you believe the pope will answer

[pablope]

I really appreciate all your replies. I read each and every one.

I believe I am starting to see the heart of what Catholics believe.

 

[onHisteam]

when ffg said …

I think it’s important to always remember that though we might follow what
we’re taught to do exactly, Truth is, God makes the decision on who enters, not us in word or deeds.

I would tend to disagree, from the above scenario, doesn’t each individual make the decision for him or herself as to what state
their own soul is in?
if one falls in grave sin, God will deny that person access to heaven until they confess.
God does not forgive grave sin if the person does not confess and repents, agree?

Good illustration ffg, one of my favorite

if getting into Heaven is our goal, be prepared (measured in our words and deeds) is the message in the parable (of the 10 virgins.)
I see 10 people with good hearts and 5 are left out. Be sure to bring your oil for your lamp.

Be prepared

… in earthly terms is having oil for the lamp, 5 virgins did not therefore they were denied
acccess

… in spiritual terms is maintaining your soul 24/7 because we never know when the good Lord will call
And when He calls, are we on the boat? or in the water?
you might answer … you can not predict the future … to which I agree 100%

however I do know if im a guilty of breaking any of the following grave sins (10 commandments) right now

and know what I need to do to be forgiven of that sin/s and get back in the boat

I am either in the water or on the boat at this moment in time.
and I believe you know if you are too.
You know if you have any sin which prevents you from being on the boat, yes?
and then there are these sins …
whose been guilty of any of these?

sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling,
jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness,
wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before,
that ***anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.***Gal 5:19-21

Which should extend our thought process to not just having a goal to get to Heaven, but in preparation to do so, in being the best at who we are as creations on earth.
Which means there is meaning to our lives on Earth here and to not look past this life.

agree 100%
and may I add, that guy or woman that passes us by tomorrow may not be of the faith and might be unaware they are currently drowning, That is of course if God gets hold of them before it is too late.
Maybe that is why, God led us to those people we encounter every day of our lives.
We know the truth? They may not.
Do we keep silent or throw the life raft?
Ask questions…
find out if they are of the faith

then it their choice whether or not to reject the “raft”

We hope they chose to put the raft on. Thereby, the Lord can rescue them and lift them up onto the boat with you and I in a temporary state of grace as mentioned in previos post

It’s above my pay grade to guess as to how God will judge.

I believe we can keep ourselves on the boat,
we can not know the hearts of anyone else, only God knows

The answer to this will depend somewhat on how a person understands the term “Know for sure”. If one “knows for sure” there is no room for hope - or for faith for that matter. But that is what the OSAS position seems to point to “knowledge”…That said - some people seem to go too far the other way in saying we cannot know, or that we have no assurance. This also is false. We CAN have assurance of our salvation on our deathbed providing that we have,
as Paul says, run the good race. So there needs to be a balance between having an assurance of salvation IF we follow Christ as we should and at the same time not taking salvation for granted (which is called the sin of presumption.
Does this help…

yes it helps…simply said… we can never presume what tomorrow will bring …only God knows…
but as individuals, right now, at this moment, we know what state our own soul is in,
on the boat or in the water

So at any time in the course of the day,
if we fall into the water,
how long are we going to let ourselves be in the water out of a state of grace, before calling for the boat once again…choice is ours…isnt it?

God bless

 

[onHisteam]

May I recommend that you start looking at biographies of the Saints…like Catherine of Sienna, Teresa of Avila, Francis of Assisi…they desired to confess everyday because they still sinned

Glad to hear I have company, I confess everyday too

The only one who did not have to confess every day was Jesus because He lived a sinless life, agree?

State or Way (Purgative, Illuminative, Unitive)

The word state is used in various senses by theologians and spiritual writers. It may be taken to signify a profession or calling in life, as where St. Paul says, in 1 Corinthians 7:20: “Let every man abide in the same calling in which he was called”. We have, in this sense, states of perfection, classified in the Church as the clerical state, the religious state, and the secular state; and among religious states, again, we have those of the contemplative, the active, and the mixed orders.

