1. The road to heaven.
The past Masses had been giving us small pieces of the teaching of the Church on what we must do to attain heaven. Today’s Mass summarises all the past lessons in two statements.
First, whoever would save his life will lose it.
Secondly, whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
The first; whoever would save his life will lose it by going to hell.
The second; whoever would lose his life because he is obeying the commands of Christ (i.e. for the sake of Christ.) will save it by going to heaven.
2. How to go to hell.
First, let us see how to go hell since the Gospel describes that first. Everyone knows that the way to hell is by disobeying the 10 commandment of God as brought down by Moses from Mt. Sinai. So everybody knows not to worship the Catholic God will bring us to hell. Also, to commit adultery by remarrying, to abandon your wife and children, to be an unbeliever, to lie like the Presidents of most countries, to kill babies or any one else you do not know.
Everybody knows this; though there is a great movement in the world to transform these sins into a Bill of Rights with previleges of receiving Holy Communion. And the Catholic Church has become the most popular star in spearheading this movement. In which case we should just be silent.
But there is a Mass today. And there is a Gospel to explain; and the Mass is in Latin. The explanation of the Gospel must, therefore, be from the Fathers of the Church, as in the ancient practice of the Church. And here it is.
So you know that adultery, lying, murder, refusal to worship the true God will lead you to hell. You know this but you don’t believe it. Here is the continuation of the Gospel
There is another batch of sins that will bring you directly to hell that does not sound like a sin. In fact it sounds like a virtue, but it is not. It is a sin, and this is ‘loving to save your life.’ I didn’t say that. Christ said that. Look at the Gospel ‘he who loves or saves his life will lose it’ by going to hell.
Let us leave sins behind and go to the good things in life. In life there are many good things; in fact lawful things. There is absolutely nothing wrong with these things; a nice house, a good car, a high end computer, an expensive cell phone with GPS, a nice vacation in Fiji, three bank accounts. There is nothing wrong with all these. So many love to live in a nice house, with that nice car, with that computer and cell phone. And by all means, they want to maintain and, if it is in danger, to save that kind of life.
To love to live a life with these conveniences is something we want to save and keep. Did you get it?….to love and keep safe that kind of life that obviously had nothing wrong with it. That is what will bring you to hell. What??? I know everybody is doing it and are enjoying doing it. Yet Christ said; ‘you will lose it.’
Christ said you cannot love God and Mammon. You will love one and hate the other. If you love to keep or save that kind of living in a nice house, you could lose, not the house, but your soul.
So St. Augustine wrote that we should teach everybody to love God first. And later wrote ‘Love God and do what you want,’ which everybody would love to misinterpret. He continued and states that if a child learns how to love God first, then, he will not love the house, the car, the computer and cell phone. He will just use them. While his love for God will not be affected
But if the child first learns to love living in a nice house, have a nice car and use a nice cell phone ….he will hate God.
So there is nothing wrong with the nice house and nice car. It is loving to live a life in the nice house that will make the soul totally incapable of loving God. Loving creatures will prevent a soul from loving God. St. Augustine wrote; we must love God and merely use creatures like the nice house.
3. How to go to heaven.
Those who will merit everlasting life in heaven are those who lose their lives for the sake of Christ; thus their souls will be saved. How do you ‘lose your life?’ The same Gospel tells us the answer on how to ‘lose your life and become a follower of Christ.’ First, by denying our very self. Secondly, by taking up our cross each day. And thirdly, by following Christ in His foot steps.
Note, it takes one step to go to hell and three steps to go to heaven…ahh..six steps, all overlapping.
4. To ‘loss you life’ is first, to deny oneself; secondly, take up our cross and thirdly, follow Him. There are two levels of self denial.
The first degree of self denial is to give up all sinful acts which are against the 10 commandments of God. The second degree of self denial is to give up good or lawful things, like the nice house and nice car. To ‘loss your life’ is to loss the love of living in a nice house and having a nice car.
Unless you give up your nice house and nice car you will not be able to prevent stealing what belong to others. He who gives up what is his own will never steal what is not his own. He, really, becomes a good man.
