Will Jesus know me on Judgment Day?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Dara
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
D

Dara

Guest
I am currently doing the True Devotion to Mary, by St Lois D Monfort. In the reading it talks about the way to Heaven being straight and wide but the gates being narrow and only a few will make it. It also talks about how some that pray will not be recognized by Jesus because they didn’t do enough.

I am pretty worried about that. I do my best, but I ALWAYS feel like it isn’t enough! I go to Mass as stipulated, I go to confession regularly, and only rarely with an actual mortal sin, I am active in my parish, but I know I am not good enough no matter how hard I try. I do my best anyway, I teach my son to the best of my ability, but I’m almost certain that I won’t make the cut. The reason I feel this way is because I have no one on earth. People come to me all the time, they tell me how sweet and great I am, how wonderful I am, but they have no interest in interacting with me beyond their needs (This is all non romantic - I don’t even date.)

If I can’t even keep people around, who honestly think I’m a good person and who honestly tell me I am inspiring, the. What chance do I have of Jesus letting me near him? I don’t know what I am Doug wrong, but it all feels wrong. I am not a person that feels sorry for myself. I am more blessed than anyone else on the planet, my blessings are just different. They are insights in to why people feel the way they feel. It all helps me make others feel better. Please understand that I am in general a happy person, this is just a nagging worry I have in spite of my joy and love of my faith.
 
Dara said:
I am currently doing the True Devotion to Mary, by St Lois D Monfort. In the reading it talks about the way to Heaven being straight and wide but the gates being narrow and only a few will make it. It also talks about how some that pray will not be recognized by Jesus because they didn’t do enough.

I am pretty worried about that. I do my best, but I ALWAYS feel like it isn’t enough! I go to Mass as stipulated, I go to confession regularly, and only rarely with an actual mortal sin, I am active in my parish, but I know I am not good enough no matter how hard I try. I do my best anyway, I teach my son to the best of my ability, but I’m almost certain that I won’t make the cut. The reason I feel this way is because I have no one on earth. People come to me all the time, they tell me how sweet and great I am, how wonderful I am, but they have no interest in interacting with me beyond their needs (This is all non romantic - I don’t even date.)

If I can’t even keep people around, who honestly think I’m a good person and who honestly tell me I am inspiring, the. What chance do I have of Jesus letting me near him? I don’t know what I am Doug wrong, but it all feels wrong. I am not a person that feels sorry for myself. I am more blessed than anyone else on the planet, my blessings are just different. They are insights in to why people feel the way they feel. It all helps me make others feel better. Please understand that I am in general a happy person, this is just a nagging worry I have in spite of my joy and love of my faith.
Click to expand...
Dara, I am doing the consecration as well. Monfort uses rather extreme language, although our Lord said these things himself. I have wondered about those words sometimes myself, but have concluded they are NOT intended for those souls who truly love our Lord and are seeking to do his will. If you are in that camp, and it sounds to me like you are, have no fear! Our Lord is faithful, loving, and just. He loves us as children. If we repent, do his will and love him, we will see him in heaven just as he promised.

I don’t know how familiar you are with spiritual warfare, but the evil one loves to put the kinds of doubts you are having into our minds. You must dismiss these thoughts. The devil wants us to think that our Lord doesn’t love us and that we won’t ever be good enough to get into heaven. The good thing is that we don’t need to be “good enough”. Jesus paid the price for us. All we must do is trust in him. Keep doing all the good things you are doing Dara.

As for the other part about not being able to keep people around, I can’t comment…other than to say that many people are shallow and have no interest in relationships other than what they are able to get out of them. I will pray you find some real friends in the very near future. In the meantime, continue to focus on our Lord and your son. Those are the most important things in your life.
 
Hope is a supreme virtue. We must live in it with Jesus, as the great majority of us spend most of our lives not being absolutely certain of our salvation.

But, when everybody left Jesus because of His discourse on the Body and Blood, He asked the Apostles, “Are you going to leave me too?” Peter said, “Lord, where can we go. You have the words of everlasting life.”

These words of Peter show just how we have no choice but to follow Jesus and hope.
 
MySoulIsWeak said:
worshipping mary?

see revelation 21:8
Click to expand...
What is your goal on CAF? I ask because just today, alone, you have posted numerous ‘anti Catholic’ posts, while quoting your own personal interpretation of scriptures.