The word is also used in the classification of the degrees or stages of Christian perfection, or the advancement of souls in the supernatural life of grace during their sojourn in the world. This has reference to the practice of all the virtues, both theological and moral, and to all their acts both external and internal. It includes two elements, namely our own efforts and the grace of God assisting us. This grace is never wanting for those acts which are positively commanded or inspired by God, and the work of perfection will proceed according to the energy and fidelity with which souls correspond with its aids.

Division of the states or ways

In is in the latter sense we have to understand the word state in this article, and, according to the various classes of souls who aspire to perfection in this life, The Fathers and theologians distinguish three stages or states of perfection. These are the states of beginners, the state of progress, and the state of the perfect. These states are also designated “ways”, because they are the ways of God by which souls are guided on the road to heaven according to the words of the Psalmist: “He hath made His ways known to Moses: His wills to the children of Israel” (Psalm 102:7). Hence, we have the division of the spiritual life which has been adopted since the time of the Pseudo-Dionysius into the “purgative way”, the “illuminative way”, and the “unitive way”. (See St. Thomas, II-II:163:4; Francisco Suárez, “De Religione”, Tr. VIII, lib. I, c, xiii). St. Thomas well explains the reason for this division when he says:

The first duty which is incumbent on man is to give up sin and resist concupiscence, which are opposed to charity; this belongs to beginners, in whose hearts charity is to be nursed and cherished lest it be corrupted. The second duty of man is to apply his energies chiefly to advance in virtue; this belongs to those who are making progress and who are principally concerned that charity may be increased and strengthened in them. The third endeavor and pursuit of man should be to rest in God and enjoy Him; and this belongs to the perfect who desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ

Lot of info…break it down to a few simple questions…

Right now do you know if you are guilty of any grave sin??
Since your last confession, have you broken and one of the 10 commandments?
If you have then your soul is out of a state of grace, correct?
you will be denied heaven with that on your soul correct?

If you died tomorrow with that grave not confessed yet sin on your soul,
Do you believe God will allow you into heaven?

if no, how long are you going to gamble with your eternal life.

Yesterday 3 teens went swimming in a creek, only one came out alive
I hope they repented and confessed before they died
we never know when God will call.

 

[JRKH]

yes it helps…simply said… we can never presume what tomorrow will bring …only God knows…
but as individuals, right now, at this moment, we know what state our own soul is in,
on the boat or in the water

So at any time in the course of the day,
if we fall into the water,
how long are we going to let ourselves be in the water out of a state of grace, before calling for the boat once again…choice is ours…isn’t it?

God bless

Allow me to make an adjustment to the analogy you are referencing here…
If a person “falls” into sin, it will often be venial sin - even a serious sin - but will immediately (or almost immediately) start calling for help (repenting) and can get hauled back on board.
The person who commits a mortal sin, doesn’t fall - but rather jumps. They know what they are doing and they do it anyway. Remember - Mortal sin requires knowledge and free consent.
So the person who jumps off the ship might swim around in the water for some time before they realize that they did something stupid and they call out for help. In fact…they may never realize their own error and so will never call out.

Peace
James

 

[onHisteam]

Allow me to make an adjustment to the analogy you are referencing here…
If a person “falls” into sin, it will often be venial sin - even a serious sin - but will immediately (or almost immediately) start calling for help (repenting) and can get hauled back on board.
The person who commits a mortal sin, doesn’t fall - but rather jumps. They know what they are doing and they do it anyway. Remember - Mortal sin requires knowledge and free consent.
So the person who jumps off the ship might swim around in the water for some time before they realize that they did something stupid and they call out for help. In fact…they may never realize their own error and so will never call out…

Peace
James

“realize their own error and so will never call out”…

ok
and if they never call out they are damned to hell…right?
and if they do call out with a sincere repentant heart, no matter how much time has passed, they can get hauled back on board, correct??
God is faithful

btw whether I fall into or jump into the water, I am still in the water and need to call out(repent) to get hauled back on board , correct?
seriously

 

[JRKH]

“realize their own error and so will never call out”…

ok
and if they never call out they are damned to hell…right?
and if they do call out with a sincere repentant heart, no matter how much time has passed, they can get hauled back on board, correct??
God is faithful

Correct.

btw whether I fall into or jump into the water, I am still in the water and need to call out(repent) to get hauled back on board , correct?
seriously

Correct.

