Promised Land but that was not Heaven. He lived and died in friendship with God, and as he appeared to Jesus during the Transfiguration it is clear he did not go to Hell, but has to have gone to Heaven.

From the point of view of myself as a Christian, when I face my particular Judgment at the time of my death I will be faced with Gods Infinite Love. I will be convicted of every wrong I’ve ever committed and be fully aware of all the consequences of those actions - whether they’ve been consciously repented of or previously forgotten. I will be offered the free and gratuitous gift of the forgiveness made possible by Christs sacrifice on the Cross.
If I am in a state of friendship with God then I will be able to humbly accept His forgiveness but knowing that I must leave all attachment to Sin, and everything in my life that is not “Pure Gold” behind. All that will be burned away in the “Refiners Fire” - a painful cleansing process that the redeemed must pass through. Catholic theology calls this process “Purgatory” - and what is of vital importance is that it is not a 2nd chance at forgiveness, but is the burning away of all the effects of our sinful lives once we have accepted His Love and Forgivness.

If I am in a angry or prideful state and refuse to accept my guilt or reject His gift of love then I will by my own free will be condemning myself to leave His presence for all eternity.

It is vital to understand that this is not some petty reaction to a momentary doubt at an unfortunate moment just before my death - when face to face with God there is no longer any doubt. you will Know as you will see the evidence right in front of you.

However if a person lives his life in obstinate rejection of God, and refuses to repent of his wrongdoing then the chances of him being inclined to say “Oh! I didn’t realise it was true. I’m sorry. please let me in” is frankly quite slim. It is far more likely that they will react in anger accusing God of being responsible for all the sin and harm in this world and refuse his Gift.

Remember Christ died for all, and has paid the price for everyone. Heaven or Hell is your own choice. - and frankly there is no 3rd option.
Heaven is being fully in Gods Presence.
Hell is being fully outside Gods Presence. - He’s not going to violate your free will by forcing himself on you if you don’t want it.
 
Our “obligation” to God does not change.

Our personal assessment of how well we are meeting that obligation can vary. A lot. We have to be careful we are not too assured we will go to Heaven or to Hell. That judgment is for God to make not us.

It is not for us to decide whether Moses made it to Heaven or not. We are told he did not enter the LAND, not that he was denied Heaven. Wasn’t he seen with Jesus at the Transfiguration?

God knows we are not perfect; he knows that we sin. The Risen Christ provided us the Sacrament of Reconciliation - a huge favor, thank you very much. Our obligation includes the use of this great Sacrament as often as we need too. When we confess our sins as sincerely as we can with the intent to try better, our sins are forgiven. Besides saying or doing our Penance, we have to make amends for our sins and may have to spend some time in Purgatory to finish what is yet left to be amended. How long we are there is God’s decision.

Our obligation is to Love God as best we can and to do His Will on earth with as much love for others as we can muster. If we remain in constant contact with God through Prayer, Mass, Holy Communion, Reconciliation, and our daily best efforts to love others properly, we have every reason to TRUST in God’s Infinite Mercy on our Judgment Day.

When the fear of death and the prospect of eternity approaches us, it is natural to review our efforts at making best efforts. We may focus on the wrong we have done and fail to ALSO recognize that, while we are not perfect, we have done well in trying to Love God and do His Will. We should never forget God’s Infinite Mercy.

Constantly pray for a Happy Death - dying in the State of Grace. Jesus, I Trust in You.
 
fencersmother said:
For us as Christians, let’s say we, at the end of our lives looking backward, realize that well, just maybe, though the mercy of Christ would allow us access to heaven, we doubt at the end and are denied.
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“Ten thousand difficulties do not make one doubt.” - Cardinal Newman

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CCC **2088 **
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The first commandment requires us to nourish and protect our faith with prudence and vigilance, and to reject everything that is opposed to it. There are various ways of sinning against faith:

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Voluntary doubt about the faith disregards or refuses to hold as true what God has revealed and the Church proposes for belief. Involuntary doubt refers to hesitation in believing, difficulty in overcoming objections connected with the faith, or also anxiety aroused by its obscurity. If deliberately cultivated doubt can lead to spiritual blindness.
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It is impossible to know to what extent doubt is culpable in any particular case but what counts is whether we try to do what we believe is right. We are not expected to be infallible but morally incorruptible.
 
"What’s your obligation to God?"

A person has Free Will, a brain, a heart and a soul.
A person does NOT have any obligation to God.

What obligation to God does a mosquito have?
People do what people do.
In fact, God doesn’t want everyone to become a future Saint.
The world needs to have a difference between good behavior and bad behavior.
This allows us to judge the bad behavior as something I choose not to do (any more often than necessary).
 
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