Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:04 Tonight on the great feast of all saints. Let's take a few minutes to remind ourselves of some absolutely foundational truths. First I stopped. I consider a very important truth that Holy mother church is placed in the far mine side today and tomorrow for the next two days, we consider the saints in heaven and the poor selves. I wish you recall a truth that is virtually ignored in our noisy materialistic society. We need to recall the absolute importance of liquid gas. So the next two days were remembering everyone who ever lived every man, woman, or child, everyone that's ever lived, who actually succeeded at the most important thing that any one of us is ever going to do. Remembering everyone who lived, who actually had a good death Saturday morning, I baptized abuse a little baby. Boy, will he be Richard? We don't know. Would it be healthy or sick?
Speaker 0 00:01:19 We don't know. Well, he died when he was young or when he's old, we don't know. Well, you have a good desk or a bad. Yes, we don't know. But we do know for sure it said he will die. Has Saint Paul said he was appointed to, for men, wants to die. And after that, the judgment he's appointed for man wants to die. And after that, the judgment, each one of us is under the sentence of death. Each one of us here must die, but we know not the day nor the hour, each one of us should ask himself. Well, I have a good desk. The lie in the state of grace, the lie showing the members of the church, suffering what church, triumphant Willa in the book of the prophet, Jeremiah, we re quote, Dutch, sayeth the Lord behold, I set before you as a way of life and the way of guests I will visit upon you.
Speaker 0 00:02:41 According to the fruits of your own doings, SAS, the Lord close quote, the prophet, Jeremiah, I set before you the way of life and the way of guests I will visit upon you. According to the fruits of your own doings, God has offered each one of us, the path to eternal joy, but he won't force us to take it. And he won't stop us from tagging the path to eternal damnation. If that's the way we choose as Saint Alphonsus points out, the choice rests with us, but how will he wishes to walk in the way of hell, be able to reach heaven. All sinners wish for salvation, but in the meantime, by their own choice, they condemn himself to sell hell hoping. Somehow they will be saved. Saint Francis to sales says if the angels were capable of weeping, they would shed tears of pity at the side of a cell to commit some mortal sin and loses the state of grace.
Speaker 0 00:04:03 If angels were capable of weeping, they would shoot head. She had tears of pity at the side of a soul. Well commits a mortal sin. I lose this, the state of grace and it's Saint Alphonsus points out. The greatest ministry is that the angels would weep if it were in their power. And yet the center weeps, not the sinner, weeps, not Saint Augustan says that God has promised hard. And the centers who are at Penn, he is not promised tomorrow. Maybe he won't give it. And maybe he will not all eternity hangs on one thing, whether or not we have a good deaths, whether or not we die in the state of grace, all eternity hangs on that one defining moment. If we have a good death, we're saved or sure. We may spend time in purgatory, but ultimately we're going to spend eternity in heaven. We need to act accordingly.
Speaker 0 00:05:23 We know not the day nor the hour. We need to be constantly met, ready to meet our Lord. We need to remain in a state of grace. All eternity hangs on that. That's the first foundational truth. The second foundational truth we'll consider nine is something we've also seen before, but it bears revealing. We'll take a quick look at the teaching of the church about the ultimate rewards to those who indeed have a good death heaven and the joys of the saints in heaven. The first question is, is having a place. Most of us, the Trinity is a spirit that angels are spirits, spirits. Don't occupy space is having a place. It's a good question. It's the late great <inaudible> pointed out. Kevin is both a place and a condition having his pulse to place and the condition of the highest possible unending happiness. Everyone who prays rosary knows that there are at least two bodies and heaven.
Speaker 0 00:06:44 Our Lord, who was sent into heaven or lady who's assumed didn't have it. So since their bodies in heaven, since bodies are made out of matter, it's sits matters, but it's his parts out in space. Then heaven has space, which is another way of saying it's definitely a place. Well, if it's a place, where is it? We don't know for sure since it's a place and we don't know for sure where it is, how are we supposed to get there? We can start by seeing how we're not able to get there. We can't get there by any natural means. It's totally impossible to get to heaven naturally, and to make matters, even worse. As an inspired word of God says by nature, we are born shoulder in Nebraska. What does that supposed to mean? It means the thanks to Adam and the original sin. We're born as members of a fallen race under the convenience of the devil as members of an army at war with God.
Speaker 0 00:07:49 That explains why I'm Saturday morning. When I baptized a child, you do exorcisms before you first, before you baptize a child. First, the power and the dominion of the kingdom of darkness is crushed. And then the child is moved into the kingdom. That's a lie, okay, fathers, we can't get to have a naturally, how do we get to heaven? We have to die in a state of grace since by nature, children, RAs, we can't do anything to actually deserve that kind of death. We have to burn this into our minds. God does not owe me heaven. God does not only have God does not owe me heaven. Now wait a minute, father, what are you telling us? If we have to die in the state of grace to get to heaven, we can't do anything to deserve that kind of death and inspire nature. We're born children of Nebraska.
