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Title : Our Hope is Heaven, Not Purgatory
link : Our Hope is Heaven, Not Purgatory
Our Hope is Heaven, Not Purgatory
The readings in the Eucharist last night was very touching. It spoke of the resurrection and eternal life in Heaven. As Christians, eternal life with God in Heaven is where our hope is. It is NOT in Purgatory. Our desire and our soul longs for Heaven. Our eyes looks toward Heaven. As St. Paul stated: "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14) The prize that the Apostle Paul spoke of was NEVER Purgatory. It was Heaven, the Kingdom of God. This is where our eyes and hearts look toward. As for the souls in Purgatory, where do you think their eyes and hearts are set on? They are also set on Heaven as always even when they were on Earth.We are Christians. As Christians, our goal is eternal life in Heaven, not Purgatory. Although Purgatory exists, that does not make it our goal. Kiko Arguello never denied the existence of Purgatory. Like the Apostle Paul, Kiko wants us to focus on Heaven.....because that is the prize.....that is our goal.....that is what we strive for. Who here strives for Purgatory? Even the souls in Purgatory have their eyes and hope set on Heaven. Because our eyes and hope are also set and focused on Heaven, this is why we should not weep for the dead because our brothers and sisters are NOT dead. They are alive. As Kiko Arguello stated (the bold is mine):
“For the person who believes in Jesus Christ, death is like falling asleep. You go to bed and you fall asleep without knowing when. That is how you will die, like falling asleep. That is why the Church calls the dead “those who have fallen asleep in the Lord.” You die as if you are falling asleep and you awake in the resurrection. In an instant you pass from this world to glory, whether or not millions of years have gone by. This is why we Christians do not weep for our dead as the pagans do, for our brothers and sisters who die are alive.”
It was clear that Kiko Arguello was speaking about "a person who believes in Jesus Christ". All the holy saints in Heaven believe in Jesus Christ and are alive, so why weep? All the souls in Purgatory believe in Jesus Christ and are also alive, looking toward Heaven with hope in their hearts. These souls are not dead, so why weep? All our brothers and sisters in Purgatory are alive because God is a God of the living. He is not a God of the dead. Furthermore, Purgatory is temporary like the Earth. The only difference is that the souls in Purgatory are already guaranteed salvation in Heaven at the end. The pilgrims on earth, on the other hand, do not have that guarantee. Therefore, we must continue to persevere in our faith and press on, focusing on the prize (eternal life in Heaven) otherwise we lose sight, go astray, and may end up in Hell.
At the cross, Jesus also told the repentant thief: “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43).
Paradise is a synonym for Heaven. According to Father Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary:
:
PARADISE. A synonym for Heaven. Jesus spoke of it in his promise to the good thief on the Cross (Luke 23:43). In only two other places in Scripture is it used in place of Heaven. There is a reference to “the tree of life set in God’s paradise” (Revelation 2:7). Paul wrote about a man in Christ “caught up into paradise” (II Corinthians 12:4). (Etym. Greek paradeisos, park, the Garden of Eden, paradise; from Persian pairidaēza, an enclosure.)Even the Catechism of the Catholic Church defined "Paradise" as Heaven, not Purgatory (the bold is mine):
1053 "We believe that the multitude of those gathered around Jesus and Mary in Paradise forms the Church of heaven, where in eternal blessedness they see God as he is and where they are also, to various degrees, associated with the holy angels in the divine governance exercised by Christ in glory, by interceding for us and helping our weakness by their fraternal concern" (Paul VI, CPG § 29).
So, Jesus told Dimas that he would be with him in Heavens TODAY. From tradition, we know that this repentant thief is St. Dismas. He is a holy saint, and his memorial day is March 25th. Christ said to Dismas, "TODAY, you will be with me in Paradise." His act of faith has saved him. So, brothers and sisters let us continue to keep our eyes and heart on the prize, which is Heaven, not Purgatory.
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