Come Home to the Catholic Church

Have you been baptized as a Catholic?  Have you, for whatever reason, abandoned the faith?  Do you believe there is an afterlife with a heaven and a hell?  If you have answered “yes” to these three questions, then my thoughts this Thursday are about you and traditional Catholic teachings that you may or may not have heard about.

Heaven is where God is and hell is where He is not.  Heaven is where you want to spend your eternity and hell is where you do not want to spend your eternity.  Heaven is where you go if you die in the state of grace (with no sin on your soul).  Hell is where you go if you are in the state of mortal sin. 

You may know that mortal sins are serious offenses that go against the ten commandments, such as killing someone (fifth commandment:  Thou shalt not kill.) or sex outside of marriage (sixth commandment:  Thou shalt not commit adultery.).  The ten commandments were given to Moses in ancient times, but they are still relevant today, as Jesus has told us (Matt 19:16-19).  Mortal sins are also serious offenses that go against the six precepts of the Catholic Church, the Church that Jesus founded.  Examples here include missing Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation without good reason and also receiving the Eucharist while in the state of mortal sin (this sin is called sacrilege).  Remember that Christ’s Church, the Catholic Church, was given the authority to bind and loose in these matters of faith.

So what makes a sin mortal, and are there sins that are not mortal?  What if I don’t know that a mortal sin is mortal?  What if I commit a mortal sin, but do not fully consent to it?  The church teaches that for a sin to be so deadly as to send you to hell if it is on your conscience when you die, three things are required:  1) has to be mortal (as taught by the Church), 2) the sinner must know that it is mortal, and 3) the sinner must fully consent to it.

How does one get mortal sins off their soul before death?  Jesus taught that we must repent of our sins.  Jesus instituted the sacrament of Confession in his church for that purpose.  So if you answered “yes” to the very first question in this blog, you are eligible to have your sins forgiven through the sacrament of Confession.  Please see a priest as soon as possible.  You don’t know when death will come.

What about the scandals of which the Catholic Church is guilty?  Yes, there have been some very serious and mortal sins committed by those in which Catholics have placed their trust.  It proves that his Church is not immune to the temptations that are out there.  But abandoning Christ’s Church is not a good decision.  Praying for the Church is the right decision.

What if you have professed a different faith since your Catholic Baptism and have been following the teachings offered by this faith?  My experience is that these other faiths often interpret Scripture in a way different from the Catholic Church.  This is a serious problem, in my opinion.  Please come back to the Catholic Church and be reconciled.  There are many, many Catholic parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles out there who are very sad and upset about this state of affairs.  I am counted among them.  Please come back.  Please come home.  Where you go for all eternity depends on it. 

My prayer for today:  Lord, please, in your mercy, inspire your wayward children to come back to your church.  Shower them with the gifts of your compassion, your kindness, your grace, and your forgiveness.  Please place them once again on the right path to their heavenly home.  Amen.