The Last Things
"Merely to love things above is already to mount on high."
Pope St. Gregory the Great
For Reflection:
On a scale of one to ten, how high am I mounting today? What tells me so?
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The Last Things
"I have been made for heaven, and heaven for me."
Saint Joseph Cafasso
For Reflection:
To what extent am I truly headed toward my eternal destiny?
The Last Things
"Lord, I will put myself at hell's gate, so that I can stop anyone else from entering there."
Blessed Dominic Barberi
For Reflection:
How can I "put myself at hell's gate" to aid souls from entering there?
The Last Things
"God predestines no one to go to hell; for this, a willful turning away from God (a mortal sin) is necessary, and persistence in it until the end."
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1037
For Reflection:
This teaching of the Church implies that we choose hell for ourselves. Am I in mortal sin? In light of the fact that no one knows when he will be called from this life, what need I do?
The Last Things
"I will spend my heaven doing good upon earth."
St. Therese of Lisieux
For Reflection:
How do these words of St. Therese resonate with me? Am I willing to take them as my own? If so, what implication does this have for my life now and in the future?
The Last Things
"In the glory of heaven the blessed continue joyfully to fulfill God's will in relation to other men and to all creation."
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1029
For Reflection:
How does this teaching of the Church correlate to her teaching on the communion of saints? How have I personally experienced the reality and truth of this statement? Do I look forward to being a saint and "reigning with Christ" by being of assistance to other men and all creation?
(See tomorrow's Grace Line for one saint who planned on it!)
The Last Things
"Those who die in God's grace and friendship and are perfectly purified live forever with Christ. They are like God for ever, for they "see him as he is," face to face."
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1023
For Reflection:
What do I think it will be like to behold God face-to-face? Do I have an interior hunger to do so?
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The Last Things
"We are each our own devils and we make this world our hell."
Oscar Wilde
For Reflection:
How have I witnessed the truth of this statement? In my life? In the lives of others? Am I living it out right now? How can I surrender to God's grace to make it now so?
The Last Things
"The world is only peopled to people heaven."
St. Francis de Sales
For Reflection:
What a beautiful quote! What does this tell me about me? What does this tell me about God's plans for me? What does this tell me about everyone I meet? What does this tell me about all that happens to me? How can this quote give direction, meaning, and purpose to my life?
(Compare this to tomorrow's Grace Line.)
The Last Things
"All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven."
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1030
For Reflection:
How does Purgatory reveal to us the mercy of God? Why is purification and true holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven?