Why don’t you ask what Catholics believe, instead of telling us what we really believe? You might just find out Catholics don’t worship Mary. :rolleyes:
 
MySoulIsWeak said:
worshipping mary?

see revelation 21:8
Click to expand...
Rev 21:8? I highly recommend you also read Matthew 7. It is true that we are called to educated others but did Jesus not send us out to be loving to our neighbor? Did he define a neighbor as one that shares all the same beliefs? No, think of the Good Samaritan and know that they were loathed for their differences, but he was neighborly. I will choose to assume you mean only to see me safely in the arms of God, so I shall explain.

As for worshipping Mary, that is absolutely disdainful. Mary, herself, would find that a grave offense. Rather we respect Mary for being the one Creature pure enough to carry The Lord in her womb! We are revering that grace which God granted her, not calling her a goddess. We worship ONLY the Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit, our Single God in his great Trinity.

Let us start with why we think the dead can help us, the topic of Saints and their prayera for us. Read Psalm 148. it has prayers being directed to God from Heaven, from angels, and from his host - Who is his host? Those on earth as we pray for each other? Of course, but also those that are in Heaven as Saints, because why would God fail to use his eternal creations? In Rev 5:8 we see 24 elders that represent the people of God and they all have bowls FULL of incense for God. We see an angel giving prayers to God with incense 8:3-5.

Have you ever wondered why there are incense in the church? It is a visual of the prayers people send to Heaven! Now you see that those 24 elders receive our prayers (btw "prayer originally just meant request or petition) add their support to those prayers and deliver them to the ONE God. The Bible tells us to pray for each other, to love each other - that duty doesn’t end at death!

Now for Mary, the very first sentence, in the very first paragraph of the very first chapter of True Devotion to Mary states, clearly, so that there can be no misunderstanding of Mary’s nature: “I avow, with all the Church, that Mary, being a mere creature that has come from the hands of the Most High, is in comparison with His Infinite Majesty less than an atom; or rather she is nothing at all, because only He is “He who is” (Exod. 3:14; consequently that grand Lord, always independent and sufficient of Himself, never had, and has not now, any absolute need of the holy Virgin for the accomplishment of His will and for the manifestation of His glory.”

ie. God didn’t need her, He chose her. He was obedient to her as Jesus, her son, and he obviously loved her! How rude and ungrateful we would be to say, “So what, Mary, God loved you enough to let your womb house Him for 9 months, to let you raise His child body, care for Him, breast feed Him, but just because God loves you doesn’t mean that we do, so back off!” How can we say that? Think of the wedding feast at Canna where Mary entreats her son Jesus to do something about the lack of wine. Read it, Jn 2, look at Mary entreat her son, look at how He pleased her, though He said hHs hour hadn’t come. She didn’t even pause, she KNEW His love for her, and she knew He would fix it.

That is a brief description of why we revere Mary and how worshipping her is foolish. We worship only God.
 
Waiting For Jesus, thank you for the encouragement. I think you are correct and I shall pray a prayer for protection to St. Michael when I fear. I can only do my best, and it can’t ever be good enough, because I am not Jesus.
Thank you!
 
Dara said:
I am currently doing the True Devotion to Mary, by St Lois D Monfort. In the reading it talks about the way to Heaven being straight and wide but the gates being narrow and only a few will make it. It also talks about how some that pray will not be recognized by Jesus because they didn’t do enough.

I am pretty worried about that. I do my best, but I ALWAYS feel like it isn’t enough! I go to Mass as stipulated, I go to confession regularly, and only rarely with an actual mortal sin, I am active in my parish, but I know I am not good enough no matter how hard I try. I do my best anyway, I teach my son to the best of my ability, but I’m almost certain that I won’t make the cut. The reason I feel this way is because I have no one on earth. People come to me all the time, they tell me how sweet and great I am, how wonderful I am, but they have no interest in interacting with me beyond their needs (This is all non romantic - I don’t even date.)

If I can’t even keep people around, who honestly think I’m a good person and who honestly tell me I am inspiring, the. What chance do I have of Jesus letting me near him? I don’t know what I am Doug wrong, but it all feels wrong. I am not a person that feels sorry for myself. I am more blessed than anyone else on the planet, my blessings are just different. They are insights in to why people feel the way they feel. It all helps me make others feel better. Please understand that I am in general a happy person, this is just a nagging worry I have in spite of my joy and love of my faith.
Click to expand...
Dara:
You might be right that you are not good enough, but I’d say you are in good company. Even Saint Paul said of himself:

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.

