1) Tuesday dinner tonight at the Newman Center, 6 pm (Mass at 5:30). Will be another good, home-cooked meal!
2) Last call for Freshmen Retreat! There are still spots available on this weekend's retreat. Those interested need to let me know by tomorrow (9/23).
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So, it seems that we've had some of our (many) GW seminarians participating on our site. "Theology2b" (hmmm...someone getting ready to enter theological studies??) and others tackled the question I posed last week. Btw, guys, it's cool that you're on here but it was a question to GW students. It might be a little early for them to leave theological comments or questions on here, but I'm trying to invite them to do so. If I were a college student, I probably wouldn't enter into a discussion among seminarians. Please keep that in mind in the future...
So, the question was "how many people died and went to Heaven between Adam and Eve and Jesus Christ (in other words, B.C.)??" The correct answer is zero. Now, I've heard the answer of "one" before because Elijah was taken up to Heaven (2 Kings 2:11). So, I've had to alter the question to "how many people died and went to Heaven before Christ?" Some of you are reading this and wondering, 'what is the point here?' The point goes back to the initial discussion of the need for Baptism. It is a big point! And, it goes all the way back to the beginning...yes, Adam and Eve in the garden.
Adam and Eve sinned in a major way in the garden. God created them and gave them an earthly paradise. They were free to do whatever they wanted, and they did. They were naked and didn't even notice. They were loving life! Then, things changed. The devil got involved and tricked them into doing the one thing that God said they couldn't do: eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge (of good and evil). Why did they do it? Because Satan tricked them into believing that if they ate the fruit of that tree, they would know what God knows. Oops, he lied. They fell for it. As soon as they ate the fruit, "the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked" (Gen 3:7). Things changed for them and the world because of their sin (Original Sin). (Btw, this is where suffering and death entered the world. God didn't create suffering; all suffering is a result of sin - either our sin or the sin of others).
The Catechism of the Catholic Church lays out the narrative and consequences of Original Sin (#396-421). Among the consequences of Adam and Eve's mortal sin (it was seriously wrong, they knew it was wrong, and they freely chose to do it) were that they broke their relationship with God (as all mortal sin does) and the gates to the Kingdom of Heaven were closed to mankind. The situation would remain that way (no one going to Heaven) even though mankind tried to atone for his sin. The Israelites offered many sacrifices to God for atonement (at-one-ment), but none of their sacrifices were acceptable to God for the forgiveness of sins. In other words, man cannot bring about the forgiveness of his (major) sins. Only God can do that. And, that forgiveness is needed in order to be in close relationship with God and to enter His Heavenly kingdom.
Mankind needed to be saved from its sin. What would God do? To be continued...
3 comments:
Sorry Fr. I'm not a seminarian, I am genetically excluded. LOL. I am doing some preliminary studies before going for my MA in theology. I stumbled upon the blog.
Please let me write. It helps. I lost a friend at Penn State.
Happy Valley?
Not today.
An evening of fun,
or so we thought,
on a weekend night.
With a break from studying,
we gather, talk, drink, smoke.
We leave, some wobbling,
some laughing.
We walk back home,
alone, or in groups,
without worries.
Alone he chose,
or didn't realize.
Step, and then another,
and then one off kilter.
A fall into the dark and quiet
that no one sees.
Searches were started,
prayers were said,
faith we held,
and clutched.
The quiet news,
that he quietly lay
out of view, down
below the sidewalk.
My friend is gone.
For today,
For tomorrow.
What do I say?
What do I think?
I hurt. I am confused.
I have tomorrow. As of now.
For, by the grace of God
that was not me.
What will He do?
Wait, with patience.
And do nothing and everything.
It just depends.
I need to change my ways.
con't.
Just what will God do?
"So far today, I have done all right. I haven't gossiped, haven't lost my temper, haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or over indulgent. I am very thankful for that. But, in a few minutes, God, I am going to get out of bed. And from then on, I'm probably going to need a lot more help." Anon
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