The government officials who steals millions are those who own nice houses and nice cars. If they give up their nice houses and nice cars, they will certainly not steal what belongs to the people. That is, evidently, the way to heaven.
The giving up of one’s sins is not really self-denial. Though we should give up our sins. What is meritorious in self denial is the giving up of good things. And there are three levels of good things to give up. I just finished mentioning two degrees of self denial; now we still have three more. These two and three are inter related.
First, is to give up material resources. Like nice house, nice car, nice computer and cell phone, nice fridge and stove, nice food and vacations. Note, there is nothing bad in these. This is the important theme of ‘Veritatis Splendour,’ regarding the young rich man. He had to give up one thing that is still lacking for him to be saved. These are material resources, like those mentioned above.
Secondly, we must give up emotional, human affections; human affections towards husband, wife, children, friends, etc…Note, these are human affections and not spiritual affections. Charity or love of neighbour must be maintained at all times. All affections should be in the spiritual level; otherwise it won’t last. This is called Chastity.
Thirdly, you must deny yourself of your own thoughts, ideas and opinions no matter how brilliant they are. This is called obedience.
In the act of self – denial he refuses to give in to his sown requests.. It is the complete emptying of oneself of everything so that the Blessed Trinity will dwell in the soul, which is the foretaste of heaven. If heaven is tasted here on earth, naturally it will be tasted better in heaven.
5. So what do you do when you have completely emptied yourself of evil and denied yourself of many good things? Now, you cannot cook having given up your stove. You cannot go anywhere having given up your car. Well, then, find a 6th century monastery and join the community. There they will feed you, so no need for a stove. And you will not be going anywhere because it is on a mountain top; so you won’t need your car.
Now that you have given up…..or have lose all your plans on how to enjoy living your life, what next? Well, ‘taking up the cross.’ The ‘cross’ are the commands of Christ in the New Testament. These are difficult commands both to learn and to put into practice. It is really a cross, but sweet and light; but a cross, nevertheless.
You have to deny yourself of your love for a nice way of life because you will need the strict discipline needed to study the commands of Christ in your ‘carrying of your cross.’ To be distracted with any thing of the world will prevent you from having this needed discipline. To make the story short, then what do you do? ‘Follow Christ’ by putting the commands you have learned into practice.
6. Today, it is all the opposite.
Let us briefly review the steps; first, give up your sins. Secondly, give up material things. Thirdly, give up human, emotional affections. Fourthly, give up your own thinking, ideas, opinions, in other words, everything that comes from your mind.
Fifthly, fill yourself up with the teachings and commands of Christ. Sixthly, put those commands into practice. Now let us see what everybody is doing today, from Pope Francis down to many bishops and further down to the parish priests in the barrio.
From the fourth, everything they say or write comes from their individual, personal thinking; untested and unproven. This is because (thirdly) they do not want to give up their emotional personal human affections towards the Jews, the Pentecostals, women inmates, married adulterers, same sex attractions, immigrants they do not know, etc. Absolutely no ‘Caritas.’ Everything is ‘Id’.
Why are they so emotional and so human? Because they have not read nor obeyed ‘Veritatis Splendour,’ and have not done what Christ told the young rich man as the ‘one thing lacking’ to attain eternal life. And because this one thing is lacking, most priest, bishops and even the Pope will not have eternal life, as Christ, Himself said. And why have they not given up the good things that Christ demanded from the young rich man? Because they have not given up their sins. They are even propagating sins all over by contamination; adultery, infidelity, pride, ambition, lying, same sex attractions…..to mentions a few.
7. Using the Gospel of today’s Mass, twelve Sunday in Ordinary time, what conclusion can we make?
Most Catholics do not want to lose their pleasurable way of life for the sake of being able to obey Christ’s Command. They love the level of the good life they are living. So they are not willing to deny themselves of whatever they have earned so hard. They will do anything to enjoy life and they love it. Giving up will never enter their minds. Everybody is enjoying life. They will save this life by all means.
But one day, someone more powerful will intervene and say; ‘Because you love very much this pleasurable way of life and have done everything to save and keep it, you have failed to love Me and because of this ……..you will lose your soul.