Very few make it to heaven?

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Jump4Joy said:
I don’t understand the fall of man and we are continunously punished for it. I don’t understand why are more thoughts or desires are sinful. I agree that thoughts can be unholy or bad. I don’t like how I can literally never be perfect. It’s innate.
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My friend, you’ve got it! that’s the whole point; coming to the conclusion and the comprehension that it is our nature that is broken, it is innate. And it is exactly what St. Paul is yelling from on top of his lungs that there is no other way but Jesus Christ the Savior: (i suggest you read the entire chapter 7 of the Romans for better appreciation of the Scripture below)

I find then a law, that when I have a will to do good, evil is present with me. 22For I am delighted with the law of God, according to the inward man: 23But I see another law in my members, fighting against the law of my mind, and captivating me in the law of sin, that is in my members. 24Unhappy man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25The grace of God, by Jesus Christ our Lord. Therefore, I myself, with the mind serve the law of God; but with the flesh, the law of sin. (Romans 7:21-25)
 
I’ll just add that I, too, do not understand all that happens - but the bottom line is that I am not the Creator - He is sovereign and simply stated, it’s His ballgame. He alone. I’m just very grateful and thankful that He loves me. I think most of us feel the same.
 
Actually, I made it to Heaven and am writing on CAF from there. Wanna know what I see?
 
I cannot say anything. It’s a SECRET and I’m only a store bought cake!
 
I don’t know the pictures you been giving were blonds, plus how does a cake have hair?
 
Believe me, don’t work at my Cake factory. No hair nets and everyone sheds :confused:
 
We already know…

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Are you Catholic? Then repent, have contrition for your sins and keep current on the Sacraments. Stay as close to God’s grace as you can. Simple in its complexity.

As to those we love? Well, in heaven we will have a perfect appreciation of all aspects of God. His mercy? Certainly, because we have benefited from it. His grace? Yes again, as it is His grace which got us there. His justice? Hmmmm…

Yes, also His justice, as it is also perfect. As counter-intuitive as it sounds, we will be pleased at those in hell, for they have freely chosen it and have received perfect justice.

If we can be satisfied with the guilty spending life in prison, then the same principle applies to hell.

There will be no one pouting in heaven.
 
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Are you referring to the passage in Luke 13:
The Narrow Door
22 He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23 And some one said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, 24 “Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the householder has risen up and shut the door, you will begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us.’ He will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ 26 Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from; depart from me, all you workers of iniquity!’ 28 There you will weep and gnash your teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves thrust out. 29 And men will come from east and west, and from north and south, and sit at table in the kingdom of God. 30 And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

If so, you need to read in context. Jesus goes on to say that once the householder shuts the door, you will stand outside and knock. The point is that the door is opened by God’s grace, but we have to make a decision to enter. If we do not enter, the door will at some point be closed.
 
Jazz said:
1Corintians 3:15 isn’t talking about “Purgatory”. Purgatory is a man made, Catholic Church false teaching. That scripture is talking about your WORKS, not your physical body or spiritual body. Jesus already paid the debt in full! It is a gift to us given by our Savior. There isn’t ANYTHING a person can do to save themselves.
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So you actually think Catholics are saved by works? Oh Lord, where do i begin? lol
That’s what i used to think in my old Protestant days while i also i thought i was saving them those poor, clueless Catholics who were Hell-bound… BUT, then there is just the sheer reality as solid as a rock, called Scripture & Tradition, to which i was oblivious - just like you are now. Please do yourself a favor and read the Church Fathers, then watch everything else fall into place in your faith.

By the way, something for you to ponder meanwhile: do you realize that each and every Protestant actually has to perform the “works” of repentance and belief in Christ to get saved? Repentance is the “continuous act” of stopping/turning away from your misdeeds, and “belief/believing” as it is always used in its original language (Aramaic/Greek) in the NT context requires the “acts” of placing trust in and following. In other words, it is not like believing some news headline you just heard on the radio. In its cultural context this is very Middle Eastern. If i say i believe in my own father, I don’t mean he doesn’t lie, it means i am following his lead in life (it’s way more than only looking up to him). A silly analogy perhaps, but let’s say you want this executive dream job so bad, they finally call you up for an interview, and you show up. But hold on, you are in shorts and flip flops, hair/beard is all over the place, and you cannot even respond to a single question properly. They will come to the judgement that clearly you are not serious about it and you couldn’t care less for the job, so then they call the next in line. Because if you actually wanted the job, your actions (which, in and of itself, does not get you the job / save you) would indicate so, instead of self-contradiction.it’s also like the stock market: if i say i believe in (trust) the XYZ shares are going high and will triple over the next quarter, and yet not buy a single stock, guess what happens? Nothing… I gotta work the act of buying the stock to benefit from it, which i wouldn’t so if i did not believe it in the first place.

