Catholic Bible 101

"Well done, my good and faithful servant. I was hungry and you fed me; I was thirsty and you gave me drink;  I was naked and you clothed me, etc.  Now enter into My Kingdom, forever." 

Or will he say,

"You self-centered, lazy, mean slob. You never lifted a finger for anyone but yourself and for your family. Even the pagans do that.  You never fed me when I was hungry; you never gave me drink when I was thirsty; you never even donated your old clothes to the poor.  Away from Me, I never knew you!"

And what if you died today in a car wreck?  Are you ready to meet Jesus Christ today?  The 3,000 people who were murdered by the Islamic terrorists on 9/11 had no idea that morning while they were getting dressed to go to work that they would be meeting Jesus Christ face-to-face that very day for their eternal judgment.  Nor did the thousands of victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami, or the Haitian earthquake.  One minute they were here alive on earth, and the next minute they were dead. It could be us today or tomorrow who die without warning.  There are probably thousands of people in hell today who were here on earth yesterday enjoying air conditioning, lasagna, soft beds, sex, movies, etc.  These damned people would gladly give up their entire life savings and every pleasure they ever had while they were alive to just have 5 minutes back here on earth, away from the the demons, the worms, and the fires of hell.  But it's too late for them. It's not too late for us, however.

So get to confession as soon as possible.  Get as many indulgences as you can. Start praising God for all that He has given you.  Stop pursuing the false idols of earthly riches, sex, power, and drugs.  Begin to read up on the Saints and try to imitate them. Start mortifying your body a little every day. Start saying your rosary every day. Pray for forgiveness, and pray for others.  Start going to Eucharistic Adoration weekly, if possible. Turn off the music and start listening to Catholic CDs and teachings. Pray that you, your family, your friends, and your enemies will not die without the sacraments at the time of death. Go to Mass every Sunday, and during the week if possible.  Start reading and meditating on scripture daily.  Start helping the poor as much as possible, monetarily AND in person. God wants to save you from your sins, but since He gave you the gift of free will, YOU have to choose Him as much as He has already chosen you.  And when you choose Him, there is much work to do. There are souls to be saved. There are the hungry to be fed.  There are the naked to be clothed.  And He expects you and me to do that (Matthew 25:31-46). 

Belief in Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior is a great start, but Revelation 20:12-13 says that you will be judged on what you HAVE DONE, not on what you believed.  Don't fall for the false theology that says that belief in Jesus Christ is all you need. That is a great start, but even the demons believe that. In Catholic theology, belief in Jesus Christ is much more than just an intellectual assent that He exists and is God;  Rather, belief in Jesus Christ means that you and I have to imitate Him! Jesus told us all in Luke 9:23 to deny our very selves, pick up our cross DAILY, and follow him to Calvary.  That is much more than just saying "I believe in Jesus Christ as my personal lord and savior!"  Going to Mass on Sunday, receiving Jesus in Holy Communion, and then not doing anything for your fellow men the rest of the week is as useless as filling up your car with gas and then never going anywhere.

Remember, the time for God's mercy is now;  after death, it is time for God's judgment.

Matthew 25:31-46: "When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. Then the King will say to those at his right hand, `Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, `Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? And the King will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.' for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer, `Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to thee?' Then he will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.' And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?' Then he will say to those at his left hand, `Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels;

Mark 9:47-48: And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell,  where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.

Luke 9:23: And he said to all, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

Luke 16:19-31: "There was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, full of sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table; moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried; and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus in his bosom. And he called out, `Father Abraham, have mercy upon me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame.' But Abraham said, `Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.' And he said, `Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.' But Abraham said, `They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.' And he said, `No, father Abraham; but if some one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' He said to him, `If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if some one should rise from the dead.'"

Romans 2:6: For he will render to every man according to his works: 

Revelation 20:12-13:And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Also another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, by what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead in them, and all were judged by what they had done.

There are two possibilities for you at the time of your death. One is that the Blessed Virgin Mary will be leading you into heaven (maybe with a temporary stop in purgatory along the way) along with your guardian angel and all of the souls that you helped to save through your earthly prayers and sufferings. The other one is that satan and his demons will be dragging you down to hell to torture you forever.  Now is the time to choose which way you will end up.  A daily, sincere rosary ensures that Mary will look out for you now, and at the hour of your death.  Sin and neglect of God and his ways ensures that satan and his demons will be looking out for you now, and at the hour of your death. Choose wisely!

So quit having your body drag your soul around here on earth. That way only leads downward. Rather, start having your soul lead your body around.  That way only goes upward, to heaven!