Peace
James

 

[Jitterbug]

Glad to hear I have company, I confess everyday too

The only one who did not have to confess every day was Jesus because He lived a sinless life, agree?

Well…If you asked a Catholic, they’d say no. Thanks to the Immaculate Conception, we believe Mary was without original and actual sin. That’s a WHOLE new conversation, though. If you want to know more, browse for past threads or start a new one if they don’t do it for you.

To answer a previous question, if one is in Purgatory, one WILL make it to heaven. God won’t make someone endure Purgatory and then damn them to Hell. If you’re ill on the boat, you WILL live and get well enough to get off.

Hope that helped.

 

[onHisteam]

Thank you James
46 posts later, we come to an agreement, Thank you Lord

with the understanding (when we are on the boat)

means for that moment we are saved, our soul is clean (state of grace) and we can reign with God for eternity in heaven
that’s also justification which is that moment in time where God see us just like Jesus Christ, one who has never sinned. (If only we could stay in that state of grace and cleanliness)
chances are we might fall or even jump into the water once again
I know I probably will

opening questions were…
Is a person saved before or after they experience physical death?
if before, how
if after, how?

Answer before. At death you either in the boat (saved) or in the water (damned)

In review …

If a person “falls” into sin, it will often be venial sin - even a serious sin - but will immediately (or almost immediately) start calling for help (repenting) and can get hauled back on board.

this is a state of grace

The person who commits a mortal sin, doesn’t fall - but rather jumps. They know what they are doing and they do it anyway. Remember - Mortal sin requires knowledge and free consent.
So the person who jumps off the ship might swim around in the water for some time before they realize that they did something stupid and they call out for help.In fact…they may never realize their own error and so will never call out…

whether I fall into or jump into the water, I am still in the water and need to call out(repent) to get hauled back on board , correct?

Correct.

ok

and if they never call out they are damned to hell…right?
and** if they do call out with a sincere repentant heart, no matter how much time has passed, they can get hauled back on board, correct??**

Correct.

so when it comes to being saved, there really is no difference between you and I

when we fall or jump into the water, we call out to God in confession and He saves us once again
lifting us up out of the water an unto the boat.

Only a fool would stay in the water without calling out (confessing)

God bless

 

[onHisteam]

Well…If you asked a Catholic, they’d say no. Thanks to the Immaculate Conception, we believe Mary was without original and actual sin. That’s a WHOLE new conversation, though. If you want to know more, browse for past threads or start a new one if they don’t do it for you.

To answer a previous question, if one is in Purgatory, one WILL make it to heaven. God won’t make someone endure Purgatory and then damn them to Hell. If you’re ill on the boat, you WILL live and get well enough to get off.

Hope that helped.

I heard Catholics believe Mary is without sin. I believe she was human just like the rest of us mortals. Whether she was sinless or not has no bearing on who Jesus is.

that or whether or not purgatory exists, I believe when we die, we go straight to heaven or the place down under, not talking about Australia.

Neither changes the fact that Jesus is the one who paid a tremendous price for our freedom.

God bless

and Thank you Jesus.

 

[GaryTaylor]

I heard Catholics believe Mary is without sin. I believe she was human just like the rest of us mortals. Whether she was sinless or not has no bearing on who Jesus is.,

Do you have another to compare who is the Mother of the Lord? Doesn’t this make her “not like the rest of us”?

I believe when we die, we go straight to heaven or the place down under,

So you pray for the dead, but its nothing but going through the motions? Why do you do this?

 

[JRKH]

I heard Catholics believe Mary is without sin. I believe she was human just like the rest of us mortals. Whether she was sinless or not has no bearing on who Jesus is.

that or whether or not purgatory exists, I believe when we die, we go straight to heaven or the place down under, not talking about Australia.

Neither changes the fact that Jesus is the one who paid a tremendous price for our freedom.

God bless

and Thank you Jesus.

