Today's Mass Readings (10-29). Once-Saved Always-Saved?

[distracted]

Ephesians 6:1-9:

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother. This is the first commandment with a promise, that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life on Earth. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up with the training and insturction of the Lord. Slaves, be obedient to your human masters with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ, not only when being watched, as currying favor, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, willingly serving the Lord and not men, knowing that each will be requited from the Lord for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free. Masters, act in the same way towards them, and stop bullying, knowing that both they and you have a Master in Heaven and that with him there is no patiality.
**
St. Luke 13:22-30**: Jesus passed through towns and villages, teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” He answered them, “strive to enter through the narrow gate, for ***many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough. ***After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ He will say to you in reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ And you will say, ‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’ Then he will say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from. Depart form me, all you evildoeers!’ And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prohets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out. And people will come form the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the kingdom of God. For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

This passage seems to say that just going to Church will not save you. Yes, most of us know that… (hopefully). But it also tends to indicate that some who call themselves Christians are not “strong enough”… to enter Heaven.

We can’t ignore (pick and choose with) Christ’s words…

We will (according to highlighted above & other passages… and the Church) be judged by our actions…

 

[Robbinson]

Ephesians 6:1-9:

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother. This is the first commandment with a promise, that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life on Earth. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up with the training and insturction of the Lord. Slaves, be obedient to your human masters with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ, not only when being watched, as currying favor, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, willingly serving the Lord and not men, knowing that each will be requited from the Lord for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free. Masters, act in the same way towards them, and stop bullying, knowing that both they and you have a Master in Heaven and that with him there is no patiality.
**
St. Luke 13:22-30**: Jesus passed through towns and villages, teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” He answered them, “strive to enter through the narrow gate, for ***many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough. ***After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ He will say to you in reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ And you will say, ‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’ Then he will say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from. Depart form me, all you evildoeers!’ And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prohets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out. And people will come form the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the kingdom of God. For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

This passage seems to say that just going to Church will not save you. Yes, most of us know that… (hopefully). But it also tends to indicate that some who call themselves Christians are not “strong enough”… to enter Heaven.

We can’t ignore (pick and choose with) Christ’s words…

We will (according to highlighted above & other passages… and the Church) be judged by our actions…

I agree with this - Christ tells us this in scripture by telling us there will be many who call him Lord, but he will not “know them” even after they cast out demons in his name (evidence they had the Holy Spirit). Why? because they did not care for sick, feed the poor. Christ said, if you love me, follow my commandments. Paul warned the gentile believers (Christians) not to boast - that as God had cut Israel out of the root stock and grafted them in, he would “cut them out” if they fall (we can lose our salvation).

We can’t get to heaven by works alone - but we can’t get to heaven by faith alone either. We need faith (which is given to us by grace, the act of the Holy Spirit and we choose to react to it or not) and then works. Its not “either or” but “both”. Again, this is why Paul talks about the need to persevere - to finish the race.

Blessings,

Brian

 

[distracted]

I agree with this - Christ tells us this in scripture by telling us there will be many who call him Lord, but he will not “know them” even after they cast out demons in his name (evidence they had the Holy Spirit).

] I agree with you reasoning as to Why? But i think the Lord wants something besides that also… besides feeding the poor… (etc). I think he wants us to KNOW Him… because there is that one scripture that tells of Jesus saying to the lost ones: “Away from you, i never knew you.”

It seems many these days are so caught up in everything BUT Jesus that, of course, they then have no time for Him… and even Catholics who have t he infinite privilege of having the Real Presence in their Churches… do not spend time with him There… Many is the time i have spent time There all alone… (which is good for me, no doubt, but i am wondering about other parishioners’ relatinships with the Lord…). I realize one reason people don’t wnat to do that is because Jesus is Truth… and the truth, as they say (and wisely so) hurts… But we are going to face to face the Truth some day… so why not NOW? It is better to do our Purgatory now than later… When i am at the Blessed Sacrament, i am in Purgatory… At first, i thought that was just “my thing”… my take on the RP… but then i heard that the souls in Purg are There at the Tabernacle with Jesus… That was soemthing i was so glad to hear because i have been praying for the souls in Purg for some time… offering sufferings for them…

Anyway… i guess Catholics don’t spend time There (much) because they are too busy watching TV or something…

God bless…

 

[justasking4]

Ephesians 6:1-9:

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother. This is the first commandment with a promise, that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life on Earth. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up with the training and insturction of the Lord. Slaves, be obedient to your human masters with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ, not only when being watched, as currying favor, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, willingly serving the Lord and not men, knowing that each will be requited from the Lord for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free. Masters, act in the same way towards them, and stop bullying, knowing that both they and you have a Master in Heaven and that with him there is no patiality.
**
St. Luke 13:22-30**: Jesus passed through towns and villages, teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” He answered them, “strive to enter through the narrow gate, for ***many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough. ***After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ He will say to you in reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ And you will say, ‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’ Then he will say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from. Depart form me, all you evildoeers!’ And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prohets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out. And people will come form the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the kingdom of God. For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

This passage seems to say that just going to Church will not save you. Yes, most of us know that… (hopefully). But it also tends to indicate that some who call themselves Christians are not “strong enough”… to enter Heaven.

We can’t ignore (pick and choose with) Christ’s words…

We will (according to highlighted above & other passages… and the Church) be judged by our actions…

The Luke passage you quote is one of the most frightening passages in all of Scripture. To think we can so easily decieve ourselves even when it appears that we are “believers” by being in His presence should give us pause to examine ourselves to see if we really are in the faith…2 Corinthians 13:5.

What do you think are the “tests” a person should look at to determine if they are really in the faith?

 

[distracted]

What do you think are the “tests” a person should look at to determine if they are really in the faith?

This is the test, to see if i am really “in the faith”:

Do I really, whole-heartedly, believe and, more imporatnly, LIVE the Word of God (In other words: Do i do everything Jesus says to do)?

That is about all there is to it…

(although now that i think about it… it never says in the WRITTEN word of God that one must spend time with Jesus in His Real Presence… unless that is what He meant when he said to the lost ones: Away from me, i never knew you… )…

In any case, i don’t see how anyone gets purified (in this life) without spending time with Jesus There. I have spent hours There and when i left (because of “business” i had to attend to ), usually felt that i had only scratched the surface of what Jesus wanted to do with me… Of course, then i always try to get back There ASAP…

If you want to know what purgatory is like, go There… (and "Be still and know that [He] is God)…