By FR. JAMES ALTMAN
Dear family, our meditation today is all about two of the Four Last Things. Remember, the Four Last Things are: Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell. So today we will ponder what happens after Death and after Judgment: Heaven or Hell.
As I was writing this two thoughts immediately came to me.
Firstly, about the salvation part, how a lot of non-Catholics like to say, “I’m saved” and — sadly — how many Catholics now run around acting as if they were saved, as if what they do — or do not do — does not matter very much. They act like they do not have to pick up their crosses daily and carry them all day long. As you may have heard me say before, Jesus did not say “pick up your crosses for five minutes and then put them down again.” No. Contrary to this erroneous lack of any accountability mindset, we know Jesus never taught “once saved, always saved.” That, dear family, is diabolical baloney. We know Jesus actually taught that our daily cooperation with the grace needed to carry our crosses daily, all day long, is a prerequisite to salvation.
Secondly, about the damnation part, unlike the “I’m saved” part, which so many people like to say, I have heard only a few people ever say, “I’m damned.” In high school, my friends and I would make this joke: When somebody asked, “Where are you going,” we would say “to Hell if I don’t change my ways!” We were joking, though there probably was a little truth to that humor.
The Ninevites didn’t think it was a joking matter. When Jonah warned them they would be destroyed if they didn’t change their ways, they openly and sincerely repented. If only so many outside the Church and inside the Church would take the Ninevites as an example!
You don’t have to take my opinion for it, nor the opinion of Jonah and the Ninevites. The Real Jesus began His public ministry proclaiming: “The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”
Later, St. Paul warned us that time is short for all of us, therefore act as if time is short indeed. And yet, as is obvious, many people do not concern themselves enough with salvation — what it actually takes — because many people do not concern themselves enough with damnation.
As you have heard me say many, many times: That’s not my opinion. Jesus the Lord said it many times in many ways. Few will choose the narrow road that leads to salvation. That means many will choose the broad road to damnation. We do not know how many is “few” nor how many is “many,” but we certainly do know that many is way more than a few. Jesus never kidded about salvation and damnation. To Him, it was serious business that He made His dwelling among us and then spent the entirety of His three years of public ministry talking all about Salvation and Damnation. Jesus took it so seriously that He submitted to torture and execution. So, when Jesus said, “Take up your cross daily, and follow me,” we know exactly what that looks like. It most definitely does not look anything like “Take up your picnic basket and meet me at the beach.”
Now think about this: Maybe so many years have passed since St. Paul, maybe so many warnings have been given over the last 100 years, that many have fallen into the trap of thinking there will be lots more time — that there will be one more warning — at which point they will repent like the people of Nineveh. Many have fallen away from the immediate need to repent and actually be saved. Maybe they do this based upon Nineveh, but let us keep in mind that Nineveh was a one-time thing. There are multiple examples of other places that did not repent. We know about such places/events such as Sodom and Gomorrah in Abraham’s day, for example.
And we know the whole world today must be approaching the state of the world in Noah’s day. Remember Jesus’ admonition, “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” Now ponder what we have done to Jesus over the last 48 years since Roe v. Wade became the law of the land! Let us realize that, sooner or later, sinful unrepentant people are destroyed.
So, here’s a point for meditation. Have you ever stopped to think that maybe all the warnings of the past 100 years are not so much intended for those on the broad road to damnation because, after all, they have chosen to be on that road and not only are less likely to listen to any warning, but are also ready, willing, and able to persecute the faithful who strive to be on that narrow road. Maybe the warnings are intended more for those few who are struggling along the difficult and arduous road to salvation. Why might this be so?
Think about human nature. When the many live lives of selfish self-indulgence, and seem to “get away with it,” the few may, because of their human weakness, naturally conclude that they need not work that hard to attain to lives of selfless self-mortification. By human standards, in comparison, the few fall into the mindset that they are living lives better than the many, so their salvation is assured — damnation is avoided. But Jesus addressed that attitude specifically when He spoke about that guy that stood up front and said: “Thank God I’m not like those sinners back there!”
So then, how many warnings do we have to have before we prepare ourselves in all seriousness to meet Jesus on Judgment Day?
Dear family, the Kingdom of God actually is at hand. We constantly should be meditating on repentance so that we end up like the Ninevites — and not like the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Two final points.
Let us understand and be constantly aware that the many who are inculcating us with fear are not from God. They are not saying like Jonah: “Repent, the Kingdom of God is at hand — repent to preserve your eternal soul.” Rather, they are saying “lock down and mask up to preserve your mortal body.” And the damage they have done to countless lives, the destruction they have wrought to our humanity and to our lives of faith is based on a Big Lie, and there is a Commandment against it.
Recently, I had the privilege of celebrating a Requiem Mass for the unborn in McLean, Va.
Earlier that afternoon, I sat at a lunch with many impressive Catholics. As a highlight, Sr. Deirdre came to visit. You may remember her as the nun who spoke at the RNC. She is a doctor, who retired from the military and entered religious life, but still is a doctor and — get this — she was able to finish her surgeries that morning and drove over to visit with me at lunch.
It was quite the gathering. Everyone was on the same Catholic Page.
Dear family, all you have to do is open your eyes and realize that when some Godless politicians say 1,000 people can go into Walmart but only 9 or 10 people can go to church, eternal consequences await them for their interference in our lives of faith.
We are at the 48th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Make no mistake about it: God damns unrepentant people.
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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