I agree that these things do not change who Jesus was or what He did.

Which actually makes me wonder why some non-Catholic Christians become so upset over these matters. I’m not speaking specifically of you, “onHisteam” - your conversation has been respectful and quite delightful.
However we run into such folks on a regular basis who are all “up in arms” over such matters. It seems that they think that, because we believe in the IM and purgatory that somehow we DON’T believe in what Jesus did…

Peace
James

 

[ffg]

Great thread All.

I was going to quote an earlier response, but to keep it a little more brief - in response to points in post 42…

God is perfect, creatures in heaven are perfect, any human thinking they are “on the perfect boat, next dock Heaven”, might want to second guess themselves. Until our physical hearts stop ticking, there is not just time for preparation, but we are never done preparing until we can’t any longer.

Each individual is responsible for their own actions (words and deeds in this life).

How those actions affect the soul and how much mercy God has for actions that affect the soul unfavorably, is impossible to know. We do have guidance from God through the 10 commandments. The 2 key commandments (Love God and neighbor), as a homer, I would say the Church, etc…

It would be a sin of Pride to assume we as sinners are “all set” / “on the boat”. Isn’t that what the 5 virgin’s who were left outside assuming when they left the house to go to the party?

Reality, (though still a human’s thought process, I claim to know nothing) may be to know there is no boat and pray the hand of God scoop us up and save us.

An interesting example - If you were to observe the happenings in a Catholic Church, you would notice the people who take the longest in Confession, go to Mass daily, are those most people would observe and say “She / He are going right to heaven”.

The wonderful elderly lady is a great example for all of us that we are nowhere near ‘the boat’. If she’s still preparing, harder than ever. So shall we (or at least we see we are not preparing hard enough).

I’m nowhere near a boat, God save me, please.

The logical next piece of the conversation would be to study the effect of a sinner reaching for the hand of God yet not perfected, however, who’s physical heart has stopped.

God might place that person somewhere to be cleaned. Purgatory. A place to Purge imperfection.

 

[JRKH]

Great thread All.

I was going to quote an earlier response, but to keep it a little more brief - in response to points in post 42…

God is perfect, creatures in heaven are perfect, any human thinking they are “on the perfect boat, next dock Heaven”, might want to second guess themselves. Until our physical hearts stop ticking, there is not just time for preparation, but we are never done preparing until we can’t any longer.

Each individual is responsible for their own actions (words and deeds in this life).

How those actions affect the soul and how much mercy God has for actions that affect the soul unfavorably, is impossible to know. We do have guidance from God through the 10 commandments. The 2 key commandments (Love God and neighbor), as a homer, I would say the Church, etc…

It would be a sin of Pride to assume we as sinners are “all set” / “on the boat”. Isn’t that what the 5 virgin’s who were left outside assuming when they left the house to go to the party?

Reality, (though still a human’s thought process, I claim to know nothing) may be to know there is no boat and pray the hand of God scoop us up and save us.

An interesting example - If you were to observe the happenings in a Catholic Church, you would notice the people who take the longest in Confession, go to Mass daily, are those most people would observe and say “She / He are going right to heaven”.

The wonderful elderly lady is a great example for all of us that we are nowhere near ‘the boat’. If she’s still preparing, harder than ever. So shall we (or at least we see we are not preparing hard enough).

I’m nowhere near a boat, God save me, please.
**
The logical next piece of the conversation would be to study the effect of a sinner reaching for the hand of God yet not perfected, however, who’s physical heart has stopped.

God might place that person somewhere to be cleaned. Purgatory. A place to Purge imperfection.**

Good points above…
Taking the bolded part at the end…
I think one of the things that separates Catholics from some non-Catholics is not so much the idea of a final purgation being necessary - after all, St Paul speaks of this the idea of in one of his Epistles…Rather, I think the issue of “how long” such a purgation lasts.
I think that to the Non-Catholic who might agree that additional “perfecting” is needed - they would say that such perfecting occurs (more or less) instantaneously. That having repented and confessed to the Lord…and at death, having thrown themselves on on the Lord’s mercy, any needed cleansing could be taken care of in an instant.
Thus they would not see a need for a place (or a state) where the purgation occurs.
And since we hold that such things exist outside of our concepts of time and space…there is some merit to this view.

