Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Arianism
Hey guys. Since today we had theology and we learned about heresies, I just wanted to let you all know more about one heresy that I found interesting, Arianism. Arianism is the belief that Jesus wasn't fully divine, but a super human. That can't be true though because in order for our sins to be forgiven Jesus must have been equal to God in his infinite state in order for the infinite break between us to be repaired. I found this kind of cool because this relates partly to what the Nazis in WWII believed about how their is a supreme rase. If this heresy had gained more ground, i think that the Nazis could have had more fervor to take over the world and our globe and theology might have looked very different today if not for the early church being able to suppress the Arianists.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Heaven and Hell
Heaven...well what is Heaven?
As a little kid, you might have imagined it as the perfect world, sitting upon the clouds, with a big Gold Gate sitting at the entrance, and a huge line to get in. Again, no one walking on this world knows the answer to what it is like. Some may claim to have seen visions, and even the Church may confirm them, but no biological being of today can accurately describe it. But as a Catholic we know for a fact that once we are there, we are in perfect union with God, destined for eternal happiness and peace. As a biblical reference often you can search revelations:
Revelation 21:4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Hell is pretty much the exact opposite of Heaven. Happiness is nonexistent, for when God crafted the soul, he crafted it to seek and crave him. Hell is the furthest thing away from God. If Heaven and Hell were planets ( and the Universe had a actual endpoint) they would be and two opposite corners of each other. There, the soul suffers with Satan in eternal damnation, to never be pleased in any spiritual or physical way, and forced to suffer the emptiness of the void they still seek to fill, to only be filled by God.
As a little kid, you might have imagined it as the perfect world, sitting upon the clouds, with a big Gold Gate sitting at the entrance, and a huge line to get in. Again, no one walking on this world knows the answer to what it is like. Some may claim to have seen visions, and even the Church may confirm them, but no biological being of today can accurately describe it. But as a Catholic we know for a fact that once we are there, we are in perfect union with God, destined for eternal happiness and peace. As a biblical reference often you can search revelations:
Revelation 21:4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Hell is pretty much the exact opposite of Heaven. Happiness is nonexistent, for when God crafted the soul, he crafted it to seek and crave him. Hell is the furthest thing away from God. If Heaven and Hell were planets ( and the Universe had a actual endpoint) they would be and two opposite corners of each other. There, the soul suffers with Satan in eternal damnation, to never be pleased in any spiritual or physical way, and forced to suffer the emptiness of the void they still seek to fill, to only be filled by God.
Death and After
Lately, My grandmother has been fighting sickness. Despite the title of this post, no she is not dead... But it brings me back to just about a year ago ( February 6, 2012) when my late grandfather passed away. It brought to mind some questions I had and you may have. Much like myself, many people question upon their relatives death, is he in heaven now?, is he waiting to be judged?, even sometimes..is there a line to be judged?
Well I cannot give you a firm answer, I have never been to heaven, nor to receive visions, or expect to go there anytime soon and return with a answer. But I can say, upon the death of any human, the soul parts from its body and is immediately judged by God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. His judgement is fair, and eternal. One may ask, well what would get you sent to hell? There are so many answers to this question, but to simplify it, when one fully rejects God. Now, Purgatory.. just as no one knows what Heaven or Hell looks like, nor can we describe purgatory. I have heard many ideas of it, some scarier than others, but a young nun whom I studied under in 8th grade put it in a heart-sinking but best describing way, she said " it is similar to hell, except in hell, there is no hope for the damned soul, but in purgatory, there's hope for the soul, it may be cleansed and sent to heaven, and I presume it can reject God and be sent to Hell." We can assume the duration of penance spent in purgatory is in proportion to the sins committed by the soul, and even the most holiest of holy people pass through purgatory for we are all sinners.
Well I cannot give you a firm answer, I have never been to heaven, nor to receive visions, or expect to go there anytime soon and return with a answer. But I can say, upon the death of any human, the soul parts from its body and is immediately judged by God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. His judgement is fair, and eternal. One may ask, well what would get you sent to hell? There are so many answers to this question, but to simplify it, when one fully rejects God. Now, Purgatory.. just as no one knows what Heaven or Hell looks like, nor can we describe purgatory. I have heard many ideas of it, some scarier than others, but a young nun whom I studied under in 8th grade put it in a heart-sinking but best describing way, she said " it is similar to hell, except in hell, there is no hope for the damned soul, but in purgatory, there's hope for the soul, it may be cleansed and sent to heaven, and I presume it can reject God and be sent to Hell." We can assume the duration of penance spent in purgatory is in proportion to the sins committed by the soul, and even the most holiest of holy people pass through purgatory for we are all sinners.
Francis
I was in mass today and the priest was giving his homily, and since it was the Sunday devoted to the divine mercy he told us a story he had a read about a young boy named Francis who had cancer. He and his mom would go pray before and after everytime he would go visit the cancer clinic. They went to pray there a short time after one of his surgeries and it was shortly after pope Francis was elected. With stiches in his head young Francis said to his mom " mom i now have two patron saints, saint Francis of Assisi and Pope Francis.
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