Our Faith and Home

  The Book of Revelations 21:1,3 Then I saw a new  heaven  and a new earth, for the first  heaven  and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and be their God Now the good stuff. This is the last of the 4 last things... and is the best. (What an understatement!) This is where each and every one of us should opt to go, and those who don't make it... I weep.  Imagine colors we've never seen, music we've never heard and love we've never felt. Pick the single-most moment in your life where you were the happiest. Now imagine being even happier, each minute of each hour, each hour of each day... every single day of existence. Then top this off with being abler to see our Blessed Mother, meet our Guardian Angel who has been with us before we were ever born and, finally, able to look upon

   Luke 18:18-19 An official asked him this question, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone."  2 Thessalonians  1:9 These will pay the penalty of eternal ruin, separated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power Hell, Gehenna, Hades, inferno abyss,  eternal suffering ... it's the same thing!  I have read many books on this subject... easily over a dozen. In no way does this make me an authority but gives me insight to the power of the dark and where I don't want to end up. Over 10 years ago I spoke to a group about the coming persecution. We may not be torn apart by wild animals in the coliseum, tortured and hung on city street light posts or slaughtered with machetes, but we are being engaged by darkness and pure evil. So I ask the question, how many brave Catholics are there left to fight it?  Regarding books I've read, this is Kempis' hour so I will o

  2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body. Ecclesiastes 12:14 God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad. (I selected two of the strongest passages I know, intentionally. They weren't selected for you, the reader, but for me the follower of Christ. They are a reminder of what I will face when I day. This is why a I examine my conscience daily, and make an Act of Contrition, at the very least, nightly... all of this in addition to regular (monthly) confessions.) Now that we have considered our individual deaths we turn our focus on each of our judgements. When we are judged by our Lord, He will show us our souls  as He sees them . Frankly, this will be the most frightening time of my humble existence. I may deem my soul to be in pretty good shape, but what about those 'secret things' mentioned in Ecclesias

  2 Peter 3:10 But  the  day of  the  Lord will come as unexpectedly as a  thief .  The n  the  heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and  the  very elements  the mselves will disappear  in  fire, and  the  earth and everyth in g on it will be found to deserve judgment. ( my emphasis )  Taking a break from " Imitations of Christ ", Thomas Kempis also authored a book called, " Meditations on Death - Preparing for Eternity ". He follows along the same lines as St. Thomas Aquinas did in a book written by Kevin Vost, " Aquinas on the Four Last Things ". (One of my 5 Star books.) As you can see in the image above, and if you are not familiar with the Four Last Things, it is a subject broken down into 4 parts: Death, Judgement, Heaven and Hell. I'll begin with Kempis' considerations of one's own death. In Mathew 25:1-13 the parable of the bride grooms speaks of the ramifications of not being prepared. In verse 12-13 the bridegroom says:  But