(1 Timothy 1:15)

Still, I don’t believe this means God will forsake you. Reminds me of something David wrote:

10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
the Lord will receive me.
11 Teach me your way, Lord.

(Psalm 27)

Definitely something to think and pray about. Keep doing your best, and trust Christ for the rest.

🙂
 
Dara - you are right, it (whatever we do) is NEVER enough.

And you are wrong, because He does not expect or ask us to do ENOUGH. He only asks us to accept the gift of grace He offers - the gift He willingly died to give us.

All the things we “do” are offerings we make to Him in gratitude for what He has given to us. They don’t, they CAN’T, merit our salvation. But they don’t have to, because He has already won it for us.

Someone else has pointed out that de Montfort’s language tends to the hyperbolic. It is also not “inspired” in the same sense as Scripture. Just because someone is a saint doesn’t mean every single word they wrote is from God, and there are many, many forms of spirituality in the Church. If it (The True Devotion to Mary) causes you to fall into the sin of despair, put it away and read/pray something else.

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all iniquity.”

Sally
 
It’s all about the relationship…we can do good works, pray, offer big sacrifices etc etc…you can do all this stuff and yet not KNOW Jesus.

All the above is good…but if it doesn’t move your heart, mind, soul and strength to offer itself out of LOVE to Jesus… it means nothing! It’s the relationship between Him and you that matters.

I hear you mention often about your acknowledgement of your weaknesses and lacking…which is true!

However, I think this is a beautiful way to look at it: Most parents when cooking, have their kids come help them sometimes …to crack an egg, to add more milk, to stir…EVEN THOUGH the parent KNOWS from the get go…the kid is probably going to crack egg shells in the mix, add too much milk, or have to end up stirring in the end anyways…but the parent still wants the kid working with them…because they love them and want to have an experience and deepen their relationship.

It is the same with us and God with our good works…He makes up for what we lack, insists we play a part and practice and grow…and He loves what we’re able to give Him in the end.

God bless, and relax and trust!
 
NHInsider said:
Dara - you are right, it (whatever we do) is NEVER enough.

And you are wrong, because He does not expect or ask us to do ENOUGH. He only asks us to accept the gift of grace He offers - the gift He willingly died to give us.

All the things we “do” are offerings we make to Him in gratitude for what He has given to us. They don’t, they CAN’T, merit our salvation. But they don’t have to, because He has already won it for us.

Someone else has pointed out that de Montfort’s language tends to the hyperbolic. It is also not “inspired” in the same sense as Scripture. Just because someone is a saint doesn’t mean every single word they wrote is from God, and there are many, many forms of spirituality in the Church. If it (The True Devotion to Mary) causes you to fall into the sin of despair, put it away and read/pray something else.

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all iniquity.”

Sally
Click to expand...
Perhaps I didn’t express myself well. I am doing the true devotion but it is not what made me worry. It directs to scripture & it is the scripture from the bible that concern me, as it had been each time I read it… ie: Matthew 7:13-14. There is a long list of things to avoid before that then he talks about how easy to be destroyed and hard to pass through the gate to life. Then in Matthew 7:21- 23. This is where he talks about the role we play in accepting His gift. He basically stated that some will be told to get lost because they were not dedicated enough. That is what worried me. It always does.

Life was easier before when I thought I chose if I went to heaven and didn’t believe in an alternative! With my conversion comes a lot more responsibility. A lot more joy, but also more worry. I keep doing my best, but the trouble with my best is that I’m sure God knows my best better than I do, so I’m not sure if he will take my best or what he knows to be my best and that I have no idea how to do. Lol.
 
