Some Assembly Required

Jesus said to his disciples:

"To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you,

pray for those who mistreat you.

To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners and get back the same amount. But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as also your Father is merciful. "Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you."

I really pity those of us that seem to think that all they have to do to attain heaven is to believe in the Lord Jesus and accept Him as your lord and savior and once you do that, you are absolutely assured, one hundred and ten percent that you will go to heaven and nothing that you can do can prevent it.  Now, that is a convenient and comforting way to think.  It goes well with the American Dream, everyone can succeed.  But, it does not take into account the things that Jesus tells us that we have to do that are listed in the today's reading. If it were that easy to get to heaven, would it be worth it?  We want to be happy forever but how can we do that unless we attain the attributes of the landlord?  Think, please, what God puts up with from us.  He takes all sorts of abuse, insults, we go against His will and through it all He is forever ready to take us back, to make us once again adopted children in His household.  If someone, a good lifelong friend came up to you and told you to procreate yourself, then he spat on you, kicked a dent into the door of your car and stole food off of your table, slapped your wife and kicked your dog what would be your reaction?  The fight would be on because no one was going to treat you like that! Now, think of the last time you committed a sin.  Let's say you used God's name in vain.  Insults traded by two humans will result in a fight.  When you insult God, and you repent, He takes you back without a fight, He loves you that much! 

What we have in our reading today are instructions on how children of God are expected to act. They are the instructions on how to build a Christian man or woman. It would do us no harm to become familiar with the way we are to act. It is not that hard to understand. We are to be loving, generous and forgiving as our Father in heaven is to us. This is not a suggestion, it is how we are expected to represent the Christian life to others.  Accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior is a fine, holy, first step.  But that is all that it is the first step.  Without the actions to back up our beliefs, we are no better than any other group and perhaps even worse than some because through the wisdom of God we know better. 

Pray for the Poor Souls in Purgatory