Why did God not allow me to die in a state of mortal sin.. but he let others?

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curiousgrace

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There has been a pressing question that I have had within me over the past few weeks. I am sure this is a question that many others could relate to.

I am having trouble understanding why God allowed me not to die when in the past I had committed mortal sins time and time again years passing by without going to confession, yet there are people who have died who may have committed only a few and who went to hell based on Catholic doctrine and what the Saints have said.

The thought of hell terrifies me, often to the point where I feel paralyzed with fear and anxiety that if I die anywhere at any given moment regardless I will be going to hell simply because I was not perfect. I cannot fathom what sets me apart from all the others who died yet did not know Christ. I could have been them.
 
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curiousgrace said:
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Catechism
301 With creation, God does not abandon his creatures to themselves. He not only gives them being and existence, but also, and at every moment, upholds and sustains them in being, enables them to act and brings them to their final end. Recognizing this utter dependence with respect to the Creator is a source of wisdom and freedom, of joy and confidence: …

313 “We know that in everything God works for good for those who love him.” …

314 We firmly believe that God is master of the world and of its history. But the ways of his providence are often unknown to us. …

1861 Mortal sin is a radical possibility of human freedom, as is love itself. It results in the loss of charity and the privation of sanctifying grace, that is, of the state of grace. …

1452 When it arises from a love by which God is loved above all else, contrition is called “perfect” (contrition of charity). Such contrition remits venial sins; it also obtains forgiveness of mortal sins if it includes the firm resolution to have recourse to sacramental confession as soon as possible. …
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curiousgrace said:
I am having trouble understanding why God allowed me not to die when in the past I had committed mortal sins
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Committing a Mortal sin doesn’t mean that you’re going to be struck down.
curiousgrace said:
yet there are people who have died who may have committed only a few and who went to hell
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You really don’t know who’s in Hell. Perhaps these people made a Perfect Act of Contrition and are in Purgatory?
curiousgrace said:
The thought of hell terrifies me, often to the point where I feel paralyzed with fear and anxiety that if I die anywhere at any given moment regardless I will be going to hell simply because I was not perfect.
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Have you ever heard of Divine Mercy? God isn’t a boogeyman waiting to throw people into Hell. I would suggest that you speak with your Priest about this matter.
 
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curiousgrace said:
yet there are people who have died who may have committed only a few and who went to hell based on Catholic doctrine and what the Saints have said.
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  1. You, and the rest of us here on earth, have no way of knowing for sure if a soul went to Heaven or Hell, except in the case of canonized saints where the Vatican has officially declared they are in Heaven. (There are a handful of saints such as Padre Pio who had private revelations about the state of a deceased person’s soul, but we are not required to believe them.) So, while we can state that Catholic teaching is that someone who dies in a state of unrepented and unconfessed mortal sin risks going to Hell, we cannot say for certain they are there.
  2. God also knows the heart of each individual person and it may be that their sins, while grave, were not mortal because the person did not have full intent to sin or did not have full knowledge something was grave or was a sin at all, etc.
  3. God in his mercy may provide some mechanism to directly forgive people who repent at the moment of death, even if they do not have a chance to go to confession.
  4. God has a plan for each person’s life. People’s deaths may be within God’s plan or they may be outside God’s plan if the person died because he chose not to follow God’s plan (example: person commits suicide; God obviously didn’t plan for the person to die by his own hand). You are best off not thinking about what God is doing with other people and just focusing on understanding his plan for YOUR life. Put the other people in God’s hands and leave them there.
  5. It is not healthy, nor is it a good approach to Catholicism/ Christianity, to go around being terrified of hell all day. You need to re-orient your thinking towards God’s love, mercy, friendship and his plan for you and not be thinking he’s just waiting to catch you in some unconfessed mortal sin and send you to Hell.
Also, no human, not even the greatest saint, is ever going to be “perfect” here on earth. The great saints recognized this and considered themselves poor sinners right up to their deaths. If you’re striving for perfection on earth you are not going to get there, you’re just going to frustrate yourself and make yourself miserable.

You should simply ask God for the gift of final perseverance, which means the preservation of the state of grace until the end of your life. And then try to do your best, including reasonably frequent confession and an understanding that everything you accomplish is done with the help of God and you cannot do it on your own. And stop worrying about Hell. “Pray, hope and don’t worry.”

I am sad to see people being so scared of hell when they should just be throwing themselves on the mercy of God and focusing on doing as much to love God and others as they can, and not sitting around worrying about themselves. If they are aware they have committed a serious sin then they should go to Confession; even if not aware of a serious sin, still go to Confession once every 2 to 4 weeks. And then you can just stop worrying about it. I don’t worry about it.
 
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According to St Thomas Aquinas god chooses who he chooses and reprobates(as a result of the persons sinful choices) whom he chooses, this is a mystery that will only be discovered on the last day.
 
Part of the point of the General Judgment on the day of the General Resurrection is to understand and show clearly why God made the particular judgment is each soul’s case. Every soul, including the damned, will see and understand the justice and mercy of God.

Until that day, we do not know bupkis.

If you are troubled about those who apparently died in their sins, you should pray for the dead and dying, and for the souls in Purgatory, and for living people who are unrepentant or despairing. The Divine Mercy chaplet is very good for this. You might also want to offer up little sacrifices and frustrations to help such people.
 
If the thought of hell truly terrifies you, and you seem to find yourself in a state of mortal sin, what’s up with that? Ask, beg for the grace to turn from your sin. God will never deny grace to a repentant and contrite heart. Never.

Is there some other issue that you are dealing with? Please do not answer here, but I think it might be influencing your thoughts and posts. If so, please speak with Father about that.
 
God knows the heart. Do not worry about the others what happened to their souls is between them and God.
 
po18guy said:
If the thought of hell truly terrifies you, and you seem to find yourself in a state of mortal sin, what’s up with that?
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I frequently reach a point where the urge to sin overwhelms every other faculty of my mind, and absorbs all other thoughts. I can be actively thinking about the realities of Hell, but it gets pushed out of my mind in favor of the more “desirable” sin. Eventually, I just kinda of give in. There’s no real thought involved. I don’t go “okay, I’m going to go do this sin now.” I just kinda do it…

I thank God He didn’t let me die in college, and I thank God every time He preserves me from death before I get to confession. I don’t know why He allows me this reprieve, but I am glad He does.
 
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Hmmm. This sounds serious. I would consult with father about it. No doctor here, but intrusive or repetitive thoughts may be a sign of a very treatable condition. Have you spoken with doctor about this?
 
Not yet, but I’ve finally broken down and decided to find a counselor. I’ve been getting worse rather than better, even as I try to become a better Catholic, so I need to try something new. A counselor is the next step.
 
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One in five Americans (true throughout the west, basically) suffers from some form of anxiety or OCD. Fortunately, both are treatable without drugs. I interact with the anxious daily on cancer forums and it is a horrible condition, stealing any and all traces of peace. You should not live in fear or doubt, but in peace, as the Lord would have it.

I think you are on the right track.
 
Ah, no. This isn’t anxiety or OCD, it’s good old-fashioned addiction. My problems with sin come from a small lifetime of indulgence.

Thank you for the kind words though, I hope to find a good counselor who will help me get beyond this immorality.
 
Only God knows the beginning from the end. He knows if and when we’ll be the best that we’ll ever be. And he judges by the heart, BTW, which He knows far better than ourselves.
 
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