NT-

Not every one that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works? 23And then will I profess to them,** I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity. **

The Sheep and the Goats

31When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory: 32And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats: 33And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. **34Then shall the King say to them on his right hand, Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35For I was an hungered, and you gave me meat: I was thirsty, and you gave me drink: I was a stranger, and you took me in: 36Naked, and you clothed me: I was sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me. 37Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we you an hungered, and fed you? or thirsty, and gave you drink? 38When saw we you a stranger, and took you in? or naked, and clothed you? 39Or when saw we you sick, or in prison, and came to you? 40And the King shall answer and say to them, Truly I say to you, Inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these my brothers, you have done it to me. 41Then shall he say also to them on the left hand, Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42For I was an hungered, and you gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink: 43I was a stranger, and you took me not in: naked, and you clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and you visited me not. 44Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we you an hungered, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to you? 45Then shall he answer them, saying, Truly I say to you, Inasmuch as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me. 46And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. **

From the life of St Martin of tours-

It was on this garrison duty at Amiens that the event took place that has been portrayed in art throughout the ages. On a bitterly cold winter day, the young tribune Martin rode through the gates, probably dressed in the regalia of his unit – gleaming, flexible armor, ridged helmet, and a beautiful white cloak whose upper section was lined with lambswool. As he approached the gates he saw a beggar, with clothes so ragged that he was practically naked. The beggar must have been shaking and blue from the cold but no one reached out to help him. Martin, overcome with compassion, took off his mantle. In one quick stroke he slashed the lovely mantle in two with his sword, handed half to the freezing man and wrapped the remainder on his own shoulders. Many in the crowd thought this was so ridiculous a sight that they laughed and jeered but some realized that they were seeing Christian goodness. That night Martin dreamed that he saw Jesus wearing the half mantle he had given the beggar. Jesus said to the angels and saints that surrounded him, “See! this is the mantle that Martin, yet a catechumen, gave me.” When he woke, it was the “yet a catechumen” that spurred Martin on and he went immediately to be baptized. He was eighteen years old.
 
Paul_theApostle said:
NT-

Not every one that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works? 23And then will I profess to them,** I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity. **

The Sheep and the Goats…

From the life of St Martin of tours-

It was on this garrison duty at Amiens that the event took place that has been portrayed in art throughout the ages. On a bitterly cold winter day, the young tribune Martin rode through the gates, probably dressed in the regalia of his unit – gleaming, flexible armor, ridged helmet, and a beautiful white cloak whose upper section was lined with lambswool. As he approached the gates he saw a beggar, with clothes so ragged that he was practically naked. The beggar must have been shaking and blue from the cold but no one reached out to help him. Martin, overcome with compassion, took off his mantle. In one quick stroke he slashed the lovely mantle in two with his sword, handed half to the freezing man and wrapped the remainder on his own shoulders. Many in the crowd thought this was so ridiculous a sight that they laughed and jeered but some realized that they were seeing Christian goodness. That night Martin dreamed that he saw Jesus wearing the half mantle he had given the beggar. Jesus said to the angels and saints that surrounded him, “See! this is the mantle that Martin, yet a catechumen, gave me.” When he woke, it was the “yet a catechumen” that spurred Martin on and he went immediately to be baptized. He was eighteen years old.
Click to expand...
Thank you for sharing that. An excellent example of how we should do God’s will, and it reminded me of something I needed to do myself.
 
Paul_theApostle said:
NT-

Not every one that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works? 23And then will I profess to them,** I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity. **

The Sheep and the Goats

31When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory: 32And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats: 33And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. **34Then shall the King say to them on his right hand, Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35For I was an hungered, and you gave me meat: I was thirsty, and you gave me drink: I was a stranger, and you took me in: 36Naked, and you clothed me: I was sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me. 37Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we you an hungered, and fed you? or thirsty, and gave you drink? 38When saw we you a stranger, and took you in? or naked, and clothed you? 39Or when saw we you sick, or in prison, and came to you? 40And the King shall answer and say to them, Truly I say to you, Inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these my brothers, you have done it to me. 41Then shall he say also to them on the left hand, Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42For I was an hungered, and you gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink: 43I was a stranger, and you took me not in: naked, and you clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and you visited me not. 44Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we you an hungered, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to you? 45Then shall he answer them, saying, Truly I say to you, Inasmuch as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me. 46And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. **

