Some of His laws are easy to follow
For all the others, “Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.”
By Norm McGraw
Regarding death and the afterlife, my agnostic friend viewed it as undergoing a “change” to the unknown that can be positive, “depending on how you look at it.” My “religious” friend hoped she wouldn’t run into someone she disliked in this life in heaven, which led us into a discussion of how she would handle it.
Tuesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Romans 5:12, 15, 17-19, 20-21
Luke 12:35-38
“Brothers and sisters: Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned.”
These remarks from the 5th chapter of St. Paul’s epistle to the Romans are from the 1st reading of the Mass on Tuesday, October 21st. He argues that sin entered the world through one man (Adam, as portrayed in Genesis). Because of sin, death also entered, and thus death spread to all men because all men have sinned.
In presenting my reflection on Paul’s epistle, I found it important to focus on the meaning of sin as well as the vision of life after death, particularly heaven. Sin is defined as “an offense against religious or moral law” or a “transgression against the law of God.” Mortal sin is described as a serious offense against the law God, such as murder. Venial sin is a less serious crime, like mild abusive language, not necessarily depriving the soul of divine grace.
Surveys conducted between 2017 and 2022 across countries worldwide found belief in life after death ranged from 32% to 98% of the population.
In previous reflections, I asked two friends —one an agnostic and the other with both Jewish and Catholic heritage —about religious questions. I decided to do the same again, asking their views on sin and the afterlife. Surprisingly enough, their views were remarkably alike. My religious friend agreed that sin is man’s transgression against God’s law, and my agnostic friend described it as “doing something that you know is wrong.” Both believed that the seriousness of the offense could be rated as either mortal or venial. Regarding death and the afterlife, my agnostic friend viewed it as undergoing a “change” to the unknown that can be positive, “depending on how you look at it.” My “religious” friend hoped she wouldn’t run into someone she disliked in this life in heaven, which led us into a discussion of how she would handle it.
I believe that the solution to that issue is in this life. In the 5th chapter of the gospel of St. Matthew, at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says: “But I say to love, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father…” If we do what Jesus commands, then meeting someone you disliked in this life in heaven is no longer a problem. The Responsorial hymn of Tuesday’s readings (Psalm 40:7) punctuates this idea: “Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.”
In the 2nd reading, from the 12th chapter of the gospel of St. Luke, Jesus describes, through a parable, how we should prepare for our entrance into the afterlife. “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival…”
Simply put, following God’s laws ensures that we will be ready when He calls us to join Him in heaven. Some of His laws are easy to follow, like praising Him occasionally with a moment of prayer, or helping a friend or loved one. But some are difficult, like “love your enemies…”
Although it may be difficult to pray for those who persecute us, we should remember that physicians say hatred can be psychologically as well as physically unhealthy for us. In the 15th chapter of the gospel of St. John, Jesus tells his apostles: “If the world hates you, realize that they hated me first…I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you.”
Again, some of God’s commands are difficult to follow.
Despite that, we need to keep our eyes on the ultimate goal — being with God in heaven. Luke 21:36 puts it best: “Be vigilant at all times and pray that you may have the strength to stand before the Son of Man.”