Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory

A few things to sum up last night and a few things to supplement your information in case you had more questions....

A message from your youth minister:

"You want to go to heaven! If you didn't know that already, I'm telling you. God made each one of us out of love, and because he is so loving he wants us to return to Him in heaven. So why would he put us in hell? You put yourself in hell. If you choose to turn away from God and turn towards Satan, you put yourself in hell. Hell exists because of God's perfect justice, but he does not want you in there. Remember, Christ said that he thirsts. He thirsts for souls. So come on back. If you've turned away, you can always come back. Christ is waiting for you to do just that.

So what do you need to do? How do you stay away from the worm that never dies and the fire that is never quenched? From the terrible sound of wailing and teeth grinding for all eternity past the end of all time? And the worst...how do you make sure that you aren't eternally separated from God and spending eternity in torment at seeing his loving glory never able to get there?

Christ.

He's always the answer. Be like Christ, listen to Christ's words, follow His Church (The Catholic Church), listen to his mother. The Catholic Church is the Bride of Christ. We are the Mystical Body of Christ. He gave himself to us. He gives the fullness of his truth for salvation to the Catholic Church. So....receive the sacraments especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation, come to mass, pray for mercy, ask our Blessed Mother for guidance and intercession, and be the best Catholic that you could possibly be. That's the best advice I can muster. Oh and if you want to figure out how to do all that stuff, come to youth group!!!!!

But for Heaven's sake, stay out of Hell!"
-Val


Some extra reading if you're interested......


"What Is Heaven Really Like?
By Jimmy Akin
(on www.catholic.com Search: heaven)

Deepest Longings
The fundamental essence of heaven is union with God. The Catechism explains that "perfect life with the Most Holy Trinity . . . is called ‘heaven.’ Heaven is the ultimate end and fulfillment of the deepest human longings, the state of supreme, definitive happiness" (CCC 1024). It also states that "heaven is the blessed community of all who are perfectly incorporated into Christ" (CCC 1026).

Traditionally theology has explained the chief blessing or "beatitude" of heaven as "the beatific vision"—an insight into the wonder of God’s inner, invisible essence. "Because of his transcendence, God cannot be seen as he is, unless he himself opens up his mystery to man’s immediate contemplation and gives him the capacity for it. The Church calls this contemplation of God in his heavenly glory ‘the beatific vision’" (CCC 1028).

Because humans are made for having a conscious relationship with God, the beatific vision corresponds to the greatest human happiness possible.

Many people wonder how our relationships with others will work in heaven. Some have even wondered whether we will retain our own identities. The answer is that we will.
The Christian faith assures us that those in heaven "retain, or rather find, their true identity" (CCC 1025). We do not become anonymous, interchangeable entities in heaven. Rather, we each receive our own reward (cf. 1 Cor. 3:11–15).

This does not mean that there will be no changes in our relationships. Jesus was clear in teaching that we will not be married in the next life (Matt. 22:30). But because we retain our identities, we will continue to know and love those we were close to in earthly life. Indeed, in heaven our love for them and our spiritual intimacy with them will be truer, purer, and stronger than it was in this life.





The Hell There Is!
http://www.catholic.com/library/last_things.asp

The doctrine of hell is so frightening that numerous heretical sects end up denying the reality of an eternal hell. The Unitarian-Universalists, the Seventh-Day Adventists, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Christadelphians, the Christian Scientists, the Religious Scientists, the New Agers, and the Mormons—all have rejected or modified the doctrine of hell so radically that it is no longer a serious threat. In recent decades, this decay has even invaded mainstream Evangelicalism, and a number of major Evangelical figures have advocated the view that there is no eternal hell—the wicked will simply be annihilated.

But the eternal nature of hell is stressed in the New Testament. For example, in Mark 9:47–48 Jesus warns us, "[I]t is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, where the worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched."

And in Revelation 14:11, we read: "And the smoke of their torment goes up for ever and ever; and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name."

Hell is not just a theoretical possibility. Jesus warns us that real people go there. He says, "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few" (Matt. 7:13–14).

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, ‘eternal fire.’ The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs" (CCC 1035).

In his 1994 book, Crossing the Threshold of Hope, Pope John Paul II wrote that too often "preachers, catechists, teachers . . . no longer have the courage to preach the threat of hell" (p. 183). Concerning the reality of hell, the pope says, "In point of fact, the ancient councils rejected the theory . . . according to which the world would be regenerated after destruction, and every creature would be saved; a theory which abolished hell. . . . [T]he words of Christ are unequivocal. In Matthew’s Gospel he speaks clearly of those who will go to eternal punishment (cf. Matt. 25:46). [But] who will these be? The Church has never made any pronouncement in this regard" (pp. 185–6).

Thus the issue that some will go to hell is decided, but the issue of who in particular will go to hell is undecided. "

Check out the Catechism of the Catholic Church for more info.... www.catholic.com
and www.ewtn.com also have some great resources. Just put heaven, hell, or purgatory in the search field. Otherwise, here's a really funny video you might like.

DISCLAIMER:
This is just for fun. There is no such thing as Protestant Heaven and Catholic Heaven. Just one.