1. Section 3 GOD’S PLAN FOR SALVATION IS FULFILLED

2. Section 3, Part 3: REDEEMED BY CHRIST: OUR EARTHLY DESTINY

3. Introduction God still has a plan for you and you are still a part of it! The Paschal Mystery is completely for you That you might be saved from sin to live a full & glorious life on earth & in heaven God desires us to accept this truth and base our lives upon it No more important choice The articles in this part explore what this choice means for you Four articles (A. 30) – Saved from… (A. 31) – Saved for… (A. 32) – Our Judgment by God (A. 33) – Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory

4. Article 30: Saved from… St. Augustine on the human desire for God “You have made us for yourself, oh God, and our heart is restless until it rests in you” Desire is based upon what the container is made of Christ saves us from certain things to purify the container Christ saves us for certain things to fill up the container of our lives This article is the “from”, then next is the “for” Save from sin and its consequences—linear, exponential, and cyclical pattern Guilt and shame A blessing or a curse: it all depends on how you respond to them Loneliness, despair, and feelings of being unloved Natural vs. supernatural loneliness, despair, and feelings of being unloved Addiction and attachment to things What do people turn to in order to escape reality, especially the reality of the pain that comes from Original Sin Death (Resurrection in the OT—Ecclesiastes 9:5 develops into 2 Maccabees 7:23 & Daniel 12: 1-3) Physical and spiritual—ultimate separation from God

5. Homework Read A. 31 in your e-book for discussion tomorrow 3.3 H.W. (end of A. 33) #’s 1-2 PAGE 138

6. Article 31: Saved for… Christianity should focus more on this “saved for” than on the “saved from” we just looked at A new and glorious life of loving communion with God and one another for eternity in heaven Thus, saints are joyful people, not somber—sometimes holy cards of saints do us an injustice St. Francis of Assisi—peaceful poetry St. Theresa of Lisieux—love amidst pain St. Thomas Aquinas –humility, humor, and holiness The process of new life we are “saved for” begins in this life In many ways the exact opposite of what we are “saved from” as far as positive is opposite of negative Forgiveness and healing Central to the Christian life Christ’s healings, Our Father, Baptism(all), Eucharist (venial), Confession (mortal and venial sins) Freedom From slavery but more importantly for truth, goodness, and beauty Where do desires fall? Joy Joy and happiness: Christian/natural virtue vs. emotion C.S. Lewis—conversion from atheism brought true joy

7. Article 31 cont.: Saved for… Loving Communion Resurrection removes original sin and its effects and restores original holiness and justice Partially in this life & fully in the next: beatific vision—seeing God’s existence; contemplating his essence Eternal life Most precious reward in next life if we choose God and the grace of his Resurrection in this life Makes this life pretty good as in the meantime = win-win situation What we are saved for is “already but not yet” Not yet Concupiscence (darkened intellect and weakened will), sickness and death, limited human bodies and nature, … Already Baptism takes away mark of original sin, other Sacraments build faith from Christ through the Church, Scripture, Tradition, Magisterium, Holy Spirit, … On a journey and Baptism is the first step of who knows how many steps Sanctifying grace Virtues—theological and moral (cardinal) Must be humble enough to find strength in the midst of our weakness

8. Homework Read AA. 32-33 in your e-book for discussion Monday 3.3 H.W. (end of A. 33) #’s 3-4 PAGE 138

9. Article 32: Our Judgment by God Experiences of being judged/judging—judgment (love-object) vs. judgmentalism (fear-subject) Particular Judgment At moment of death, by Christ, eternal destiny of soul (body later), personal, particular, faith & works Biblical proof: Lazarus (Lk. 16), repentant thief (Lk. 23), Last judgment (Mt. 25)—works of mercy From Jn.: faith in Jesus, obedience, listen to Jesus, Eucharist (Sacraments), detachment Final/General Judgment Christ, second return (Parousia = Gk. presence), end of time, all humanity together, bodily resurrection Thes. 4 and Mk. 13 on Parousia; Mt. 25 again on judgment; Rev. 21 on new world Intentions & works revealed; separation based on works to Heaven or Hell; destruction of world & creation of new world; Kingdom of God perfected; resurrected bodies joined to soul (glor/horr -ified) When? The big question (1 Thes. in 51 a.d. was Paul’s main topic)—only God knows so lived each day like it is the last and one day you’ll be right even though it gets harder every day Saints on death—Theresa of Lisieux (not death but life); Mother Teresa (back to Father: hard); Simeon of Thessalonica (together in same place); Paul (life is Christ so death is gain) Necessity of Baptism—baptism of desire

10. Article 33: Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory We tend to avoid thinking about death—why? May not be the case here at CC but definitely should not be the case for Christians ever—why Heaven Must speak analogously about heaven—hard to get a clear notion Perfect joyful communion with God & others for all eternity intended by the Trinity from the beginning Experience glimpses in this world—service Jesus described as a mansion in Jn. 14—not up or down but other-wordly (up important though) Rev. 21 and 22—the heavenly city of Jerusalem Belief is a struggle but the examples of saints like Ignatius of Antioch assist our belief Hell Opposite of heaven—eternal death, punishment, and separation from God Mt. 25, Rev. 20—existence is real; based upon mortal sin (rejection of God) More spiritual pain than physical; fire inspired by trash pit outside of Jerusalem Should not be afraid; not condemned by God; rather by self; conclusion of life lived apart from God Purgatory State of final purification for souls that are not perfect but have not rejected God Assured of attaining heaven one day 2 Maccabees 12, 1 Cor. 3, Cyril of Jerusalem, rite of Christian funerals, …

11. Homework 3.3 H.W. (end of A. 33) #’s 5-8 Study to take the 3.3 Quiz tomorrow (AA. 30-33) Make sure the 3.3 H.W. is ready to turn in tomorrow (#’s 1-8 at the end of A. 33) PAGE 138