Of course there are differing views among protestants on this matter…but the above is an argument that I have seen advanced.

Peace
James

 

[ffg]

Great point James.

Of course God could take someone and make them perfect immediately. That would be essentially ‘Going right to Heaven’, since we are all sinners. One could argue that this happens to everyone (that goes to heaven).

However, we do have that ‘State of Grace’, which tugs us to think there might not be that cleansing for one in this ‘State’. I would guess those that die in this state do not know they are in this State because they are knowledgeable about the fact they are sinners, and it might be a pride to assume this ‘State’ for oneself.

Maybe, considering purgatory like a parent considers ‘go to your room’. Would help.

I’ll send a kid up, and be following right along, have a quick talk and we’re both out in minutes.

Or I send a kid up and say stay until I come up.

Or I say, come out when you are ready to apologize.

The point is, similar to previous, how are we to know how long it takes, it would be different for everyone.

But that doesn’t change the fact that the room ‘State’ exists.

 

[onHisteam]

Hi Gary,

happy to answer your questions

first…

So you pray for the dead, but its nothing but going through the motions? Why do you do this?

I pray for the dead?? where did you come to that conclusion? I have not even talked about the dead since I am here…other than saying if we die out of a state of grace, we will not go to heaven

Do you have another to compare who is the Mother of the Lord?

absolutely not, however…

Doesn’t this make her “not like the rest of us”?

before answering that, lets look at scripture from the NASB

Luke 1

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth,
27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

angel Gabriel appears to Mary

28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was very perplexedat this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.

Think about it…if Mary was holy, without sin, why was she puzzled, uncertain and afraid about this encounter with Gabriel?
perplexed: filled with uncertainty : puzzled (Meriam Webster)

31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”

after hearing she is pregnant she asks

34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”

Again, if she was holy, why is she surprised at the news? … how is this possible?

35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.

hmmm? holy spirit **will **come upon her. If she was holy, the Holy Spirit would have already been upon her, right?

37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Sounds like Gabriel is encouraging Mary to start believing the impossible, she is pregnant and she has not been with a man, and very much surprised this has happened to her
38 And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your
word

The answer to your question "Doesn’t this make her “not like the rest of us?”, my answer is …
Because she was perplexed, surprised and afraid, this makes Mary very much like the rest of us

God bless

 

[onHisteam]

I agree that these things do not change who Jesus was or what He did.

Which actually makes me wonder why some non-Catholic Christians become so upset over these matters. I’m not speaking specifically of you, “onHisteam” - your conversation has been respectful and quite delightful.
However we run into such folks on a regular basis who are all “up in arms” over such matters. It seems that they think that, because we believe in the IM and purgatory that somehow we DON’T believe in what Jesus did…

Peace
James

James, thank you for the compliment. Pleasure conversing with you too
I am sorry for all the non catholics you are referring.
in due respect, I posted here under another name a few years back (I forget what I used) and I encountered Catholics who said they are praying for my soul because they fear that I am not going to heaven because I do not believe in all you do.

We believe in the same Jesus Christ, who paid a tremendous horrible price for our freedom

And Jesus is the one true God in the flesh. By his blood our sins are forgiven.

That is the root to yours and the whole Christian family faith and belief

when we fall or jump in the water, we know who to call to get us back on board after we repent and ask forgiveness

outside of that, yes there are different beliefs but I do not believe it has any factor if our sins are forgiven or not …

Is the host changed to the body or not?
was Mary without sin?
is there a purgatory?
etc …

God bless

 

[GaryTaylor]

Hi Gary,

happy to answer your questions

first…I pray for the dead?? where did you come to that conclusion? I have not even talked about the dead since I am here…other than saying if we die out of a state of grace, we will not go to heaven
absolutely not, however…

before answering that, lets look at scripture from the NASB

Luke 1
angel Gabriel appears to Mary

Think about it…if Mary was holy, without sin, why was she puzzled, uncertain and afraid about this encounter with Gabriel?
perplexed: filled with uncertainty : puzzled (Meriam Webster)
after hearing she is pregnant she asks
Again, if she was holy, why is she surprised at the news? … how is this possible?

hmmm? holy spirit **will **come upon her. If she was holy, the Holy Spirit would have already been upon her, right?

