Not strong enough... Narrow gate

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I’m rich and don’t trust God enough to give away my stuff if I was called to. I’m selfish & usually fail to love others as God’s loved me. I doubt I’d lay down my life for a friend, let alone an enemy.
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God makes it easy for us to pass His test.

First, He gave us families. You probably love at least some of them.
Second, laying down your life for your friend is not as hard as it sounds. Say, you have a favorite past time. But your loved one would like you to interrupt your favorite past time to spend time with him or her. If you do that, then you’ve laid down your life for your friend.
Third, that’s actually what we do when we interrupt our life and go to Mass on Sundays or whenever. We lay down our life for our Best Friend.
I’ve been praying for God to fix me and fighting my weaknesses, but haven’t made much if any progress yet.
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If you’re praying, you’ve made progress. Redouble your prayers and you will be blessed.
If being like Jesus is the narrow gate, I absolutely wouldn’t fit through it today!!
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Very few of us would. But keep trying.
I’m scared. Why isn’t God fixing my heart when I’m not strong enough to fix myself?
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He is. The evidence is that you’re on this forum asking for help. I’m sure we’ll all pray for you. Now turn to God and cry out to Him, yourself.

May God pour His grace upon you and heal your breaking heart!
Amen!

God bless you.
 
The Divine Mercy devotion has helped me a lot in this regard. Read St. Faustina’s biography/spiritual journal, and you’ll come to see the overwhelming mercy of God.
 
Sorry but you have completely misread what was actually written.

The Sermon on the Mount was a gift of wisdom from Jesus . He spoke with real authority not from any scripture.

The narrow gate is the path to God and Jesus refers to himself as the door/gate.

There’s no other way to the Father except through the Lamb of God.

Not all humans have Faith in the good Shepard and have gone a stray through the wide gate.
 
Love is not enough sorry.

Anyone can love. Greedy people have love in their heart. A murder can still love their mother for example and have no remorse.

Which is easier to do ?

Love or to Forgive.
 
I just don’t understand how anyone could get to their judgement after believing they lived a life with Christ and be completely wrong.
 
So, you think their problem in the parable was a lack of forgiveness in their hearts?

I’m a bit confused what we’re supposed to learn from this parable.
 
Opal0427 said:
I just don’t understand how anyone could get to their judgement after believing they lived a life with Christ and be completely wrong.
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I gave an example HERE

If you talked to any of those in the category of the 79%, would you find “nice” people? Sure. Would some seem even stellar? Sure.

If you asked them if they believe in Jesus they’d no doubt say yes.

Yet one who is in mortal sin and dies that way, won’t be going to heaven. And let’s face it, we’re all just one heartbeat away from eternity.
 
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(Grave matter. Full knowledge. Full consent.)

I have trouble understanding how someone who really thinks the Catholic Church is wrong about those being mortal sins has full knowledge, but this concept may be above my head.

I very muchso struggle to tell the difference between mortal sins and grave but venial sins. The 3 requirements for a sin to be mortal seem to contain a lot of ways one could decieve themselves. Did they really fully consent? Or fully know?

Like I said, I’m a new Catholic.
Maybe some of this passage is just beyond my understanding.

I’ll keep striving like Jesus said and do my best to trust Him. I’m usually confused, but He never is. 🙂
 
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No not at all my friend.

Completely different subject. I was adding to (Pro) post 4 days ago.

Pro post is correct , love is very important but forgiveness is equally important in different ways also. In my opinion.
 
Opal0427 said:
Yesterday’s readings about the narrow gate have me stressed out and confused.

I’m a new Catholic. & I’m kind of freaked out that many people will reach their judgement day after living a life with Christ only to be sent away. They weren’t actually saved - though they genuinely thought they were! Wouldn’t their sins be venial in that case?

Jesus said many will try to enter the narrow gate but won’t be strong enough. They’ll think they lived a Christian life and they’re headed to hell.

What???!!??

I thought as long as you weren’t in a state of mortal sin and were genuinely trying to reach towards God you were saved. You might end up in purgatory, but not hell.

I’m not strong!! Now, I’m very sad and scared.
I’m rich and don’t trust God enough to give away my stuff if I was called to. I’m selfish & usually fail to love others as God’s loved me. I doubt I’d lay down my life for a friend, let alone an enemy.

I’ve been praying for God to fix me and fighting my weaknesses, but haven’t made much if any progress yet. If being like Jesus is the narrow gate, I absolutely wouldn’t fit through it today!!