In short, the reality is that the Catholics and Protestants are essentially on the same page, it’s just the way of interpreting it, as there is not a single human in history who is “saved” without the Saving Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
 
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It is true, we can’t save ourselves, but that doesn’t mean we play no role in our sanctification. Christ reconciles us to the Father, but He does not Himself expiate every injustice that results from our sin.

For example, say you steal $100 from me. You repent and are forgiven by Christ. Has He paid your whole debt? Not the temporal part: you still carry the “stain” of your sin with you: the $100 you stole is still in your wallet. You still carry the unjust benefit of your sin. That injustice is not completely expiated until you return the $100 (or, if that is not possible, make satisfaction some other way, like almsgiving).

All sins carry with them this kind of injustice, even if not always as tangible as in the case I presented to you. If we die before making sufficient satisfaction (what the Scriptures call deeds or fruits worthy of repentance), then these injustices are purged before we enter Heaven (since the Scriptures say nothing unclean can enter–there can be no injustice there).
 
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As for the OP, Christ suffered over it too, for example, during His agony in the garden. He was tormented by how many had so little care and ingratitude and instead cling to their own sins.

The number of the saved, however, has little to do with your own salvation. Here is what St. Leonard of Port Maurice said on this topic:
Brothers, I want to send all of you away comforted today. So if you ask me my sentiment on the number of those who are saved, here it is: Whether there are many or few that are saved, I say that whoever wants to be saved, will be saved; and that no one can be damned if he does not want to be. And if it is true that few are saved, it is because there are few who live well. As for the rest, compare these two opinions: the first one states that the greater number of Catholics are condemned; the second one, on the contrary, pretends that the greater number of Catholics are saved. Imagine an Angel sent by God to confirm the first opinion, coming to tell you that not only are most Catholics damned, but that of all this assembly present here, one alone will be saved. If you obey the Commandments of God, if you detest the corruption of this world, if you embrace the Cross of Jesus Christ in a spirit of penance, you will be that one alone who is saved.

Now imagine the same Angel returning to you and confirming the second opinion. He tells you that not only are the greater portion of Catholics saved, but that out of all this gathering, one alone will be damned and all the others saved. If after that, you continue your usuries, your vengeances, your criminal deeds, your impurities, then you will be that one alone who is damned.

What is the use of knowing whether few or many are saved? Saint Peter says to us, “Strive by good works to make your election sure.” When Saint Thomas Aquinas’s sister asked him what she must do to go to heaven, he said, “You will be saved if you want to be.” I say the same thing to you, and here is proof of my declaration. No one is damned unless he commits mortal sin: that is of faith. And no one commits mortal sin unless he wants to: that is an undeniable theological proposition. Therefore, no one goes to hell unless he wants to; the consequence is obvious. Does that not suffice to comfort you? Weep over past sins, make a good confession, sin no more in the future, and you will all be saved. Why torment yourself so? For it is certain that you have to commit mortal sin to go to hell, and that to commit mortal sin you must want to, and that consequently no one goes to hell unless he wants to. That is not just an opinion, it is an undeniable and very comforting truth; may God give you to understand it, and may He bless you. Amen.
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CatholicTurk said:
A silly analogy perhaps, but let’s say you want this executive dream job so bad, they finally call you up for an interview, and you show up. But hold on, you are in shorts and flip flops, hair/beard is all over the place, and you cannot even respond to a single question properly. They will come to the judgement that clearly you are not serious about it and you couldn’t care less for the job, so then they call the next in line
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A great analogy.
 
Genesis315 said:
It is true, we can’t save ourselves, but that doesn’t mean we play no role in our sanctification. Christ reconciles us to the Father, but He does not Himself expiate every injustice that results from our sin.

For example, say you steal $100 from me. You repent and are forgiven by Christ. Has He paid your whole debt? Not the temporal part: you still carry the “stain” of your sin with you: the $100 you stole is still in your wallet. You still carry the unjust benefit of your sin. That injustice is not completely expiated until you return the $100 (or, if that is not possible, make satisfaction some other way, like almsgiving).

All sins carry with them this kind of injustice, even if not always as tangible as in the case I presented to you. If we die before making sufficient satisfaction (what the Scriptures call deeds or fruits worthy of repentance), then these injustices are purged before we enter Heaven (since the Scriptures say nothing unclean can enter–there can be no injustice there).
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I heard a very good analogy of it the other day, it goes like this:

You come back home after playing ball all day, and now you’ve got mud all over your t-shirt/short. You walk in the house only to find grandma/grandpa visiting for dinner! (yeah yuppi!! :hugs:) Everybody is at the table happy and excited to see you, and so are you. Then you make a run towards them, but your mother stops you and says, “hold on young man! first you gotta go get cleaned up and change before you sit at the table, besides you can’t hug your grannies like that”

This spoke more than words to me, i hope it helps somebody reading this, also ✝️
 
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