Sounds like Gabriel is encouraging Mary to start believing the impossible, she is pregnant and she has not been with a man, and very much surprised this has happened to her
38 And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your
word

"The answer to your question “Doesn’t this make her “not like the rest of us?”, my answer is …
Because she was perplexed, surprised and afraid, this makes Mary very much like the rest of us”

Well allow me to give you another version of Luke.

1:28 When the Angel said; the Lord is with You. That cancelled any dept in regards to Mary. This was the fulfillment of His promise, the Word of God Himself. He built the temple of His flesh as He saw fit for Himself.

So how did God build this temple for Himself? Gods-perfection, built an imperfect temple? No, I don’t believe so.

1:29 Surprised, oh I would imagine so, not of the Angel who I highly doubt this was a first meeting. She was surprised by the depth of the mystery being communicated to Her. Communion with the Divine and human nature. Oh She was surprised, and this is why.

1:30 Favor She found, the Mother of the only begotten Son.

1:31 Jesus=Savoir, Conceive and give birth to Her own Savoir.

Mary was saved before anyone was saved.

Oh, so you don’t pray for family and friends and loved ones when they pass-on?

 

[Jitterbug]

Hello,

First I’d like to say that I’ll be using the Douay Rheims for my response, so it may appear different. I just find it very reliable.

I’d like to answer some of your objections, if I may.

Luke 1
angel Gabriel appears to Mary

Think about it…if Mary was holy, without sin, why was she puzzled, uncertain and afraid about this encounter with Gabriel?
perplexed: filled with uncertainty : puzzled (Meriam Webster)
after hearing she is pregnant she asks
Again, if she was holy, why is she surprised at the news? … how is this possible?

Chances are, she wasn’t really aware she was without sin. She didn’t have original sin, and the stain of original sin is what gives us our weakness and concupiscence. She didn’t have that, so she was always in perfect friendship with the LORD. Therefore, she most likely never WANTED to commit a sin, as she knew how it would offend Him.

Look at this version of Gabriel’s greeting.

“28 And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.”

Full of Grace. Meaning, she had SO much of God’s grace, it was overflowing. She couldn’t hold any more.

hmmm? holy spirit **will **come upon her. If she was holy, the Holy Spirit would have already been upon her, right?

I think this means that it’d come upon her in a VERY special way. We all have the Holy Ghost in us…Note that every Christian woman has NOT given birth to God. As another note, the Holy Ghost part isn’t in the DR at all. It simply says that she’ll concieve a Son, who will be the Most High.

"30 And the angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God.

31 Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus.

Sounds like Gabriel is encouraging Mary to start believing the impossible, she is pregnant and she has not been with a man, and very much surprised this has happened to her
38 And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your
word

In perfect honesty, no matter how holy, I think ANYONE would be shocked to know that they’d be giving birth to the world’s salvation.

Second, she was also a temple virgin. She never intended to have children anyway. It was all the more suprising. It’d be like someone coming up to a nun and saying they’d have a son. She married Joseph because she could no longer live in the temple, and being a woman alone was dangerous. She needed protection.

The answer to your question "Doesn’t this make her “not like the rest of us?”, my answer is …
Because she was perplexed, surprised and afraid, this makes Mary very much like the rest of us

God bless

Was Christ not afraid in the Garden?

Besides, just because one doesn’t have sin, doesn’t make them God. Mary is not God. She is sinless, the new Eve, the Ark of the New convenant…but not God.
She was subject to all things human…but sin.

 

[JRKH]

James, thank you for the compliment. Pleasure conversing with you too
I am sorry for all the non catholics you are referring.

No need to apologize for others.

in due respect, I posted here under another name a few years back (I forget what I used) and I encountered Catholics who said they are praying for my soul because they fear that I am not going to heaven because I do not believe in all you do.