I’m scared. Why isn’t God fixing my heart when I’m not strong enough to fix myself?
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Brother,

In order to avoid Purgatory (and hell):
  1. Receive the Eucharist
  2. Pray on a regular basis
  3. Perform works of mercy
  4. Ask God
  5. Pray for the souls in Purgatory
  6. Do penance
  7. Practice abstaining from lawful pleasures
  8. Celebrate Confession and make good on the resolution.
Don’t focus very much on hell. Focus on loving God, your neighbor, and yourself. Talk to God the way you would talk to the most trusting, best friend in the world.

Your conscience will better develop over time, just the way a person’s muscles or mind develops through practice.

We can’t do anything good without God. Nobody can lay down their life for a friend purely through their own effort. Don’t worry about it. God will provide.

Peace.
 
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You are strong enough and remember the Lord never lost a single Lamb or Sheep that was given to him to look after.
 
Don’t lose sight of the Father love of God. Do you have children? Even if you don’t, do we despise and reject babies for messing their diapers or falling when they are learning to walk? NO!! In fact we love them all the more as they struggle to take their first steps. It’s ok to be weak - he loves you - but he’s also cheering you on to growth and greater maturity. If you’re new to the faith, don’t feel bad that you’re not at a stage that takes others years to get to. Embrace his love in confidence and walk forward in actions that will foster growth. God is far more eager for our growth than we are - always like the most loving of parents.
 
Opal0427 said:
(Grave matter. Full knowledge. Full consent.)

I have trouble understanding how someone who really thinks the Catholic Church is wrong about those being mortal sins has full knowledge, but this concept may be above my head.
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Let’s use an example. Hopefully it clears things up

Example​

If we are told by the Church, that fornication is a mortal sin, what more do we need to know …right?

YET​

A corrupt minded person hearing that, and not agreeing with that, is going to see how many ways they can game the system, (attempting to complicate a simple issue, so they can confuse thus escape guilt) after the fact in their own mind… true?

When truth is, that kinda stuff makes them even more guilty.

So who legitimately will have problems with full knowledge?​

people who are legitimately deficient in their I.Q. People who are under average, mentally. We used to say, mentally retarded.

Thomas Aquinas, wrote in the 1200’s. Political correct speech wasn’t on the radar screen yet. He said the following about invincible ignorance

(emphasis mine)

Excerpted From Aquinas Question 88, Summa, http://www.newadvent.org/summa/2088.htm
“the ignorance of a madman or an imbecile, then he that commits fornication in a state of such ignorance, commits no sin either mortal or venial. But if the ignorance be not invincible, then the ignorance itself is a sin, and contains within itself the lack of the love of God, in so far as a man neglects to learn those things whereby he can safeguard himself in the love of God. “…

AND​

Not just the Church, but Scripture also lists deadly (mortal / grave) sins. As in sins that keep one from heaven.

Continuing with our example​

Re: fornication in scripture

Ephesians 5:3-5 English translations of scripture aren’t always giving the specific meaning of the word used. E.G,The first sin mentioned, Immorality in that passage, (the Greek word for that from the Greek study bible, is πορνεία = porneia = fornication, ) … Verse 5 says, “Be sure of this, that no fornicator(in the Greek) πόρνος or impure man, or one who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

IOW,​

that is a list of (mortal/deadly/grave) sins.

no heaven for the one who dies in such sin = a mortal sin.
 
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Do you have an image of Jesus as the Divine Mercy?
Sometimes you need to just kneel in front of that image and tell God that you are little and just starting out. He knows that and doesn’t expect that an infant who is held up and first trying to put their feet on the floor won’t be learning how to drive a car tomorrow.

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Pray for me for understanding & that I may become a saint (in this life if at all possible.)

I want this so much. I know I have a long way to go. God’s brought me very far. Nothing is impossible with Him.

Thank you for all of this information.
God bless you. You obviously have a passion for reading. I’m very glad God’s given you this.
 
Opal0427 said:
Pray for me for understanding & that I may become a saint (in this life if at all possible.)

I want this so much. I know I have a long way to go. God’s brought me very far. Nothing is impossible with Him.

Thank you for all of this information.
God bless you. You obviously have a passion for reading. I’m very glad God’s given you this.
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And I’m old. 😆

Prayers ascending for all your intentions
 
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