Speaker 0 00:08:54 Then are we supposed to get to heaven? Remember that grace has the word. Signifies is a gift in order to get to heaven, we have to have a very particular grace. It's called the grace of a final perseverance or the grace of the happy death. How do we get this grace? If we can't do anything to deserve it, we ask for it. We pray for it. She, even if we can't do anything to deserve it, if we strive to lead a Holy life and thank God for the gift of perseverance, if we begged God for the gift of the Holy desk, God who desires the salvation of all men. When soundly give it to us. Remember how Saint Mary Keystone showed her knees done? Teaching him the catechism he's asked the little children are children. Is it easy to go to hell? The kids will say what they think.
Speaker 0 00:09:53 Oh yes, father. It is easy to go to hell. You'd see that's right. But don't ever forget that. It's also very, very easy to go to heaven. Would you like to know an easy way to go to heaven? Oh yes, father. We would say your three hail Mary's Shane, the three hail Marys. When the blessed version appeared to Saint Matilda and gave her this message say Mattel was praying out. Can we be saved? Say to three hell Mary's without fail. We say that everyone here should say to three hail Mary's and morning and night for holiness and purity and every evening, all in superiority, we stand in the morning and at night, think when you're saying about that beautiful phrase at the end of the hail, Mary, will we pay some other God intercede for us that we have a Holy desk. Holy Mary mother of God, pray for us sinners now.
Speaker 0 00:10:49 And at the hour of our debts at the Al-Azhar desk. So your three hail Mary's stated the three twos, Mary and Joseph printers, where your Bronx scapular make your nine first Fridays, your five for Saturday. She's all guests from heaven. One is still gets through that, even though we don't deserve final perseverance. If we ask for it faithfully and we live accordingly, in other words, live a Catholic life, a truly Catholic life, a truly Catholic life. God will chronic us. Salvation is free, but it isn't cheap. God doesn't owe us heaven. Okay? So God has noticed heaven in order to get there. We have to die in state of grace and heaven is a place at the highest possible happiness, but you also said it was a condition, the condition of the highest possible happiness. What does that mean? It means that the creatures there that is to say the angels and saints, have it be a terrific vision, which is another way of saying they're enjoying the highest possible happiness.
Speaker 0 00:11:54 What's the beatific vision. If we're saved, that's how we'll see God in heaven. Saint Paul says that we shall know is we are known that here we see through a glass darkly, but there we shall see face to face. Saint John. The apostle says we shall see him as he is. We shall know is we are no not understand what the Holy ghost is telling us here. Think about how we know things right now. How do we know things by means of ideas in our intellect? Whomever, we don't know things directly with our intellect. Our intellects don't know direct takes, for example, Apple, our intellect doesn't directly know apples. How do we know apples? We see apples. We handle them. We get all this sensory knowledge that comes into a, get an image of Apple and their intellect reaches into the match. Nation works with that and brings it up into the world of ideas.
Speaker 0 00:12:42 So we know Apple's by contact with our imagination and that's in contact with our senses. So if we have a wrong idea about apples, like maybe I can't see very well some call it my glasses or I can't smell very well. And it's the first time I've caught an Apple. I have a very vague notion of it. That's human knowledge. We don't see clearly things as they really are. We see them through our senses in this life. We know things by means of the ideas we have of them. That's how we know God right now by means of the ideas we have of him. But in heaven, please, God, we'll get there. We'll see him now with our eyes because you don't have your eyes to the resurrection of the dead on judgment day. How can we see God without eyes? Our intellect be in direct contact with God, the theologians have a fantastic special for this.
Speaker 0 00:13:31 He said, they say the divine species is impressed into the intellect. The point is that instead of an idea, by knowing God, if by means you have an idea of God, God himself is in direct contact with our intellect, which leads to the question. If God himself has in direct contact with intellect, why doesn't that just shizzle us? Good reason. The reason we don't instantly barbecue is because there's a cost of the top. God gets a supernatural power to the intellect. So silly can gauge on the divine essence at supernatural powers call to light of glory. We can see God without eyes because he's in direct contact with the intellect. And the intellect has been strengthened by light of glory, just for that exact purpose. So why is this the beatific vision? Our intellect is Nate. No truth. And we are in direct contact with inexhaustible inestimable.
Speaker 0 00:14:30 Infinite truth was totally Hague. The truth meter were an absolute content with him. Our attention will be totally absorbed in God, but it'll be so overwhelming who wouldn't be able to express what we see since only one word can perfectly express the divine essence and that's the tunnel or, and in this vision, everything's harmonized. Our incidents are, our intellects are Sinai and we're gazing on the incident. God, some mysteries still remain, but they can be harmonized. The comps of Florence taught quote, the wreck will see clearly to one and try and God himself just as he is close. Quote, what are some of the things we'll be able to see in this one envision in the first place who will be able to see God just as he is, we'll be able to see in a finite fashion, it's still all harmonized, all God's perfections, which is to say he's incident.