Well - depending on what it is…there can be problems…

We believe in the same Jesus Christ, who paid a tremendous horrible price for our freedom

And Jesus is the one true God in the flesh. By his blood our sins are forgiven.

That is the root to yours and the whole Christian family faith and belief

when we fall or jump in the water, we know who to call to get us back on board after we repent and ask forgiveness

outside of that, yes there are different beliefs but I do not believe it has any factor if our sins are forgiven or not …

Agreed up to a point. There are indeed variations in beliefs that do not factor in…but then again…

Is the host changed to the body or not?
was Mary without sin?
is there a purgatory?
etc …

God bless

The first thing you list above touches on salvation. St Paul said that those who eat and drink without proper discernment of the body and the blood eat and drink judgement on themselves.
Jesus said “unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you have no life in you”.
At the last supper He said this IS my body and this IS my blood…

So - as you say there are variations that we can perhaps overlook…but then there are others that are of very real concern…
Given that we desire life and to avoid an unfavorable judgement, it seems the question of the real presence is something that we need to get right since if one gets it wrong…they have no life and they eat and drink judgement on themselves.

Just sayin…

Peace
James

 

[onHisteam]

FFG it has been a pleasure reading your comments and conversing with you too
I love your comments here…

God is perfect, creatures in heaven are perfect,

Amen

any human thinking they are “on the perfect boat, next dock Heaven”, might want to second guess themselves. It would be a sin of Pride to assume we as sinners are “all set” / “on the boat”.

here is where James and I came to an understanding of each other (post 46 & 48 sums it up)
ffg, you even said

Until our physical hearts stop ticking, there is not just time for preparation, but we are never done preparing until we can’t any longer.

absolutely correct, I am constantly praying to God to keep me strong in resisting the enemies temptations. His arms must be tired from all the times He lifted me up out of the water,
even though I do not like the deep waters, chances are I will be in the water in short time once more,

If she’s still preparing, harder than ever. So shall we (or at least we see we are not preparing
hard enough).

it is always a blessing to be motivated and inspired by the actions of a sister or brother in Christ

Isn’t that what the 5 virgin’s who were left outside assuming when they left the house to go to the party?

good point, 5 virgins were not prepared. in post 42 I addressed this, here it is again

Be prepared

… in earthly terms is having oil for the lamp, 5 virgins did not therefore they were denied
access

… in spiritual terms is maintaining your soul 24/7 because we never know when the good Lord will call
And when He calls, are we on the boat? or in the water?
you might answer … you can not predict the future … to which I agree 100%

Each individual is responsible for their own actions (words and deeds in this life).

how true that is,
you know at this moment in time if you have any grave sin on your soul that is not forgiven… thereby you are in the water or on the boat from the posts I pointed you to.
If you are on the boat you are currently in a state of grace, which can change in the next second.
however I do know if I am a guilty of breaking any of the grave sins (10 commandments) right now
you even said …

We do have guidance from God through the 10 commandments.

absolutely
and I believe if we break on of them we know what we need to do to be forgiven of that sin/s and get back in the boat

We are either in the water or on the boat at this moment in time.
and I believe you know if you are too.

You know if you have any sin which prevents you from being on the boat, yes?

How those actions affect the soul and how much mercy God has for actions that affect the soul unfavorably, is impossible to know

not sure if I fully understand what you are saying, but God is faithful at His word,
again … when we fail (sin) and sincerely confess and repent with a contrite heart, God forgives us, wipes the slate clean and remembers the sin no more, that is until we mess up again

. The 2 key commandments (Love God and neighbor), as a homer, I would say the Church, etc…

Amen

Reality, (though still a human’s thought process, I claim to know nothing)

humble you are, you know a lot more than you give yourself credit
the most important is, you know when you fall(no matter how), you know God is merciful and has unfailing love for you, and when you say Father, forgive me I have sinned with a sincere contrite heart… God forgives

I claim to know there is no boat and pray the hand of God scoop us up and save us.

I hope you see the agreement about the boat James and I came too.
Keeping yourself on the boat is a 24/7 process, always being aware where you are, on the boat or in the water…

continued …