LORD, WHO WILL BE SAVED FROM HELL?
In the Gospel today (Lk13:22-30), Jesus was asked if many souls will be saved from going to hell? Souls suffer eternally in hell, because they are permanently separated from God, with the result of weeping and grinding of their teeth over their agonising loss. If we separate ourselves from Jesus on earth, then, it only stands to reason, that we will be separated from Him in eternity. The Good News is that we have time now to change our ways and unite ourselves to Jesus, who is waiting to embrace and forgive us in the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession). On the Day of Judgement, the faithful and unfaithful, will be left in no doubt, that God exists, and is our Judge and Saviour, through Jesus Christ. Because people rejected Jesus on earth, He now rejects them, at the door leading to eternal peace. This is called Divine Justice. Even though they were baptised, and sometimes attended the odd funeral and wedding Mass, where they ate and drank Holy Communion at the Altar table, with Him – they didn’t recognise or believe in His presence. They never bothered with Him, while living on earth. They refused to repent and live by God’s Commandments. To live by our own commandments, will have a negative impact regarding the destiny of our souls for eternity. We, who sit at the table of the Lord every week, must be careful not to doubt His real presence in the Eucharist, or we too, will hear Jesus saying that He does not recognise our presence, when we attempt to gain entry into heaven. Recognition works both ways.
UNFAITHFUL AND UNBELIEVING SOULS ARE NOT OF GOD.
These are the souls who rejected the Cross in their lifetime. We are called to endure and offer our sufferings in this life, as a sacrifice, to God (Heb 12:5-7,11-13). It was Jesus’ sufferings that brought redemption to the world. We must do the same thing with our own redemptive sufferings. St. Paul tells us that, suffering is part of our spiritual training, because it becomes a divine currency that will purchase us a place in heaven. Jesus sends nobody to hell, because it is we, by our own life-choices, who send ourselves to that life of eternal suffering. The narrow door into heaven was first opened when the soldier pierced the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the Cross. With His open arms on the Cross, Jesus invites every sinner from every nation (Is 66:18-21), to repent for our sins and enter into a holy communion with Him here on earth, and then heaven. For us to enter, we are to shed our pride, impurities, arrogance and anger, in order to fit through the narrow door. Let us not get fat on sin, which will prevent us fitting through. The door to hell is pride and wide. In the last moments of his life, the Good Thief on the Cross, truly repented, with a contrite and sorrowful heart, and was given direct access to heaven. The last will be first and the first last. God bless, Fr. Brendan.