From the life of St Martin of tours-

It was on this garrison duty at Amiens that the event took place that has been portrayed in art throughout the ages. On a bitterly cold winter day, the young tribune Martin rode through the gates, probably dressed in the regalia of his unit – gleaming, flexible armor, ridged helmet, and a beautiful white cloak whose upper section was lined with lambswool. As he approached the gates he saw a beggar, with clothes so ragged that he was practically naked. The beggar must have been shaking and blue from the cold but no one reached out to help him. Martin, overcome with compassion, took off his mantle. In one quick stroke he slashed the lovely mantle in two with his sword, handed half to the freezing man and wrapped the remainder on his own shoulders. Many in the crowd thought this was so ridiculous a sight that they laughed and jeered but some realized that they were seeing Christian goodness. That night Martin dreamed that he saw Jesus wearing the half mantle he had given the beggar. Jesus said to the angels and saints that surrounded him, “See! this is the mantle that Martin, yet a catechumen, gave me.” When he woke, it was the “yet a catechumen” that spurred Martin on and he went immediately to be baptized. He was eighteen years old.
Click to expand...
Yes, those are the ones that make me worry! 🙂 I worry that I will not do enough.

It is also a beautiful promise to those who do enough.
 
Dara said:
Yes, those are the ones that make me worry! 🙂 I worry that I will not do enough.

It is also a beautiful promise to those who do enough.
Click to expand...
Dara, that’s correct. If you are following the promptings of the spirit when you see a soul in need and doing your best to comply with our Lord’s will for you, have no fear! 🙂 These worries are coming from the evil one. Ask the Mother Mary to help you with these fears and temptations. This is one of the things she does to helps those who do the de Montfort consecration. God bless you.
 
Dara said:
Yes, those are the ones that make me worry! 🙂 I worry that I will not do enough.

It is also a beautiful promise to those who do enough.
Click to expand...
I used to pray and ask God to help me to ‘feed the hungry.clothe the naked.visit the sick’ etc etc’

I was eager to do a lot of these things back then ,and if we are willing to work with God and the Holy Spirit he will find plenty of ways for us to perform these actions of goodwill and love.

If we really give ourselves to God and set our hearts on Him,it will happen,you will love others the way God wants you to love and you may find yourself doing many acts of mercy and love towards others.

But works without faith are dead,so seek first the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness and all works must be for the Glory of God.
 
Dara said:
Yes, those are the ones that make me worry! 🙂 I worry that I will not do enough.

It is also a beautiful promise to those who do enough.
Click to expand...
No one does enough. There is but one stone by which we balance the scale. In the meantime do your best.

There is nothing else you can place on that scale to balance it. Any more or any less than that one stone is insufficient. If St Martin placed a stone and his mantle on the end of that scale it would not budge a bit toward his favor. However if St. Martin ignored that beggar he would have no stone to place in the first place.

On that final day there will be many people with works in the tons and yet no stone. They will still owe the scale.

One stone… any more… any less is insufficient. It is the only currency that our debt accepts. I think the question is not “do I have enough weight to add?”, but rather do I own the cornerstone.

Owning that cornerstone is some parts faith some parts works, but 0 parts the weight of those works.
Paul_theApostle said:
If we really give ourselves to God and set our hearts on Him,it will happen,you will love others the way God wants you to love and you may find yourself doing many acts of mercy and love towards others.
Click to expand...
It’s like that^. It’s not our duty to try to squeeze out fruit on our own ability, but rather to dive our roots into Him that He might bare fruit through us. Our chief concern is not transforming ourselves by our own might of will, but diving those roots deep that He might transform us.

I think the people in that parable where Jesus denies them despite their “good” works were denied because they bore human fruit. Their roots never reached the source to bare spiritual fruit.
 
I ran out of edit time to add the last line.
Semangelof said:
I think the people in that parable where Jesus denies them despite their “good” works were denied because they bore human fruit. Their roots never reached the source to bare spiritual fruit. They never knew Him, and likewise He never knew them
Click to expand...
Matthew 7:21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Click to expand...
It’s not the amount of works Jesus is condemning here but “did they follow the will of God”. Here Jesus talks about a group of people, much like the Pharisees, with all these works and yet they don’t follow the will of God. Such a group He calls evildoers.
 
It seems clear the Divine Trinity wants all humans to reach Heaven, just as He wanted us to inhabit a Paradise (Eden), even though He knew that all of us would not reach either of them.
I am comforted by Jesus’ promise: (Jn 10:9) I am the gate, whoever enters through me will be saved…
But I think His Forgiveness and Redemption depend upon our repentance and search for Conversion and Righteousness. Certainly it seems you are searching,
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top