Let’s say an old man, aged 100, walks out of his church after confession and lusts. He doesn’t purposefully lust, be he sees the most beautiful body EVER. Two seconds later, he drops dead from a deadly heart attack.
Let’s say this guy was a great Catholic, repented for what he did wrong, and treated everyone he knew with kindness. Does he go to heaven for being good, does he go to purgatory to finish that sin, or hell because it was serious?
Temptations are not sin. If they were then Christ is a miserable sinner. And, we by consequence should become like my Mormon neighbors who believe Jesus to be a little screwed up like the rest of us.
The demons can play with what you have sensible percepted during the course of earthly life. If it is in the memory they can play with it. Images and thoughts come and go, but we must give assent to them. Consider how beautiful a thing the diminishing of the memory in old age is.
In the case of a man dropping dead right after having a carrot dangled before his horse, I’d say it is a case of coming to the gate where the devil cannot go any further. It is that one last temptation the devil gives to souls who are about to pass away. These temptations at the hour of death are in a way a blessing, in that, God is allowing us to attain a few rungs higher on the ladder to heaven before we die and reduced our purgations perhaps by centuries. It is also an opportunity for those who are in spiritual death to have a final moment of repentance.
God allows turtle-doves to be sacrificed by the poor who have no lamb to speak of. It is God’s way of including those who through some fault are not part of the Catholic Church explicitly. (This last part is something I learned from reading books printed particularly by St. Benedict Press/TAN but also Ignatius Publishers… I suppose I just gave them a free-plug… Good Catholic orthodoxy in this regard is quite liberating to the soul.)
This is why we say, Hail Mary, Full of Grace… pray for us now and at the time of our death. This is part of the reason why our ancient and venerable Faith recognises Mary as
Felix Coeli Porta, the blessed Gate of Heaven. Satan is terrified of Mary.
Also, we know that the exercise of virtue becomes habit. The old fella at 100-years has, let us presume, exercised virtue over the course of his life. When his mind has gone, his body remains and will continue to behave like a properly trained donkey. He rides this foal of an *** into the blessed city that has been given to Mary. Virtue is something which even when not perfected is a spectacular gift to Mankind. To be virtuous of course literally means ‘to be manly’. And, we can remember that Mankind is composed of man and woman, the constituent parts intertwined and meant to be indissolubly linked in marriage, just as the Eucharist is an inseperable fusing of Sacrifice and Life of Christ.
Our entire being should be interpreted through the Eucharist. Every act and thought should be read through the Flesh and Blood of Christ as we are perceiving through a lens. I will cut it short, although I have many connecting thoughts that could be written. When Christ breathes His last; that is, gives out His priestly breathe over the waters, he speaks, “It is accomplished.” These are words about the Eucharist:
“The sacrament (mystery) is accomplished (perficitur/perfected) in the consecration (conficetur/confection) of the matter; the use of the sacrament (mystery) by the faithful does not of neccessity belong to the sacrament, but is something following upon the sacrament.”
The goal of the Christian life is to belong to Christ when we follow Him into death. But, should be not belong to Him when we die, it by no means makes His sacrifice imperfect. We are at His mercy and justice. Many go to purgation. Many go to damnation. Mary went to straight to Heaven for She belonged to Him entirely and deeply desired to die as Her Son died.
(I just realised I finished writing this at the hour of death… 3 pm)