Speaker 0 00:15:24 Goodness he's incident, beauty he's incident. Mercy is infinite. Justice is infinite. Love is infinite wisdom and so on and so on. We'll be able to see in the unity of the one God, the eternal word being be God, the father and the Holy ghost proceeding from goals. The same vision. We'll see the word made flesh. We'll see the incident value of each Holy mass, the fullness of grace, the blessed Virgin, Mary we'll see all other saints in heaven. We'll be able to see our friends and relatives back on earth and their needs. That's just a short list of what the saints in heaven can see right now in one harmonious decision that can never be lost. That in itself is pretty amazing, but just knowing something, even knowing something really good, doesn't make us totally happy here. I can't see why this would be the ultimate and perfect happiness.
Speaker 0 00:16:17 Everyone tells me heaven's supposed to be. Remember that God is infinite. Goodness, incident, goodness, no limits whatsoever. So the saints, once they see God face to face, loving above all things, since now, they can clearly see that God is infinitely better than any and all the particular goods, even all of them in all creation added up, he's instantly better than everything. All the creatures in the whole universe. And remember that our will is made to love God. And now once our intellect is in contact with his infinite goodness, our will, which has been made precisely for goodness, just slams on his fall. He turned, he will be in direct contact with this infinite ineffable. Incredible goodness. That's got that page. The pleasure meter. Totally. And it's totally paid and all this truth, all this goodness it's infant. And he turned on constantly new, never slide has been dull or tiring or anything but wonderful.
Speaker 0 00:17:24 One of the neatest parts of all this that I like meditating on. Isn't that very first moment. The first moment when someone gets to be too fixation, as they're entering heaven, that first incident of pleasure. It's the first catching the breath. When you actually look at this infinitely, beautiful God, that the moment last forever, it's one eternal spring time, one eternal youth, just breathtaking wonder and awe and amazement and love. And it never grows old. He can't do it all. It never does anything, but always going to be fresh, always catching your breath. Always just gaping. I think incredible beauty and goodness. This just a moment of total AUSTRAC love that will last forever. Saint Augustan gives an idea of this love with his famous cry. How laid has lessee? Oh, ancient beauty, Ellie sold. And yet always knew, okay, the blessing can't lose the beatific vision.
Speaker 0 00:18:35 They're up there. It tow X to see. But since every single Saint sees the same guy directly in heaven, doesn't that mean that everyone's completely equal up. There isn't each Saint exactly as happy as all the rest has he made when he makes it into heaven, not by any means to constant Florence taught quote the electricity. Clearly the one and true try on God himself just as he is some more perfectly than others. According to their respective merits close quote. In other words, the happiness, if anyone in heaven depends on how much grace, he died with more grace, more glory, my glory or happiness. She's on top. That's the beatific vision. And at the end of the world, when we get our bodies back, it only gets better because those taxis are perfected and they perfectly pleasurable beyond anyone's wildest imaginations. Let's review. We've seen the most important thing we'll ever do is die.
Speaker 0 00:19:33 Since that is the defining moment that determines what we'll be doing for all eternity. It determines our destiny. We've seen having to place. There's at least two bodies. There are lower in the bus version, but seen in order to get to heaven, we have to die in the state of grace who seen in order to die in the state of grace, it takes a particular grace called the grace. The final perseverance, also known as the grace of the happy death we've seen. We can obtain this grace with humble and confident prayer. We've seen to be a typic vision is a direct contact to the intellect with God it's made possible by a supernatural power called the light of chlorine. We've also seen it will be absorbed in God without words to express his beauty. We've seen that our will strengthened by supernatural charity will be slammed onto the infinite goodness of God.
Speaker 0 00:20:26 And it never ending breathtaking Australia gas. We've seen it the same, just have different degrees of happiness, depending on the amount of grace the guide was. And at the end of the world, when the saints get their bodies back, this pleasure, all the increase and said, Holy Spirit's speaking to Saint call says I has not. Nor ear heard nor has to enter in the heart of man, but things God has prepared for those who love him. Let's close last there ourselves, a few questions. Each one of us needs to ask himself since I can't earn heaven. And I pray to the grace of the Holy death. And I say, my three hound merits. Am I striving to keep on the straight and narrow and live a Holy life? Am I in a state of grace?
Speaker 1 00:21:22 <inaudible>
Speaker 0 00:21:24 Because if I'm not and I die, I can't live the life of him. I can't see the beatific vision for all eternity. I can never be happy.
