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Ogie_Reeves
Guest
I’m LDS and I’m studying the Catholic church, and one of the things that I’m most curious about is how Catholics believe they will go to Heaven. How do you go to Heaven?
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halogirl
Guest
Faith in Jesus as saviour, get baptised, take part in the sacraments and love God above all and love your neighbour
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Ogie_Reeves
Guest
I think I read somewhere on here that someone has to go to confession to confess their sins before they pass?
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Ogie_Reeves
Guest
Would other Christians do that in their own faiths make it to Heaven as well if they also do that?
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twf
Guest
Possibly. We entrust them to the mercy of God. Ultimately salvation is a free gift from God, won for us by Christ through his passion, death, and resurrection. Yet, God asks us to cooperate with his free gift of grace. We must say “yes” to God first by faith and then by deeds. The parable of the vine in John 15 illustrates this point. Only those branches (believers) that are on the vine (Christ) bear fruit and any branches that don’t bear fruit are cut down. Christ, through faith and the sacraments, empowers us to bear fruit pleasing to the Father. Can God do this for those who, through no fault of their own, do not receive the sacraments nor accept the Catholic faith? Certainly he can, but the specifics are a mystery for us here on this side of heaven.
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
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Ogie_Reeves
Guest
I understand better now. Thanks for explaining.
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Limoncello4021
Guest
I hope you will consider getting and reading the Catholic Catechism. It is online, and it answers this and many questions having to do with the Catholic faith.
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Ogie_Reeves
Guest
I have the link saved on my computer, so I can start reading it.
Tis_Bearself
Patron
If you have a chance to do this, it’s a good thing to do, but it is not absolutely required to get to Heaven.
The main reason you would want to confess right before death is so you do not die with any “mortal sin” (a sin that could send you to Hell) on your soul. However, if you are not able to confess because your death is too sudden or you were in a coma or something, if you are truly repentant then God will take that into account and forgive your sin without your having to have confessed.
It’s also possible that you might not have any mortal sin on your soul when you die, especially if you’ve confessed recently (like within a week or a couple of weeks) before your death.
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Limoncello4021
Guest
Catholics believe that one must be completely free of sin to enter the all-pure presence of God. Hence, the point of life is to work on our sinful natures and to acquire virtue and, above all, love of God and neighbor. “Love covers a multitude of sins.” At death, a person who has not done this sufficiently yet who still loves and adheres to God is washed clean in Purgatory of remaining sin and the penalty for sin, then admitted to heaven. So everyone in Purgatory is in a happy place, despite the pain of purgation, because they know they are saved. At some point at the end of time, purgatory will be emptied and be no more.
Catholics who strive to live a sacramental life and are concerned about the afterlife hope and pray that they will receive the Last Sacrament, called Extreme Unction or the Sacrament of the Sick, before they die. This sacrament is, as its name implies, reserved for those who are ill, usually gravely ill. It can be received more than once. A priest anoints the person with holy oil (“unction”) and prays over the person. Similarly, Catholics hope to be able to make a Confession and receive Communion–anything and everything to prepare their souls to meet their maker. But ultimately we accept whatever God chooses to give us in terms of the timing of our deaths, because we also believe in the incredible mercy of God.
Oh–I forgot: we also believe that heaven involves Irish dance:
Catholics who strive to live a sacramental life and are concerned about the afterlife hope and pray that they will receive the Last Sacrament, called Extreme Unction or the Sacrament of the Sick, before they die. This sacrament is, as its name implies, reserved for those who are ill, usually gravely ill. It can be received more than once. A priest anoints the person with holy oil (“unction”) and prays over the person. Similarly, Catholics hope to be able to make a Confession and receive Communion–anything and everything to prepare their souls to meet their maker. But ultimately we accept whatever God chooses to give us in terms of the timing of our deaths, because we also believe in the incredible mercy of God.
Oh–I forgot: we also believe that heaven involves Irish dance:
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Tis_Bearself
Patron
It’s important to note that Purgatory is where we pay the debt for sins of which we have already repented and been forgiven.
We could make a great Confession right before our death, be forgiven, but still have to go to Purgatory to atone for the sins of which we have been forgiven, then and throughout our lives.
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MT1926
Guest
I think this is a good example of why I would recommend taking most of what you read here with a grain of salt. Although most here do their best to give advice based on the teachings of the Catholic Church, quite often they don’t give a complete explanation or their opinions might sneak in as well.
That being said you have come to the right place to ask questions and get some good direction. So keep on asking, just make sure to ask follow up questions if something seems kind of wonky.
I would also like to recommend you start listening to Called to Communion and Catholic Answers Live. Both are podcasts that can be downloaded to your phone or computer and listened to at your convenience. They give some spot on answers to questions just like this one all of the time.
Hope this helps,
God Bless
J
joeybaggz
Guest
Simplistically, following the words of Christ in the gospel story of the rich man and the “eye of the needle”. When asked “what must I do to have eternal life?” Jesus replied, “Obey the Commandments.” When pressed as to what commandments (remember for a faithful Jew in Christ’s time, there were 613 commandments in the Torah), Jesus enumerated the social commandments Moses received on Sinai. PERIOD. Christ’s answer, simple, obey the commandments. I think all who do will enter eternal life with Jesus the Christ.
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